The Arts - Music

Gapella Choir

Auditions in Week 3 

For students with choir/singing experience who would like some more challenging music.

(Gapella members from 2025 don’t need to audition).

Where: Auditorium

When: Thursday 12th Feb

Time: 11.00am

(we will continue on Friday at 11.00am if we need more time)

What to bring: A song to sing for the group 

(Keep it quite short – verse/chorus) 

Students should be prepared to learn a new song as a group. 

Rehearsals for Gapella will also begin on Tuesday Week 4 at 7:15am.

Students can sign up on a sheet for Voiceworx on the noticeboard in N Block hallway (opposite N4). It would be appreciated if they can sign up for choir before Week 4 so we have an idea about numbers.

Ms McMullen and Ms Dargusch are looking forward to welcoming students at either the Voiceworx rehearsal or the auditions for Gapella. 

The Gap Spotlight

Gap Spotlight is your opportunity for students to perform to an audience at The Gap State High School. 

Performances will be:

When: Wednesday on Week 2 | Week 4 | Week 6 | Week 8 | Week 10 (even weeks)

Time: 11.00am to 11.30am

Where: The Auditorium

• Performances can range from solo or group music performances, drama works, monologues or skits, dance routines, comedy acts, etc.
• Maximum of 5 minutes of performance

• Email by the Wednesday before to: gapspotlight@thegapshs@eq.edu.au

  (Include name of song or work to be performed, including any lyrics and approximate time)

• Ms Smentek and Ms Dargusch will organise the performance timetable, which will be emailed to the performers during the week before hand. Email the teachers for more info and look out for the posters around the school. 

If you would like to check out the talented people around our school, please join us in the Auditorium as a respectful audience member.

UPDATE: GREAT TURNOUT TO OUR FIRST GAP SPOTLIGHT!

Instrumental Music

Our Instrumental Music team have started lessons and ensemble rehearsals this week and it is shaping up to be another magic year of music making at The Gap SHS. 

Next week (Week 3) our Intermediate and Senior Ensemble students and teachers are away on Music Camp which means that lessons and ensemble rehearsals from Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 are cancelled. 

Our Thursday and Friday lessons and ensembles will proceed as planned - good news for our Brass and Percussion students as well as Vivaldi string players and Mrs Dinnis’ students.

Music Camp - Lake Ainsworth - 9-11 February

A huge thank you to all of our families for finalising your Music Camp registrations by the deadline last week. We have 130 students from our Intermediate and Advanced Ensembles attending this camp in Week 3. 

For those students attending camp, you should have received an invoice last year for the fees, and the balance is due before we head off on February 9. Thank you for sorting this out if you haven’t already.

Please note - Concert Band and Vivaldi Strings students (including our new Year 7 musicians) are not invited on this camp as it is so early in the year. We have other wonderful opportunities in store for you! So, please, watch this space. 

Instrumental Music Extension opportunities - 2026

SHEP/AHEP - State Honours Ensemble Program and Australian Honours Ensemble Program

School nominations for these two programs are closing soon. Please see the application information below (including Instrumental Music/AMEB level). 

AHEP - if not already submitted, nominations for the 2026 Australian Honours Ensemble Program 2026 are due to Ms McMullen by February 13. Nominated students must meet the following criteria: 

Instrumental: Year 7 – 12 who are at AMEB 6 and above, students who are in year 6 are required to be AMEB 7 or above

Vocal: Years 9 – 12 AMEB 4 or auditioned choir

SHEP - Nominations are open for SHEP 2026: Sth-East QLD, Brisbane, and QLD. These programs are held at QLD Conservatorium, Griffith University, South Brisbane. Please see the attached information sheet for more detail about the levels of each program. Nominations for the 2026 State Honours Ensemble Program 2026 are due to Ms McMullen by February 27.

Program Dates: 

SHEP Brisbane: Friday May 29 – Sunday May 31

SHEP Sth-East QLD: Thursday July 9 – Saturday July 11

SHEP QLD: Thursday October 1 – Sunday October 4

Nominated students must meet the following criteria:

Instrumental: Years 7 - 12 who are at AMEB 2 and above, Students in years 5 and 6 need to be at AMEB 4 or above

Vocal: Years 7 – 12 and Year 6 students at AMEB 1 or above

Creative Generation - State Schools on Stage

Nominations for CGEN 2026 are now open and we will be nominating instrumental music students for the Symphony Orchestra and Big Band and Solo/Featured items only.

Please note that students need to be performing at a fairly high level (IM Level 8 or above) to be successful in their nomination - please check with your IM teacher for your level or check last semester’s report card.

Performances will be staged at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday 16 July tSaturday 18 July 2026 with rehearsals happening on weekends and the holidays beforehand.  

To nominate, please complete a Student Expression of Interest form and return it to Ms McMullen asap.

Nominations deadlines are as follows:

Nominations close for all categories except instrumental: Friday 6 February 2026

Nominations close for instrumental categories: Friday 13 February 2026

Please have your nominations in to Ms McMullen two days before these cutoffs as it takes some time to process all the information and upload audition videos.

All nomination details are also outlined on the CGEN website.