In the Spotlight

Spotlight on music

In the world of secondary school at Nowra Christian School, the Creative Arts Team has been gearing up for another exciting year of activities suited to a wide range of learners. 

The Secondary Vocal Ensemble has started with a bang as we look toward the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod. Our singers are very competent and are beginning to sound wonderful together. Throughout the term we will be working on three songs for the Eisteddfod; South Australia, Heavenly Father, and You Will Be Found.Music in secondary classes has started with much excitement. Year 7 has begun to explore the keyboards and written notation. Students will be performing for the class in the coming weeks and growing in confidence as the term progresses. Ask your child to show you ‘pass the beat’, our current class favourite.

Year 8 has started working through the structures involved in Rock and Pop music, unpacking the feelings of these genres and learning how sounds can impact our emotions as listeners. In the coming weeks, we will learn how songs are put together and work at composing our own songs.

Stage 5 music is in musical theatre mode! We are unpacking music that is written for the stage. Ballet, opera and musicals are all on the table for analysis and we will soon be diving into our own performances of these works.

The senior music class has started with a bang! We looked at various Australian composers and how they view composing for the Australian audience. The natural rawness of Peter Sculthorpe accompanied by the eccentric creativeness of Liza Lim were a couple of features. Students are now deep into their first Preliminary task; the research task and viva voce. Where they will have a 10 minute conversation about a topic of their choice (and one they have researched thoroughly) to showcase their musical understanding. It’s a daunting prospect for the unfamiliar but it’ll be broken up by a quick trip to the Sydney Opera House on Monday (24th) to have a look at some of last years’ best HSC performances.

There is so much more to mention, and we are only 3 weeks into the term. No doubt next time the spotlight is on Music, there will be more exciting experiences to share.