Director of Music

Practice makes perfect for exams 

It has been a busy and exciting term in Music, with students across all year levels preparing for a range of important performances and assessments. Our Junior School ensembles and classroom music students are working hard in readiness for the Junior School Mid-Year Assembly, while the Junior Rock Band recently showcased their talents at the Middle Years Assembly.

As our Senior students begin preparing for their upcoming Mid-Year Examinations, we wish them every success and encourage families to read about how music can play a valuable role in effective study and assessment preparation.

Junior School Mid-Year Assembly

The Junior School classes and ensembles are busy preparing for the Mid-Year Assembly on Monday 15 June. This will be a great opportunity for Junior School students to perform for their peers and parents as well as celebrating the fantastic achievements of students for the first half of the year. The assembly will be held in the Nagle Centre and will begin promptly at 1.45pm.

University of Tasmania Music Foundations Mid-Year Performance Exams

Congratulations to Ayaan Jafery and Enoch Ebo who are both studying the University of Tasmania Music Foundations Course. Ayaan and Enoch both completed their Mid-Year Performance Exams and performed well. 

Our students completed their solo performances for the University of Tasmania Examination Panel, made up of Dr Andrew Legg and Ms Karen Smithies. We look forward to future performances from Ayaan and Enoch. Students are admitted to the Music Foundations course by an audition for Dr Legg. If any Senior students are interested in auditioning for this course in 2027, please speak with Ms Ball.

Junior Rock Band

The Junior Rock Band delivered another energetic performance at the Middle Years Assembly. The dedication and hard work of this ensemble is very clear in the high quality of their performances. Congratulations to Tom Bufton, Edward Hickey, Harry Imber, Jacob Lee, Samuel Skinner, and Gangul Wimalasena for your excellent performance. 

It is also fantastic to see the ensemble growing with more students joining rehearsals. If you can play a rock band instrument (guitar, drums, bass, keyboard) and are interested in joining the Junior Rock Band, come down to the Music Rooms at Recess on Thursdays and rock out with Mr Pregnell (a guitar legend) and Mr Park (a drumming legend).

Music and Assessment Preparation

As our Senior students head towards their Mid-Year Examinations, many students and parents may be wondering if there is anything else which will assist their preparation. Playing a musical instrument before reviewing notes has been shown to lower cortisol levels which can help students to feel calmer prior to an exam. Playing music before reviewing notes has also been shown to trigger dopamine which can boost both motivation and performance.