Specialist News

Music and Performing Arts

Hello/Assalamu Alaikum/Hola, Nǐ Hǎo, Ciao, Kon'nichiwa everybody!

It's been a wonderful and busy term in Music and Performing Arts.

Foundation students have been busy learning the pieces Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb on both the xylophones and the keyboards. We've been exploring how to play in time, how to play softly and finding the correct notes on the keyboard using the two black notes together -->  'Double D' to find the letters and Cool Dogs Eat for CDE. You can practise on the link below!

They have also been using backgrounds as stimuli to create their own dialogue and short plays to build their confidence in front of an audience and learn how to be a great audience member in return!

Grade 1 have been looking at playing music with more than one octave. They have looked at Frere Jacques in both French and English (Are You Sleeping?). We have also looked at playing through London Bridge and learning about how beautiful it used to look and how everyone thinks Tower Bridge is London Bridge lol. We have been working on acting with a focus on using the stage properly and projecting our voices.

Grade 2 have been doing similar songs but are working on finding all the letters on the keyboard using the 'Double D' in between the double black notes/dog ears/donkey ears and finding 'G and A' like General Admission to an AFL, Matildas or Blink 182 concert through the three black gates. Click the link below to practise. 

We also looked at the Bluey theme song, one in C Major and one in E major (with 4 sharps).

They also made up scripts/improvised lines about being in space and in a science lab or the Sahara desert. 

Grade 3/4 have been arranging rhythms to make short compositions before playing them on the keyboard and xylophone. Additionally, they have been working on finding all the keyboard notes and finding the notes on a treble clef stave from Middle C to A (one ledger line above the stave).  FACE in the Space and lines are Every Good Burrito Doesn't Fall Apart. You can practise on the link below. They are learning how to use the right octaves on the keyboard and play in time to the music.

Grade 5/6 have been doing treble clef and piano note exercises. They have also been looking at root note chords (Am = ACE etc) to play Africa by Toto as a class, with some of the students mixing the notes up with different inversions (Am = CEA or EAC) for smoother voice leading (*that will probably only make sense to musicians). Next term we will be looking at continuing keyboard but also learning chords and melodies on the ukuleles!

More to come in Term 2 🎤🎹🎸🎼

Private Music Lessons @ School

FYI the school runs private music lessons!

For drumming lessons contact the amazing Daniel @ Daniel.brates@gmail.com

For piano, guitar, ukulele and bass lessons contact the legendary Matthew on matthew.ericksongtr@gmail.com or call 0401 324 334 (he also has flyers near the office)

VISUAL ART

Mr. Squiggle was a beloved Australian children's television character, known for his ability to turn squiggles into drawings. With his pencil nose, he entertained audiences for decades, inspiring creativity and imagination.

This week Grade 1B was inspired to give a "Squiggle" a go.  Each student drew 3 lines and shapes on a paper and swapped it with the person sitting to them. They then created a drawing from the squiggly lines. 

Grade 1's Kandinsky's circle drawings are abstract artworks characterized by vibrant colours and geometric shapes. They reflect the artist's exploration of form, colour, and spiritual expression in his pioneering abstract art.

Grade 5 / 6 are learning the "Bob Ross" technique of large brush strokes and blending to create a background reference for their landscape paintings. Following in this process students are learning to control their paint brushes by painting with a very fine paint brush and learning different ways to create trees.

Preps doing a collaborative drawing to use as banners take to their combined Prep and 5/6 Teddy Bear's Picnic.

Grade 1's SCARY ICY POLE MONSTERS. Grade 2's ICY POLE WEAVING.

Grade 3 / 4's Hundertwasser inspired drawings rejecting straight lines and embracing irregular and undulating forms creating a sense of vitality and freedom.