MUSIC

SHEP NQ

Over the weekend, five of our junior musicians – Cayden, Benjamin, Leon, Victor and Leo – represented the College at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music State Honours Ensemble Program. Students are selected for the Wind Ensemble or String Orchestra and rehearse from Friday afternoon through to Sunday morning with students from all around the region. The weekend culminates in a wonderful concert on the Sunday afternoon. Congratulations to our students.

NAIDOC Assembly

The College Choir performed for the first time at the NAIDOC Assembly this year. We were honoured to contribute to this culturally significant event on the Saints calendar. JJ Parsgaard and Thompson Guligo gave up their Wednesday mornings before school this term to teach the hymn to the choir aurally, without music. They taught the students the “language” as well. It was a great experience for our students to learn a song without notation and to learn the language pronunciations.

Gaining inspiration from our Old Boys

Our Year 10s are currently selecting their subjects for Years 11 & 12. To assist with their decision making, some of our past students have let us know what they are doing now. One such student – Reagan Crookes (Class of 2023) – has sent us this:

Moving to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) at Melbourne Uni (VCA) is the best decision I have ever made. It’s like being engulfed by a world you never knew you needed. Everywhere you turn in Melbourne there’s more art, more opportunities, but most importantly, in my opinion, people using both of these as a mirror to society, making you question who you are, who you want to be and what you want to do in the world.

I love acting, I love singing and I love dancing, not just because they are fun but because they allow me to express myself. The other week, before I left for Tasmania for AMTF (Australian Musical Theatre Festival), I was in a class called Pres (Presentation Class), where you perform a particular song for the class, first years and Tyran Parke (Head of Music Theatre). This week was high stakes, so I performed "If It's True" from Hadestown and stepped into a world unlike any other. I could go on for hours about how it felt being inside the given circumstances of the piece, how I used techniques built over hours and hours of practice, and carefully crafted teaching, to present something authentic, technical and moving.

 The enjoyment comes down to the teaching and the people I am surrounded by. The teachers there every day know what they’re doing, and the most inspiring thing is that they teach without ego. Learning from people who are passionate about what they do is both inspiring and rewarding.

 All the people involved are connected to, and still very much thriving in, the industry. This is important because not only does it cultivate incredible connections for me as an artist, but it also allows them to stay current and know how to adjust the course or provide opportunities that best serve our careers. One example was travelling to Tasmania and working with people like Nadine Garner, Carmel Dean and Simon Bruckard alongside the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

 At the beginning of next year, we get to travel to London and work with professionals in the Global Atelier program. Whether it’s my singing teacher, who just played Hades in the Australian cast of Hadestown, or my Shakespeare teacher, who is inviting us to a private technical run of Julius Caesar in which he plays Casca, the opportunities are unmatched.

 I’m grateful to call Melbourne home now and extremely thankful to the people over the years who have continued to shape who I am through their love of art.

2026

Our program is busy and vibrant with many opportunities for performances. We entertain at assemblies, perform in productions and music nights as well as provide liturgical music for the College. Our students have many performance opportunities.

Information for events and performances can be found on the Arts Department Facebook page. There will also be information in the newsletter and parent slips sent out. Below is a calendar of events planned so far. These will be added to during the year, so please reread

the calendar each edition to check that you are abreast of all that his happening, and make sure you put these dates in your diary.

Term 3

Term 4