INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

🎶 Enrolments and Lesson Start-Up

Welcome to our new Instrumental Music students and welcome back to our returning musos! 2026 is shaping up to be another wonderful year of music-making, and we can’t wait to share it with the LHS community.

🎵 Enrolments

Waitlists are currently in place for Percussion and Guitar. We still have limited places available for:

Voice
Brass (Trumpet and Trombone)
Woodwind (Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone)

If you are keen to try one of these instruments, please see Ms Goode in the PAC or register via the 2026 Instrumental Music Enrolmentlink.

🎺 Instrument Hire

If you have received confirmation that your child is eligible to hire a school instrument, please ensure hire fees are paid by Tuesday 31 March so instruments can be processed through the school library borrowing system.

Payments can be made via Compass Events. Payment plans are available by contacting the Main Office.

🎼 Bands and Ensembles

LHS Band rehearsals began in Week 3 for advanced students. Rehearsals are held every Monday lunchtime in the PAC Band Room with Mr Harrison.
Funk Empire rehearsals are held on Thursdays with Mr Winter.
LHS Choir rehearsals began in Week 5 with Nichola. Students who do not have voice lessons but would like to join are encouraged to see Ms Goode in the PAC.

Our rock bands have been enthusiastically booking rehearsal spaces at lunchtime and are excited to perform at school and community events throughout the year.

Keep an eye out for performances by:

ABC
ROOM2
HSD
Blue Shift Quarter
DEBT
Bald Dog

Rookie Band (for beginning students), along with Guitar and Percussion Ensembles, will commence in Term 2.

🌟 Lilydale High’s Got Talent

Applications are now open to any student (or group of students) with a special or secret talent!

Ideas include:

🎧 DJ
💃 Dance
🤹 Juggling
😂 Comedy
🎩 Magic
🟠 Hula hooping
🎤 Lip syncing
🪆 Puppetry
🚴 Bike tricks
📣 Cheerleading
⚽ Ball tricks
🎪 Circus skills
🥋 Martial arts
➗ Maths tricks
🎙️ Beatboxing
✨ And more!

The event will be held in Week 8 of this term - so start practising!

Please register your interest by the end of Week 6 via theLHGT 2026 Registration.

Combined School Ensembles Offered:

Secondary Choir (open to all students and staff)
String Orchestra (AMEB Grade 2 and above)
Concert Band (AMEB Grade 2 and above)
Symphonic Band (AMEB Grade 3 and above)
Symphony Orchestra (AMEB Grade 5 and above)

Applications must be completed online by a parent/carer via the TryBooking link.

🎬Mitcham Weird Music Club

On Saturday March 21, LHS rock band ABC, along with Strawberry Legs, American Passport and Green Mules, accompanied screenings of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs at the The Plaza Theatre.

Congratulations to Ari, Ben, Callum, Hue and French exchange students Leandre and Noam on a fantastic performance. All ticket profits were donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre — a wonderful achievement!

🎸 School of Rock – Youth Session

On Sunday 1 March, rock band ABC performed at the The Acorn Bar & Restaurant.

This awesome group wowed the crowd with their eclectic mix of covers and original songs!

We’re so proud of these talented students for representing our school and sharing their passion for live music with the community.

🎺 Legends and Lore – Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following Instrumental Music students who have been selected to perform at Hamer Hall for the NEVR Legends and Lore concert on Wednesday 13 May.

Concert Band

Madi Bain (Flute) and Freya Green (Clarinet)

Secondary Choir

Caitlyn White and Callum Eade

Symphonic Band

Isla Canning (Flute), Hue Martin-Webb (Flute), York Newell (Tenor Saxophone), Emma Hade (Baritone Saxophone), Tahlia Hickey (Flute), Oli Bain (Trombone), Violet Lardner (Alto Saxophone) and Oli Green (Alto Saxophone)

This is a fabulous achievement, and we are incredibly proud of your dedication and talent. We can’t wait to see you perform on such a prestigious stage!

MSO Open Rehearsal 🎻🎶

On Wednesday March 3, Ms Goode and Mr Colussi took VCE Music students and the LHS Band to an open rehearsal with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Hamer Hall. It was a fantastic experience to see such talented musicians be guided by their conductor to play Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances – great inspiration for our very own LHS Band!

Before wandering through the Australian Music Vault, students also participated in the pop-up installation of Cold Voice, a sensory experience playing musical instruments made from ice! Cold Voice is a living reminder of how delicate and beautiful our planet can be and how ice can be both strong and delicate, solid and melting, sound and silence.

The day finished with lunch along Southbank in the sunshine with Ms Goode and Mr Colussi.

🎼 Staffing

Welcome back to our talented and inspirational IM teachers:

Damien Thomas (Guitar)
Mr Paul Coles (Percussion)
Mr Paul Winter (Brass and Clarinet)

We are also delighted to welcome:

Nichola Ingvarson-Favretto (Voice)
Mr Craig Harrison, who is replacing Mrs Cheryl Morrow for Term 1.

Craig is a familiar face in the Music Department and has already been a tremendous help teaching woodwind and getting LHS Band rehearsals up and running for the year.

📅 Diary Dates

Friday 6 March – Lilydale High’s Got Talent registrations due
Tuesday 10 March – LHS Band performance, Year 7 Instrumental Music Info Session (Period 3)
Sunday 15 March – ABC, ROOM2 & HSD perform at Celebrate Mooroolbark Festival
Tuesday 17 March – Lilydale High’s Got Talent Grand Finale (lunchtime)
Thursday 19 March – LHS Band & Woodwind Performances (Grade 6 Info Night)
Tuesday 31 March – Woodwind & Brass hire fees due
Friday 8 May – Rookie Band Excursion – Beethoven’s Gaming Quest, Arts Centre
Wednesday 13 May – NEVR Legends & Lore Concert, Hamer Hall, 7.00pm
Thursday 18 June – Inter-school Battle of the Bands
Thursday 25 June – Mid-year Melodies (Concert Bands, Ensembles & Choir)
Thursday 16 July – Amplified (Rock Bands)
Thursday 3 September – September Soiree (Solos, Duets & Trios)
Thursday 22 October – Encore! 2025 (All Bands & Ensembles)

Looking Ahead

Term 2 – Battle of the Bands
Term 3 – LHS The Voice

We look forward to a creative and music-filled year ahead. 🎶

Jacki Goode

Instrumental Music Coordinator