Arts News (Music, Art,Media and Visual Arts)

End of Term 3:

Spring Music Concert 

Our eagerly awaited Spring Concert was held on Thursday, September 11, to a packed house of excited and enthusiastic audience members. More than 80 students took to the stage over the course of the evening, along with a student-led backstage crew and sound and lighting team. We were treated to performances by our Concert Band, Choir, Chamber Ensemble, VCE Ensemble, Pop Ensemble and our Rock Band, as well as some wonderful solo performances of pieces by Offenbach, several Baroque-era masterpieces, plus Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and a surprise appearance by the Stonehenge monument (not to scale). The opening and closing numbers featured all students on stage together, playing wonderful music and having a great time doing it.

Special thanks to Philip Clark, Jamie Payet, Logan Hamilton and their team, and of course to our music staff Sara Neep, Marc Law, Sam Bennett, Evelyn Wang, Rachel Sifris, and Performing Arts Captains Ana and Harvey, who hosted the event with a special brand of pizazz.

Above all, the Spring Concert was lots of fun! A big thanks to all who attended - we can't wait to see what musical wonders our students will bring us next year!

Aidan Prewitt 

Head Of Music 

A Buzzing Wellfest Week at Our Studio

During Wellfest week, our studio was truly alive and buzzing with excitement! We hosted a live-streamed Family Feud event, engaging classrooms and delighting everyone, thanks to our college captains who did an outstanding job. Both teams did an outstanding job answering the questions and should all be so proud of yourselves.

Special thanks goes to Atsuya Kawasaki for your tremendous effort in creating the slideshow and crafting the questions.

Our Studio+ team is also preparing for the annual South Oakleigh Got Talent live stream, where we'll be managing cameras, lighting, and sound. Additionally, we are eager to collaborate on our Anchorman scripts, where we will reshooting the opening scene of the film.

Philip Clark

Theatre Manager

Sculpting Our Values

Have you ever wondered what your values would look like if they took on a life of their own? This term in year 7 we explored personal values and formed them into imaginative sculptures based on the idea of the totem, totems are not just symbols; they represent a person’s relationship with the land, ancestors and in some cases dreaming (the spiritual belief system of creation and existence)!

The project began with a simple but powerful question.

What do you value most? 

Is it courage, kindness, creativity, or something else entirely? Once the values are identified, the next step is to assign each value a character. These characters can be anything... an animal, a mineral or even a vegetable! Maybe courage is a soaring eagle or kindness is a gentle river stone. The conversations are always so dynamic.

With their characters in mind, we used plasticine to create mock-up sculptures. 

This hands-on process is about exploring scale, texture and detail. Students are encouraged to look closely at the features that make their characters unique, like the wings of a bird or the scales of a fish. 

To help with this, everyone is asked to collect images that capture the essence of their chosen characters as inspiration hopefully adding realistic details and textures to the sculptures.

We are also learning to plan ahead by estimating how much clay they’ll need, just like writing me a shopping list so we can all have enough. This practical skill connects the creative process to real-world problem-solving, explicitly merging the art world into that of numeracy. Combining the practical skills of art and important measurement skills of maths.

ART + STEM = STEAM

Most importantly, this project is about student agency and inspiration. 

By choosing their own values and characters, students are given the freedom to express themselves and find meaning in their work. It’s a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the classroom and the world outside, showing that what we value can shape not only our art, but also our lives.

We can't wait to see what this semesters sculptures look like after they've been fired! 

Year 11 Media - How technology is reshaping our world

In today's digital landscape, technology isn't just changing how we communicate, it's revolutionizing entire cultural experiences. Year 11 students have been exploring fascinating case studies that reveal how media platforms dramatically impact society. As a class we will be putting together a magazine, exploring the content and construction of a print magazine.

To compliment all this we had Anat come to speak to us for period one (50 minutes) last week. Anat had an accident in 2004. She has limited abilities and her short term memory is sketchy. She and Ms Gross are best friends and met in year 11. The intention of this parallel was to put in context the life-long, in-person connections we make and the difference a split second can make and how lucky we are that we can be proactive in how we interpret online content verse real life consequences. 

Meeting "a primary resource" was invaluable. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of Anat's crash, about her recovery and about her life 20 years later. 

This incredible comparison allowed us to discuss and analyse the impactful difference between an informal chat and the message with the T.A.C. 30 second advertising slots on free to air TV. 

How important is it that we are aware of the content we are consuming and what we do with that information. What do media content creators cram into 30 second bytes. 

What is the impact of new media technologies on us as individuals and as a society?

From gaming to global phenomena like Fortnite and Pokemon Go where fans go nuts all over the world. These aren't just games, they're social ecosystems that connect millions worldwide. Pokemon Go transformed city streets into interactive playgrounds, while Fortnite created virtual social spaces where players interact beyond traditional gameplay.

The metaverse represents another frontier, blurring lines between physical and digital realities. One article investigates how these virtual environments create new forms of community, communication and even financial gain (but for who and how).

Emerging technologies like AI influencers challenge our understanding of authenticity and representation. Platforms like Minecraft demonstrate how digital spaces can become creative laboratories where users construct entire worlds and worlds which can be magical whilst unconsciously absorbing our dopamine.

These case studies aren't just about technology, they're about understanding how media shapes perception, behaviour and social dynamics. By analyzing platforms like toxic K-Pop fandoms or viral campaigns like "Dumb Ways to Die", media students critically examined media's complex influences.As technology continues evolving, understanding these transformative platforms becomes crucial and fundamental to how we traverse between our worlds.Today's students are not just consumers of media they're active interpreters and creators of digital experiences. 

They can be prosumers and directors of their own narratives.The media landscape is constantly shifting. Are you ready to explore how technology is reshaping our world?

Renee Gross 

VCE Visual Communications, Media and Design Technology