Performing Arts 

The 2022 State Solo & Ensemble Championship competition – Congratulations Jeremy Ball! 

It may not be common knowledge to many, but one student let it slip that he was recently awarded the State Juvenile Tenor Horn Champion for Victoria in 2022!  

The talented Jeremy Ball, who learns bass guitar at Koonnung, also plays Tenor horn in the Koonung Concert Band and regularly plays his Tenor Horn in the Box Hill Academy Brass band program. The 2022 State Solo & Ensemble Championship competition is run by the Victorian Bands League (VBL), and each year they hold a competition event for brass soloists and ensembles to compete against each other for the title. 

This competition features entrants from junior and open senior level competitors from different Brass Bands from all over the state. Brass Band programs are a great avenue for brass musicians to apply their abilities out in the wider community and build a network outside and after school music programs. It's highly recommended for any brass students interested in giving it a go, find your local brass band! 

Jeremy, now Year 9, has been learning the Tenor Horn since his primary school years and also took up the bass guitar at Koonung in Year 7. Jeremy enjoys participating in many musical settings that challenge him and will continue to see where his musical experiences will take him. 

Here's what Jeremy had to say about his competition experiences:

1. What school year level did you begin learning the Tenor Horn?  

I officially started playing the Tenor Horn during early Year 1 of primary school, and I started playing with the Box Hill Brass Academy band around the end of that year.  

2. What pieces did you play and how long did it take you to prepare these pieces?  

For the competition I played 'Cool It' by Kerin Bailey. I first played the piece in isolation in 2020, then returned to it around mid to late May this year. I was practicing it almost every day until the second week of the last school holidays, when I moved to practicing it every few days due to my involvement in the school musical production rehearsals.  

3. What did you like about taking part in the competition and are there any useful musical experiences you've gained through the process of competing and preparing to compete? 

I enjoyed the warm, happy environment and the diversity and ability to choose your own piece. Throughout the process, I gained a greater level of self-confidence allowing me to do a solo performance. During the preparation time I learnt how to use slight embouchure changes to affect the tone and feel of the notes and overall piece. 

 4. What do you like about playing in your Brass Band? 

I enjoy playing in my brass band because it is very welcoming and relaxed when we are learning pieces for fun, and highly focused when we are preparing for a competition.  

Keep up the great work Jeremy!  

See all the results from the 2022 State Solo & Ensemble Championship here on their website: 

https://vbl.org.au/ssec22-results/  

Josh Verco 

Instrumental Music Instructor - Electric Bass, Double Bass & Cello

Koonung Musical Foyer Performance Series 2022 

The Koonung college musical, 'The Sound Of Music' was up and running again over weeks two and three this term, and it provided some of our eager music students the opportunity to perform some of their own light musical entertainment in the foyer before the show and during the musical's intermission break. 

These performances provide a great way for the students to practice their performing skills to the public in a very low pressure setting. They gain more experience in how to be self-reliant and take initiative in preparing their performance repertoire and presentation, just like on a professional gig! 

It was pleasing to hear the most common feedback from the onlookers, "this is nice isn't it", about the general musical ambience in the foyer, and also the fixed stares from the very young children attending the Sunday matinee show, in awe for having seen a real trombone in action for their first time. All of our student performers really helped to add to the show's atmosphere!  

We would like to congratulate the following students for being involved in this year's successful musical foyer performance series! Ryan Teo, Ashton Lonnen, James Lonnen, Taneka Huber, Ronak Sen, Jack Stabek and VCE music students Yang Yu, Anson Feng and VCE music teacher Penelope Latham.  

See feedback and photos from our students performing in action below!... 

Student reviews

Ronak Sen - Yr11 

I enjoyed having another opportunity to perform pieces that I may not otherwise perform at a concert as such and improving my solo repertoire. A skill that definitely developed over the two nights I  performed was being able to play the right piece to fit the ambience at the time compared to playing whatever repertoire at any point and it really helped us as musicians to get the subtle feedback from the audience. 

Ryan Teo – Yr 8 

The foyer performance was a great way of building self-confidence and getting over performance anxiety. The performance was a fun way of expressing creativity through music, and is something I would do again.  

Jack Stabek - Yr12 

I enjoyed the opportunity to perform in a rather relaxed setting, which allowed for more focus on enjoying the nuances of the moment with the audience and the music.  

A skill that developed was the ability to really musically gel with one another in our playing, being a trombone duet (Mr Verco and myself), where adapting repertoire to fit both the duet and the ever changing dynamic of the audience emphasised that sense of understanding in order to adapt and fit the whole situation. 

Josh Verco 

Instrumental Music Instructor - Electric Bass, Double Bass & Cello

And what a show it was, we didn't want it to end....