Monash Youth Music Festival
On the 10th of August 2026, we went to the Monash Youth Festival, hosted at the Salvation Army Waverley Temple. We met up at the hub at 8:15am then headed excitedly towards the church entrance, to wait for the bus, while it began raining. After a few moments of chatting eagerly with friends, the bus finally arrived at around 8:30am. We happily got on the bus with our instruments placed carefully into the storage compartment of the bus, then we headed off to the festival’s destination.
After a short bus trip, we got off the bus with butterflies fluttering in our stomachs and excitement written on our faces as we collected our instruments from the storage of the bus. We walked with joy towards the back of the stage to warm up and get ready for our performance, since we were first on.
Eventually, we were called onto the stage. Our hearts were racing with each step. As the conductor, Mr Pankridge, raised his baton, we all got ready to play our first song… everyone applauded as we got ready for our next song.
After our performance, we were guided to another backstage area where we put our bags and instruments. We were then guided down to the audience and watched the other two competitors. First was the St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar School string performance, which was fascinating to listen to. Next, came the interesting guitar ensemble, showcased by the Mount Waverley Secondary College.
At the end, the judge announced the winners of the competition. In 3rd place came Good Shepherd, then in 2nd place came Mount Waverley Secondary College, then in 1st came St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar School. It was such a rewarding experience to go up against secondary school students.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to Mr Pankridge, Mrs Marshall and Miss W for giving us this amazing opportunity and also to Miss Lamanna for coming on the day to assist.
We are looking forward to the senior choir attending the Monash Youth Festival next week!
Thea & Marcus
Year 6 Arts Leaders
On the 17th of August, Good Shepherd participated in the Monash Youth Festival. In preparation for the festival, all senior choir members that were selected, had numerous choir rehearsals working on our songs and harmonies. We practiced getting into lines and looking all neat and tidy for our entrance and exit. The superb songs that we performed were “The Moon” by Andy Beck, showcasing our dynamics between quiet and loud, and “Ching A Ring Chaw” by Aaron Copland, a more upbeat and fun song. We were accompanied by our own piano teacher, Miss Sunn, playing a majestic and flowy melody to keep us in tune and in beat. Our conductor was our performing arts and choir teacher, Miss W, making sure we knew when to use our soft and loud voices.
On arrival, we met schools that we were in competition with. They were all in primary school and every single competitor showcased creativity, dynamics, pronunciation and picked great songs that were expressed in their own unique way. We saw how all the different uniforms looked and it makes every school unique. Students from our school were seeking good luck charms for instance like four leaf clovers hidden within the patch outside the auditorium. Ultimately, they found a lucky four leaf clover which was a definite rare occurrence!
Before our performance, we were meeting in the green room. Students were nervous as it might’ve been their first event like an eisteddfod which shows how important an event like this was for children. While we were on stage, it looked so much more different than being in the audience because when you’re on stage you are also seeing things from a diverse perspective. We followed Miss W’s conducting and Miss Sunn's accompaniment. The way we performed that day was the best manner we’ve ever done! We presented blended harmonies and excellent pitch and dynamics especially in “The Moon”!
In conclusion of the eisteddfod, we unfortunately didn’t receive a place. Nevertheless, we still presented an outstanding performance to represent our school. The choir that received the win were fantastic and had a great display of their voices and we congratulated them on their special win. The schools were all spectacular and were great schools to compete with.
Leaving the festival, we read the Adjudicators notes and received heaps of positive feedback and only needed to improve in one area, which left us stoked! Every student was proud of our performance and we all tried our best. Our school showed an exemplary performance!
Amelia Severino
Arts Captain