Concert Bands

Intermediate Concert Band performance at Wantirna College

On Wednesday the 14th of May, the Intermediate Concert Band attended an ensemble showcase at Wantirna College. The band is made up of students in years 7-9 who are in their first and second year of playing concert band instruments, and they rehearse on Monday afternoons. In its inaugural year, this was the first time that the Intermediate Concert Band had performed together as an ensemble. 

The showcase was an opportunity for students to perform for an audience of like minded students from various schools in the NEVR region, and gain valuable feedback from teachers. The students were among 7 ensembles who performed on the day, with a wide variety of styles and ensemble make-ups on display. Each ensemble presented a program of works for the crowd, and were then provided with immediate feedback and a workshop on stage. It was wonderful to hear such different approaches to music, with each ensemble bringing something unique to the table.

The WHSC Band had the task of being the first ensemble to perform, a daunting feat which they took in their stride and set the tone for the remainder of the day. The students rose to the challenge, and performed really well as a band. They received valuable feedback which they will take back to their rehearsals and performances moving forward.

Once the hard work was over, the WHC students were able to listen to the rest of the ensembles perform, and also listen to the feedback they were given, and reflect upon how they might be able to implement similar ideas to their playing.

Overall, it was a very successful outing for the Intermediate Concert Band in their debut year as an ensemble at Wheelers Hill. Special thanks go to some wonderful helpers from the Stage Band, as well as from the Beginner Band who assisted the Intermediate Concert Band for the showcase as well as on the day of the performance.

Beginner Concert Band

The Beginner Concert Band at Wheelers Hill is an ensemble of year 7 students who are in their first year of learning various brass, woodwind, percussion and string instruments. The students are up bright and early on Tuesday mornings each week to rehearse together before school from 8am, and are led by woodwind instrumental teacher Harper Dawson.

On Tuesday 25th of March, the band came together for an extended incursion, with the aim of spending some productive and dedicated time to their new instruments and with their new ensemble. The group began rehearsing in period 4, and continued throughout the afternoon and after school, with sessions devoted to full band rehearsal, as well as some focussed rehearsals in smaller instrument groups. The band welcomed some wonderful volunteers from the Intermediate Concert Band to assist with rehearsals, share their advice, and help to motivate the year 7 students as they themselves had been in their shoes the previous year.

The incursion culminated in a performance for their friends and family dubbed the ‘5-note concert’. The band presented a program of repertoire based around the first 5 notes they had learned on their instruments. A large amount of the repertoire they played on the night was material they had not seen or worked on as a band prior to the incursion, which is testament to their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication throughout the afternoon. The concert also included some pieces performed by individual students or small groups, which was fantastic to see. 

The incursion and concert was a great success, with some fabulous progress made by the students. Spending an extended amount of time on their instruments early in their learning journey really assists young musicians to succeed and can fast track their early development as musicians. In fact, the band did so well that they were able to include a 6th note to their repertoire for the performance, highlighting their fantastic efforts throughout the day.

Harper Dawson

Woodwind Teacher