Victorian Schools Music Festival

Victorian School Music Festival

Last month, students in the Northcote High School music program got to go to VSMF, which stands for Victorian School Music Festival, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre. There, we had to perform several of our pieces which we had been practicing for months. There were an assortment of bands there; some of us were playing in the stage bands, which specialize in jazz music, and some were playing in the concert bands, which focus on grand orchestral and concert music. 

After going onstage (and hopefully not being too nervous), we got the chance to listen to some of the ensembles from other schools who were participating. We were impressed with the clear skill and practice that some of the other schools had put into their pieces. VSMF doesn’t rank each band compared to one another; rather, they judge each band individually based on how well they compared to the sheet music. There is no first, second, or third place. (But if there was, we would have gotten first every time.) 

Overall, going to VSMF was a greatly enriching experience, both in the sense of being told by experts how to improve, and also in the way that we could see what the other bands do differently. I’m sure we all look forward to going again next year.  

Alex Burgemeister, Year 11