Music

Notable Music News! 

Solo Recitals  

Last week saw the return of solo recital concerts in the Orchestral Room. The three consecutive nights were well attended and a great success from a range of perspectives. These events provide purpose and motivation for the many hours of unseen and dedicated practice and are a vital component in a musician’s development. The performance of music to an audience pushes students slightly out of their comfort zones, which importantly is where the most growth occurs. This is the zone where skills intersect with challenge to create flow, drive, and engagement in the craft of music making. 

Congratulations to 45 students from Year 2 through to Year 12 who presented their pieces to the very appreciative audiences. All students are encouraged to prepare themselves for a solo recital performance during Term 4 (dates to be announced).  

AMEB results  

Some very pleasing AMEB Exam results have been passed onto me recently, that I’d like to share with the Huntingtower community. Aaron W (Year 9) attained a High Distinction in his Certificate of Performance on violin. Earlier in the term both Faris T and Matthew C (both Year 11) achieved their AMEB Associate in Music (AMusA). These results are the culmination of much diligence and dedication, and we all offer our congratulations to them. The tenacity that accompanies such an endeavour is a transferable skill to other settings and speaks to the importance of constantly striving for excellence.  

New Double Bass Teacher 

We recently welcomed Mr Aidan Efron to the Huntingtower Music Centre who will be teaching Double Bass, and some Piano. Aidan comes to us with excellent credentials and experience and has already had a positive impact in the short space of time he has been with us. Of note, is the sudden and dramatic improvement in the sound of the Senior Symphony Orchestra when he joined us for last Friday’s rehearsal! As always, we would like more students to consider taking up the Double Bass – if this is of interest please make contact as soon as possible. 

Private Music Lessons 

The start of Semester 2 is a perfect time to enrol for private music lessons at Huntingtower, especially if this is something that has been ‘on hold’ from the start of the year. We welcome and encourage students to undertake lessons in any of our offerings, but in particular saxophone, oboe and bassoon, all brass, and low strings. Students who already play flute or clarinet can easily take up the saxophone, as the fingering is the same as flute, and the tone production is the same as clarinet! We also wish to encourage all members of the choirs to seriously think of taking up private singing lessons through the school. This will support the choral experience and qualities and provide solid grounding in the specialised techniques required for singing. All enquiries should be directed to JHetherington@huntingtower.vic.edu.au.  

Upcoming performances 

We are looking forward to some performances coming up next term, and encourage the community to come and support the following events: 

Sat 23 July - morning – Monash Youth Music Festival – Middle School Orchestra 

Wed 27 July – afternoon – Vic Schools Music Festival – Hawthorn Arts Centre – Junior String Orchestra 

Fri 29 July – evening - Huntingtower PAC – Junior School Music Concert 

Tue 30 Aug - evening - Huntingtower PAC – Huntingtower Gala Concert 

David Mowat 

Head of Music