Music News
Chris MITCHELL
Director of Music
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Easter! Term 2 is a busy one, so read on for all the details!
‘Twilight Tunes’
The weather was mostly kind for our annual ‘Twilight Tunes’ outdoor concert towards the end of term 1. We enjoyed a wide range of performances from Stage Band, Chamber Strings, Symphonic Strings, AT529 Orchestra and various soloists and small groups. Well done to all students involved and thanks to the staff who assisted in preparing them. Enjoy a few photos below (thanks to Daniel B., for being photographer for the day)!
NEVR Concert – Wednesday May 29th, Hamer Hall
We have approximately 70 students involved in the NEVR concert this year. This concert involves students from a range of schools in the North-East Victoria Region, playing in symphony orchestra, string orchestra and concert bands. If you applied and were accepted for this event, your rehearsals should be showing on Compass. Participants should have also received a letter with all the details, including what to wear and how to buy tickets for the performance.
Please note that parents need to make their own arrangements for getting students to and from the rehearsal venues.
There will be a soundcheck during the day at Hamer Hall on May 29th. We are awaiting further details from the concert organisers before we can settle on arrangements for the day. For the evening performance, parents will need to make their own arrangements for getting students to and from the venue.
Winter Concert – Thursday June 20th
The Winter Concert is our biggest event of the year, with back-to-back shows, one featuring our junior groups and one featuring our senior groups. All instrumental music students, including ‘ensemble only’ members will be involved in at least one of the two shows. Please put Thursday June 20th in your diaries. Further details will be available in the coming weeks, including ticket availability. Both shows will also be livestreamed via YouTube. Students who are interested in performing a solo or duet, or organising a small group item, should speak to Mr Mitchell or their instrumental teacher in the next two weeks.
AMEB Exams
During this term, students who are considering an AMEB exam in 2024 will need to finalise their decision, in consultation with their teacher and parents. If you have any interest in completing such an exam this year, please start the discussion with your instrumental teacher in the next couple of weeks.
Instrumental Lessons
A few reminders for students as instrumental lessons continue this term:
- Please check your lesson times carefully each week, and again the day before the lesson. Write yourself a reminder if you need it so you remember to attend (or if you use a BYOD, set a reminder using a calendar app such as Outlook).
- If you will miss a lesson, please see your teacher or send your teacher an e-mail in advance. In some cases, the lesson time may be able to be re-arranged but this is not always possible. The earlier you let a teacher know of a problem with the lesson time, the more likely it is that they can change it for you.
- Please ensure you complete regular practice as advised by your teacher. Some teachers will write practice requirements in the Compass lesson plan, so please check this.
Ensembles
Ensembles continue during term 2. Please note groups that were rehearsing in D3 are now rehearsing on the gym stage. Ensemble sessions should appear in the student’s Compass schedule.
2024 Performances
For your forward planning, please see the proposed 2024 performances below. If you are unsure if your student will be required on a particular date, please contact the music department for confirmation.
