Performing Arts News

There is an exciting energy building within the Performing Arts at St Mary’s College, as a dynamic and growing team of passionate educators continues to shape the creative life of the school. With fresh momentum and a shared vision for the arts, the year ahead promises many opportunities for students to perform, create and shine. 

Introducing our new team members: leading the Senior Drama program is Natalie Venettacci, who brings strong direction and vision to students on the stage. Lisa Thomas adds a wealth of expertise across Theatre, Music and Dance, while Jill Norton inspires our young performers through an engaging and vibrant Primary Music program. Together with Scott Weston and Mary Heferen-Faulkner, the team offers a diverse range of skills and experience, creating a rich, collaborative and dynamic Performing Arts environment. 

With this talented group at the helm, students will have many opportunities to step into the spotlight. From lively skits and colourful pantomimes to elegant soirées and performances throughout the year, the stage is set for St Mary’s students to showcase their creativity and talent. 

Excitement is also building across our Band program as students in Years 5, 6 and 7 begin another year of music-making. For our Year 5 students, this term marks a special milestone as they receive their instruments for the very first time and take their first steps as young musicians. Meanwhile, our Year 6 and 7 students are quickly getting back into the rhythm of regular practice and rehearsals, building on the skills they have developed in previous years. 

We would like to sincerely thank parents and carers for partnering with us and supporting their children on this musical learning journey. It has been wonderful to see students proudly taking their instruments home, ready to practise and prepare for what promises to be another exciting year in the Band program. 

With so much happening already, this is only the beginning. Watch this space as the Performing Arts at St Mary’s continue to grow, inspire and bring our community together through creativity and performance. 

Is music just for fun, or is there more to it? 

Ms Mary Heferen-Faulkner, Music Teacher (Junior School)

Children enjoy singing, moving, playing a variety of percussion instruments, exploring body percussion sounds, and reading signs and symbols. Fun? Absolutely.

But what is the brain actually doing when students are having fun?

Clapping the beat strengthens the same neural pathways used for language. Clapping and patting rhythms while saying syllables in words develops aural skills, gross‑motor skills, hand–eye coordination and supports children in processing speech sounds.

Singing and chanting rhymes build aural and oral skills through listening and echoing. They also strengthen phonological skills such as rhyming, patterning, understanding syllables, and processing onset and rime. Pitch awareness can even support speech development. Think about how you speak: it isn’t robotic, but full of inflection, phrasing, pauses, and dynamics.

Playing percussion instruments and using body percussion develop fine‑ and gross‑motor skills, social cooperation, executive‑functioning skills, and the ability to work together as a team.

Reading symbols helps children understand that each symbol represents a sound –whether on the music stave, in the alphabet, or in numbers. 

So yes, the child is having fun, but oh, so much more.