Saltwater College Newsletter

Music

Written by Michael Lapiña

Term Two has started with so much energy and excitement.  This term, the Preps and Year One students get a chance to experience music as part of their Performing Arts rotation.

During this Term, the key concept revolves around Form and Function.  Our students get to explore the instruments in each of the following instrument families, and they determine if the size, material and the way the instrument is played affects the sound that each instrument makes:

  1. Voice
  2. Percussion
  3. Keyboard
  4. Strings

The excitement of being able to play these instrument families is apparent among the students.   Their first lesson revolved around the voice (through singing).  We took this opportunity to use mnemonics through physical actions to help us learn the lyrics of the school songs.  

We have so many awesome singers in our younger years.  Each of these students are a welcomed addition to our School Choirs that rehearse every Fridays at lunchtime.

I'm looking forward to seeing (and hearing) these young voices in our choir.

 

 

Extra Curricular Music

Aladdin:  The cast of our Aladdin Musical were given a special treat in their first week back in Term Two.   On Friday, the Performing Arts Directors, Mr Lapina, Mr Haddad and Mr Bowen, as well as Assistant Principal Mr Nicolaides, joined our 55-strong cast on an excursion to the Wyndham Cultural Centre; the venue where our musical will be performed on 22 & 23 July.  

Whilst at the venue, our students were taken on a tour of the backstage area, exploring:

  • the dressing rooms and Greenroom, 
  • the various parts of the stage (Upstage, Downstage, Prompt Side, Opposite Prompt
  • the fly towers and the various tabs, including the cyclorama, skirms and legs
  • the lighting desk in the Biobox, creating different effects through the combination of different coloured lights
  • the sound desk where different effects were applied to Molly's voice to create the voice of the Cave of Wonders.

The students were even able to run through the first few scenes of our show, using lights and sound effects to give each student the true feeling of how the show will feel when they eventually perform it in July.

Everyone had a great time, and with this new vigour and inspiration, our following rehearsals carried a different level of energy.

I cant wait to share this performance with each of you.