Senior School
Performing Arts

Mrs Jacqueline Shields

PIANOforte CONCERT

Some of our advanced piano students will be performing in a live streamed concert this Friday at 6.30pm. Greta Seymour, Eliza Ward and Elizabeth Kwa will be performing with piano staff from KWS and Orange Regional Conservatorium of Music. Tune in on Friday evening to support these girls.

You can view the Live Stream here:

https://www.facebook.com/orangecon/live/

Year 7 & 8 Open Mic Virtual Concert

Whilst we wait to be able to hold concerts again, Year 7 and 8 students are invited to submit videos of a performance for the KWS Virtual Open Mic concert, which will be held in Week 8 of this term.

More details will follow soon – the Performing Arts staff are really looking forward to hearing lots of performances from our Year 7 and 8 students!

Musica Viva - Aura Go and Tomoe Kawabata Residency

Whilst Musica Viva artists Aura Go and Tomoe Kawabata are unable to continue with their planned residency at Orange Regional Conservatorium because of restrictions around COVID-19, our elective and senior Music students still have the opportunity to connect with them. Aura and Tomoe will be conducting remote piano lessons and masterclasses for advanced students. They will also be video conferencing with elective and senior music classes about a range of topics including contemporary Australian Music, repertoire, preparing for performances and practising effectively.

Should you wish your child to have a piano lesson with Aura or Tomoe, please contact Mrs Shields at jshields@kws.nsw.edu.au

Reflections of 'Iso'

Here are some reflections of what learning Music looked like from the perspective of Year 9 Music students Cale Slack-Smith and Ella Buesnel.

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

Music has always been an important part of my life, but it was something that was in the background and though something I enjoyed not something that I ever thought much about or something I thought I would want to pursue. Our home has always been full of music and the speakers have always blared some diverse and eclectic choices. My Dad is a farmer who used to be in a band and my Mum is a dance teacher, so I have pretty much heard it all. KWS has been instrumental in helping me acknowledge how much I love singing and guitar. Isolation further gave me the opportunity to explore this. It was a rare day that I wasn’t on the guitar or messing around on the keyboards. Dad and I would have jam sessions most nights and over time it became something that was not only an outlet but essential to my day. I am still self-taught but looking forward to some formal training this term. I made my Mum a recording for Mother’s Day and that was really warmly received by social media which helped me gain confidence. As restrictions lifted, we were at a neighbour’s house one night and I sang a duo with a friend called “Times Like These” which is a perfect song to describe my isolation experiences and the opportunities it gave to me to truly appreciate that music will always in some way define and shape me."

Cale Slack-Smith - Year 9 Music

"Practicing for singing didn’t really change that much for me during the COVID-19 isolation. If anything, it gave me more time to explore more genres of music and create new playlists. Singing is quite easy to practice for too because you always have your instrument with you wherever you go and ISO meant I could pretty much sing all day if I wanted to. I also listen to music when I’m in the car, doing a workout, going for a run or completing homework. At home we also have a music room that is always set up with a microphone connected to an amp and a computer that I use for backing tracks. When I’m learning a new song, I find it really helpful to use a lyric video so that I can sing along with the artist and learn the words and notes first. Once I find something that suits my voice, I then download the sheet music to practice from. During isolation I also used the time to find songs that I enjoyed listening to that had been remade using acoustics for the backing which can make a song more suitable for singing."

Ella Buesnel - Year 9 Music

Mrs Jacqueline Shields