What's Happening in the College?
Music and the Brain: Years 5 and 6 Students arrive early to Junior Choir to Sing, Play and Boost their Brain Power
- Visual Arts
- Public Speaking & Debating
- Performing Arts
Visual Arts
Willoughby Council has chosen seven St Pius X students from last year’s HSC to exhibit their works in the annual Smart Expressions show. The free show features works from schools in the Willoughby Shire and opens in The Art Space at The Concourse from 20 February to 17 March 2019. This is a particularly useful show for any students considering HSC Visual Arts as it presents works in the calibre of Artexpress. Details can be found in the flyer below.
Mr Mark Anderson - Visual Arts Coordinator
Public Speaking & Debating
Mrs Michele Waterson - Debating and Public Speaking Convener
Performing Arts
Music and the Brain: Years 5 and 6 Students arrive early to Junior Choir to Sing, Play and Boost their Brain Power
We are so excited to see many of our new Year 5 students taking part in the Performing Arts program. In his book This Is Your Brain On Music, Professor Daniel J. Levitin writes that ‘musical activity involves nearly every region of the brain that we know about, and nearly every neural subsystem.’
Dr Anita Collins articulates this in her TED Ed Lesson, How Playing An Instrument Benefits Your Brain. And it’s not just children who benefit, we all benefit. By listening to quality music, joining a choir or teaching yourself to play the guitar, you can give your brain a lifelong boost.
Drama: Rehearsals continue for Great Expectations every Friday, Sunday and Monday. Students from both Colleges have done lots of work on learning their lines and remembering their moves from last term. Mrs Sarah McCormack and Mrs Jacqui Loughman are on board to look after the costumes and they are in the process of visiting The Wardrobe in Chatswood in order to source what we need. All students have now been measured for their costumes and I am in the process of liaising with the set designer who will create the set pieces we need to help bring the story to life.
Why not watch the wonderful BBC adaptation of Great Expectations that is on Netflix? It is a new version and has some excellent actors in major roles. The wonderful Gillian Anderson plays a childlike Miss Havisham and whilst the screenwriters have used their creative license to change the relationship between Pip and Estella, it is certainly an excellent new take on this enduring morality tale.
Ms Penny Lindley - Drama Teacher & Director
Phillip Cullen Has Been Accepted into the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
We are pleased to share the wonderful news that Phillip Cullen (SPX 2018) has been accepted into the Conservatorium of Music. While Phillip’s study will include all areas of Music; performance, musicology, music technology and music history, Phillip is specialising in the art of composition and hopes to pursue a career in this area.
Phillip will be working with some of the very composers whose work our HSC Music 2 students look at in their study of 21st Century Australian music; Damien Ricketson, Matthew Hindson, Paul Stanhope and Carl Vine, just to name a few. In sharing his news Phillip of course thought of others. “Firstly I would like to thank all the teachers who have helped me over the years at Pius. Secondly, I would encourage all students to consider the wide range of degrees and specialisations available at the Conservatorium of Music, and I hope to see some more SPX faces there in the future.” Our congratulations to Phillip, we know that he will relish the opportunity to work with so many exceptional composers, performers and musicologists.
Does your son want to learn how to compose his own original music? To enrol in specialised composition classes, please complete the application form below.
St Pius X College Bass Player, Joshua Jones, Achieves Success in his AMEB Examination.
Congratulations to Joshua Jones of Year 10 for passing his AMEB Rockschool Grade 4 Bass Guitar Examination with Merit (score: 88%)! Our sincere thanks to his teacher, Mr Stephen Cummins, for helping so many boys to play like pros. Keep up the brilliant work Joshua.
What if Fitness Was Fun?
We proudly offer Hip Hop Classes to Students in Years 5-6 starting
Tuesday 19 February at Lunchtimes in the College Gym. To enrol your
son please email pwaters@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Limited Spaces Available.
Japanese Dance Specialist, Hideo Shinukubo, brings Break Dance to St Pius
We proudly offer Break Dance Classes to Students in Years 7-12, starting Tuesday 19 February from 7.30am-8.30am in the College Drama Studio. To enrol your son email pwaters@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Limited Spaces Available.
Teaching and Learning
Photos: St Pius Music Teachers Ms Pip Waters and Mrs Natalie Rawle undertake Teacher Training at the State Library of NSW for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 'Meet the Music' Series.
Helping Elective Music Students to Meet the Music
Last week Mrs Rawle and I were privileged to attend in-service courses with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s program designers. Working alongside Dr Joseph Toltz, Joseph Tawadros, Paul Goodchild, Ella Macens and Raff Wilson we were able to study new Australian Music Compositions and discuss how these might be best taught to our Elective Music students. We look forward to taking all our Elective Music Students to the 2019 Meet the Music Series at the Sydney Opera House. Our sincere thanks to the St. Pius Executive for providing our community with such terrific opportunities for teaching and learning.
I’ Kelele Do Ukelele?
Photo: Hands Up if You Own A Ukulele?
Our mighty 'Uke Can Do It' Ukulele & Guitar Club starts next Wednesday 20 February in Music Room 1 at Lunchtime – all welcome.
*Caution: Exposure to Ukulele may cause sudden outbursts of joy, happiness, energy, creativity, healing and a general sense that everything’s going to be OK.
Elective Music Students to attend HSC ENCORE, featuring Hunter Clarke (SPX 2018), at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 18 February, .
The College has organised for all Elective Music students (Years 9, 10, 11 and 12) to attend HSC ENCORE. This event features the best performers of the 2018 HSC candidature. By attending this concert, students have the opportunity to become better acquainted with the high standards required for HSC Performance and Composition. This year we will also be supporting Hunter Clarke (SPX 2018) in his fantastic Encore Performance of Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria.
2019 'Meet the Music'
Photos: Elective Music Students to attend the 2019 MEET THE MUSIC Series at the Sydney Opera House
The College has organised for all Elective Music students (Years 9, 10, 11 and 12) to attend the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 2019 MEET THE MUSIC Series. These concerts are an outstanding opportunity for St Pius students to experience the mastery of professional composers, performers and conductors at a very competitive price.
Ms Pip Waters - Acting Performing Arts Coordinator