Music News

Christopher MITCHELL

Director of Instrumental Music & Performance

Classroom Teacher

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful break. We are looking forward to another great year in Instrumental Music. Please read on for important information.

Year 7 / New Student Enrolments

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to learn an instrument so far in 2025! We had an overwhelming response this year and will have a beginner strings group of more than 40, and a junior concert band of more than 30! A few points to note:

• Most students should now have had their first lesson – if not it will be next week.

• Brass, woodwind and lower strings hire instruments have all arrived and are ready to start issuing

• Violins and violas will still be a couple of weeks as the hire company has had a lot of requests for violins from many schools this year.

• There may still be some movement of lesson groups and teachers as we strive to ensure the best groupings. However, this will be based on teacher recommendation and we aren’t able to accommodate student/parent requests to switch teachers or be with friends. 

Instrumental Lessons

A few reminders for students regarding instrumental lessons:

• Please check your lesson times carefully each week, and again the day before the lesson. Write yourself a reminder if you need it so you remember to attend (or if you use a BYOD, set a reminder using a calendar app such as Outlook).

• If you will miss a lesson please see your teacher or send your teacher an e-mail in advance. In some cases, the lesson time may be able to be re-arranged but this is not always possible.

• Please ensure you complete regular practice as advised by your teacher. Some teachers will write practice requirements in the Compass lesson plan, so please check this.

Places available

We have a couple of places left in the instrumental music program. 

For Year 7 students we can offer:

• Double Bass (max. 2 places available)
• Tuba (1 place available)

For Year 8-10 we can offer:

• Singing

Please contact me Christopher.Mitchell3@education.vic.gov.au if you are interested in these options. Trial lessons can be arranged.

Home Practice

It is essential that students practice their instrument outside of lesson times and ensemble rehearsals. This will greatly help their progress. To aid in this, a suitable music stand is essential to promote good posture. Basic fold up stands are available at most music stores for around $25-30.

Staffing News

We have been lucky to secure an extra half day of woodwind teaching for 2025. We welcome Mrs Janet Ernst who has been appointed to this day. She will work on Fridays, mainly teaching Year 7 students. Some of you may be familiar with Mrs Ernst as she has filled in some long service leave positions over the past couple of years.

Ensembles

Many ensembles have already resumed for 2025. Junior Concert Band and Nouveau Strings will be starting towards the end of term 1 – specific dates will be advised soon.

^ PA893 is Semester 1 only. Students will be allocated to Intermediate Concert Band, Intermediate Strings or in some cases, a different group for Semester 2. Students can choose to start their allocated group during Semester 1.

* audition only group taken in addition to a core ensemble.

Due to the flood in the Theatre and Gym last year, please check Compass carefully for rehearsal locations each week.

Harmonix Choir

All students are encouraged to join Highvale’s Harmonix Choir. Rehearsals are in D2 on Monday after school. Choir provides a great opportunity to be make new friends, become more connected to the school community and enjoy making music, without having to sign up for instrumental lessons. Speak to Mr Nguyen (Mondays and Thursdays) or Mr Mitchell if you’d like to know more.

Twilight Tunes

Our first concert for the year will be ‘Twilight Tunes’ on Thursday March 27th starting 5.30pm. This concert will involve the PA893 Class Orchestra, Stage Band, Chamber Strings, and some small group and solo performances. Students who would like to perform as a soloist or in a small group should discuss with their instrumental teacher, and follow the instructions coming soon on Compass to sign up for an audition. There will be a strict cut-off date for finalising performances to ensure the running order and program can be produced.

Performers will be required from 4.30pm. For those who cannot go home between the end of school and this time, the library is open until 4pm for junior students and the VCE Centre until 4.30pm for senior students. Some students may also be asked to help with set up. Performers are to join the audience when not performing.

This concert is planned to be outdoors in the lower courtyard; if the weather is poor, it will move indoors (likely to the gym).

Details for audience members will be released via a Compass newsfeed closer to the event.

2025 Performances

For your forward planning, please see the proposed 2024 performances below. If you are unsure if your student will be required on a particular date, please contact the music department for confirmation.