Congratulations to St Andrews Clarinet & Saxophone Students!

We are delighted to have had such a wonderful turn-out for the first of this year’s Instrumental Music Concerts.

Hosted by our music tutor, Mr Joel Dawson, this concert featured solo and duet performances from students of all ages and levels of ability that are currently learning to play Clarinet or Saxophone at St Andrews.

We are so proud of the hard work and dedication that these students have put into their music tuition, and this was a wonderful opportunity for them to shine.

Luke Batty

Head of Performing Arts

Introducing New Bass tutor - Mr Andre Chen

Andre Chen is a bass player based in Melbourne. Before studying Jazz performance in Monash University, Andre had a long history of playing different instruments (guitar, ukulele, and bass), and played in bands with different styles (Rock and metal, Neo soul, Big band jazz and worship bands).

Coming from a self-taught background, Andre learned from many great bassists locally and internationally, such as Craig Strain, Ariane Cap, Jonathan Maron, Moto Fukushima, and Leanda Smith. Andre understands the frustration when learning the bass, and he can help the student from all the methods he learned during the years.

As a music teacher, Andre can teach double/electric bass, guitar, and Ukulele. He's also capable of supervising band rehearsals and youth ukulele groups.

He’s a current Bachelor of Music student in Monash (major in Double/Electric Bass). Also, he is an active participant in the worship team of the Crossway Cantonese Ministry (as the bass player, and sometimes as the band leader or the sound engineer).

Death of a Salesman

As part of their VCE Theatre Studies, the VCE Theatre classes went to see Hearth Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s classic play, “Death of a Salesman”. The production was expertly performed, and provided many examples of how theatre can explore stories that are “timeless and timely”. We also had an opportunity to discuss the rehearsal process and aspects of how a touring show is put together with one of the cast afterwards.

Karen Elbourne

Drama & Theatre Studies Teacher

Junior & Intermediate Ensembles Concert

Our Junior & Intermediate Ensembles performed a selection of pieces that they have been working on so far this year, and it was wonderful to see musical growth and dedication of these students.

Congratulations to Junior Percussion, Mini Vox, Pizzicato Strings, Maxi Vox, Percussion Ensemble, Primary Worship Band, and Intermediate Band, on your wonderful performance!

Many thanks to those that came along to support these students. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the parents, teachers, and staff who have nurtured and encouraged our young musicians throughout their musical journey.

Rachel Ranger

Primary Music Teacher

Senior Ensembles Concert

On Monday, May 15th, St Andrews Christian College hosted its inaugural ensembles concert for 2023, showcasing the talent of our senior ensembles.

The evening was filled with captivating performances by eight of our distinguished senior ensembles, spanning an array of musical styles from the elegant strains of the String Ensembles, the harmonious melodies of our Vocal Ensembles, the rhythm-filled beats of the Jazz Band, to the dynamic sounds of the Concert and Worship Bands. These groups presented pieces that they had been diligently practicing and perfecting throughout the year.

Fresh off their performances at the Generations in Jazz festival just a few weeks prior, this was a fantastic opportunity for our musicians to once again take the stage and share their talent with the supportive St Andrews school community.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our dedicated instrumental teachers, who not only prepared the ensembles for the night's performance but also played a significant role in the success evening. Their hard work behind the scenes was instrumental in making this event a huge success.

Luke Batty

Head of Performing Arts

We Went to CSEN Theatresports!

Pictures cannot convey the goofy fun we had. Everyone from here at St. Andrews, and the other schools we competed with, had so much talent and comedy flowing through their veins. The senior team had lots of fun expressing their comedic timing and lack of social awareness, but it’s the two junior teams who really shone! They got loads of points and made it into the final round!

We can’t wait for next year, and we understand if no one at school really understands what the joke is when we explain the funny bits to them!

Christian Bligh

Year 11 Student

Year 3 Drama

The year 3 students have been working on a script called "Where are we?" for the last few weeks. The script is set in a dark, scary forest, and the students have learned about how to use technical elements of theatre to help create a place. They acted under the theatre lights, and took turns operating our classroom fog machine and sound effects. We had a great time!

Karen Elbourne

Drama Teacher

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