Colour & Chords Evening

Last Monday night, MECS was buzzing as families, students and friends packed the school for our annual  Colour & Chords evening — a wonderful celebration of the creativity and talent of our students.

Throughout the evening, audiences in the Theatrette enjoyed around 35 different musical acts, including group performances, solo pieces and collaborations between students from different year levels. Students had been rehearsing together in the music rooms for weeks, and their preparation certainly showed on the night. Some performed with backing tracks, while others formed bands and ensembles, making for a wonderfully varied program.

Our solo performances featured students who learn through the MECS Instrumental Music Program, and we are incredibly grateful for the work of our instrumental tutors who prepare and encourage these students throughout the year. A special thank you to tutors Tim Greenwood, Tom Glover, Antonia Mitchell and James McCormack, who were also there on the night supporting their students.

A huge amount also happens behind the scenes to make an evening like this possible. Eli T (Year 7) and Jake K (Year 8) did an outstanding job helping set up and monitor the sound and lighting throughout the evening, under the supervision of our Head of IT,  Robert Price.

The night also included our Visual Arts Showcase, featuring artworks from our Media, Visual Communication Design and Visual Arts students in Years 7-10, as well as our VCE Art Creative Practice students. Guests were given the opportunity to wander through the exhibition, view the incredible work of our creative and dedicated students, and vote for their favourite pieces. A huge congratulations to Grace H (Year 7) for taking 1st place, Isabelle McC (Year 10) for 2nd place, and Noah A (Year 8) for 3rd place in our Years 7-10 People's Choice Awards.

VCE Art Creative Practice is a beautiful course that encourages students to delve deeply into their work, requiring dedication, persistence and heart. Across the board, we have been incredibly impressed with our students this year as they have challenged their ideas and created personal artworks with vulnerability, thoughtful care and expression. Their works speak to who they are and how they see and experience the world, and we are privileged to witness this journey. We commend them all for their efforts and thank them for sharing their creations. Congratulations to all our students, and especially to our People's Choice Award winners: Cooper K (Year 11, Units 1 & 2) for first place, with second place awarded jointly to Lily S (Year 11, Units 3 & 4) and Hannah VS (Year 11, Units 1 & 2).

And a big thank you to everyone who helped put together the art displays (and packed them up again!), especially our Art teachers, Matt Reardon and Olivia Dyer, and our amazing Art Technician, Emma Woods.

Colour & Chords was a fantastic opportunity to see our students sharing their creativity, developing confidence and working together across year levels. Most of all, it was wonderful to see so many families and friends filling the school and supporting our students.

Congratulations to every student who performed, exhibited artwork or helped behind the scenes — you made Colour & Chords a wonderful success!

Tristan Forrest & Alyce Vanderjagt