Junior School Performing Arts

Diary Dates - Term 3

Friday 25 August – Orange Eisteddfod (Function Centre) – 10am session. Year 1-2, 3-4 involved

Wednesday 30 August – Orange Eisteddfod (Function Centre) – 10am session. Junior Concert Band 

Thursday 31 August – Orange Eisteddfod (Orange Conservatorium) – 10am session. Junior String Orchestra & String Quartet

Friday 8 September – Strings Concert (DPA) 5.30pm – Beginner Strings, Junior Strings Ensemble, Junior String Quartet. All families welcome to attend 

Monday 11 – Friday 15 September (Civic Theatre) – Stage 3 production week 

Tut Tut! Rehearsals

Information regarding rehearsals for LEADS is now on the HUB. Please check this page regularly for updates. Students should attend all required rehearsals. Know absences should be notified to Mrs Sinclair or Mrs Caro. 

Percussion Workshop

This week, our Junior and Senior percussion students were given the opportunity to develop their playing technique under the expertise of ex-student, Owen Bloomfield. Owen, who studies percussion at the Manhattan School of Music, is on a mid-year break and came back to School to work with our percussionists. Owen took them through the intricacies of mallet technique for xylophone, working on hand position, mallet hold, and strike and release. Students were given lots of think about and work on as they put these new techniques into practice. This is the second year Owen has worked with our students and we are very grateful to him for sharing his knowledge and look forward to welcoming him back again for the next instalment! 

Orange Eisteddfod - Speech & Drama / Verse Speaking Results 

Eisteddfod Performances  

Jacquie Paix & Kerry-Anne Callaughan

Verse Speaking:

On Friday August 4th, Kindergarten to Year 4 Verse Speaking Choir embraced the sunshine and headed down the driveway to the Function Centre to participate in the Schools’ Verse Speaking sections as part of the City of Orange Eisteddfod. Having not participated in these sections since before covid, it was an exciting morning for all involved. 

As noted by the adjudicator, verse speaking provides an opportunity to work in a team, be exposed to and perfect a range of interesting poetry and spoken repertoire and celebrate the courage that it takes for many of our students to stand on a stage in front of an audience. The students represented themselves and KWS in an exemplary manner and brought their best to each performance. 

Kindergarten took to the stage with absolute confidence, looking like professionals all the way! Despite being small in stature they were commended for their strong voices, well-timed actions with excellent focus. Their hard work was rewarded with 2nd place. 

Year 1-2 came away with 1st place with the adjudicator noting the use of excellent facial and body gestures, light and shade, excellent clarity throughout as well as an energetic and focused performance. 

Year 3 and Year 4 came away with 3rd and 2nd respectively in their section, with just 1 point separating the two performances! 

A huge congratulations to all our students and a particular thanks to the teachers (Mrs Chapman, Mrs Essex, Miss Sleeman, Miss Dawson) for providing the opportunity to participate in these sections and working so intently with our students to finesse their performances. 

Orange Eisteddfod – Instrumental / Vocal

Best of luck to all students who are participating in the instrumental and vocal sections of the Eisteddfod. If you are involved in individual sections, please send in your achievements and they will be published in the upcoming newsletter performingarts@kws.nsw.edu.au

AMEB Exams 

Congratulations to all students who recently participated in the instrumental exams. We had wonderful results across a variety of different instruments and grades. Our tutors were delighted with their students’ achievements.