Music Moments

8-12 Wrap

by Karoline Kuti

There have been some very exciting moments in Music in the past few weeks.

Apart from the fun being had making music and exploring musical cultures in the classroom, excursions and performances have made the end of term a delight. 

VCE: Top Class

The Year 12 class spent the day in the lovely Recital Centre, listening to the Top Class from 2016 VCE music. It was an interesting insight into what performance at VCE level involves. The Year 12 musicians spent the day analysing and critiquing the techniques and skills of the performers on stage; many of the performers were inspiring and sparked an interesting conversation and review in the class following this experience. The students gained a lot from the opportunity as well as having a fun day out.

Year 10: Giants of Jazz

The Giants of Jazz took the Year 10 Music class on a journey through time. The trip to hear the Australian Naval Band perform a selection of Jazz classics was inspiring and eye opening. The study of Jazz history, styles and musicians came in handy during this performance. The Year 10 Music class experienced first-hand the skill, knowledge and musicality needed to play this style of music. It was a truly relaxing and uplifting afternoon. 

Year 9: Rroma

The Year 9 class has been mastering the art of Rroma music. Through investigation into the various cultures, analysing the music, learning to play the 'gypsy' scale and the tune Macedonia, the Year 9 class has become Rroma performers. They have developed such a great feel for this style of music that they performed the song at the Doorstep concert. 

Year 8: Beauty & the Beast

As part of the study of music theatre, the Year 8 class went to see the new movie Beauty and the Beast. After exploring and researching a musical of their choice, these students have embarked on creating their own mini musical. The trip to see Beauty and the Beast was engaging and inspiring. I hope that we will discover the next Tim Minchin or Andrew Lloyd-Webber in our midst! 

7 Wrap

by John Collins

This term students in Year 7 Music have been exploring the idea of Identity in Music. We have investigated various musical elements to expand our musical vocabularies and have been putting these new terms into practice to describe music we are hearing and creating.

Students conducted research into two musical cultures or genres to find similarities and to note differences. This gave them the opportunity to explore more deeply a musical style that they were interested in and to learn about a style foreign to them.

We've also been working on the performance side of music. Students formed groups and have been working on a song that they've either chosen as a group, or written. Some groups are working electronically, while others use live instrumentation to make their song come alive. With a range of musical abilities in the classroom, students have had to use negotiation and patience to allow everyone to find their musical place. My goal for Year 7 Music is to get students enthused and excited to set them up for a life-long relationship with music.