Performing Arts

Music Matters

Piano - Sarto Centre – We are very grateful to a local family who is very kindly donating their piano to the College as they are moving house. This upright piano will take up residency in the Sarto Centre and provide more performance and rehearsal opportunities for our Performing Arts students.  

Band Championships – Congratulations and best wishes to Year 10 Music student Patrick Elliott as he represents the College in the upcoming NSW States Solo and Bands Championships at Barker College this weekend. 

Holiday Practice! It is vital that your son keeps practising his instrument as much as possible during the holidays. There has been much research into the importance of practice facilitating muscle memory and for reed and brass players, this will also ensure his embouchure (mouth) stays strong. As summarised on the piano music tuition blog, ‘Simply’, muscle memory ‘doesn't actually record or retain a memory in your muscle, but rather the nerves associated with that muscle. Essentially, when you repetitively practise a movement, you are changing the way your brain reacts to these movements resulting in quicker, repeated motions. You're actually expanding your brainpower!’ For more information regarding this interesting phenomenon, click here.  

New classroom Music teacher: We are excited to be welcoming Mr Darian Johns as our new classroom Music teacher at the start of Term 3. Mr Johns has spent the last ten years teaching at Marist Brothers, Ashgrove, in Brisbane and has a wealth of teaching and performance experience, as a singer in the Queensland Opera and in musicals and is also a highly competent drummer. Mr Johns will be teaching Years 5 – 9, working with our singers and choristers and accompanying some of our HSC performance students. We look forward to Mr Johns joining our wonderful Performing Arts team.  

Ensemble Rehearsals Term 3: Please note: all Music ensemble rehearsals will commence in Week 1, with all Drama rehearsals commencing in Week 2 unless advised otherwise by your Ensemble Director. Should your son wish to join an ensemble, please click here. 

Wishing you and your families a very relaxing holiday

Mrs Annabel Westhoff - Performing Arts Coordinator 

Drama 

Yesterday the HSC Drama cohort performed their Major Works and Group Project for an external marker. Thank you to Harrison Hooper who stepped in at the last minute due to a major injury received by one of the students, Caleb Hanrahan. Also a big thanks to the Year 11 students who stage managed the event, Liam Harley, Michael Krizan and Blake Markulin.

The Year 12 students received some excellent feedback on how to progress their Group Performance and we also saw many exemplary Individual Project performances. Next term we will be inviting family members and the college community to watch all performances on Sunday 23rd July from 1pm. See here for invite next term. 

Ms Penny Lindley - Drama Coordinator