Performing Arts

DRAMA MATTERS

“Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good.” 

― Terrence Mann

Junior Drama Ensemble Rehearsals:  Where time flies as boys are having so much fun!

The HSC Drama Course Explained

Senior Drama requires students to be involved in making, performing and critically studying drama and theatre. Through collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, passion and hard work students take part in challenging activities in a safe and inclusive environment. Drama builds self-esteem and self-confidence, supports literacy, encourages tolerance and teaches creative problem solving.

“Theatre is history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, music, dance, art,

all wrapped up in one.”

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

Year 11 Preliminary course

• Improvisation, Playbuilding and Acting
• Elements of Production in Performance
• Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles

Term 1:  Approaches to devising: Physical Theatre influenced by Jacques Lecoq. Students write, collaborate and perform an original group performance based around a stimulus presented by their teacher.

Term 2:  Absurd Theatre with focus on Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Assessment is a choice of directing a scene and working with actors or creating a costume design or stage set portfolio.

Term 3:  Students create a character journey for their Individual Project: monologue performance. They learn how to construct a 5-6 minute monologue from a full length play which they will perform to an invited audience.

Year 12 HSC course

• Australian Drama and Theatre 20%:  The theoretical and experiential study of TWO contemporary Australian plays. Plays set for study are Stolen by Jane Harrison and Fearless by Mirra Todd. Workshops are undertaken on each play and students write an essay for the HSC examination.
• Studies in Drama and Theatre 20%:  Significant Plays of the Twentieth Century. Plays set for study are The Laramie Project by Tectonic Theatre Company and Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht. Workshops are undertaken on each play and students write an essay for the HSC examination. 
• Group Performance 30%:  All students embarking on the Drama HSC course must collaborate to create an original piece of theatre lasting 8-12 minutes. Students devise, write and perform their play to an invited audience and the HSC markers.
• Individual Project 30%:  Students choose ONE topic from the following to complete:

1. Critical Analysis (research project, director’s folio, theatre review)
2. Design (set, costume, lighting, promotion & program)
3. Performance
4. Scriptwriting
5. Video Drama

Ms Penny Lindley - Drama Teacher

MUSIC MATTERS  

Calling all St Pius X College Pianists

Piano Masterclass with renowned Australian classical pianist, Simon Tedeschi

We encourage all our College piano players to attend a fantastic Masterclass with pianist, Simon Tedeschi.  Simon grew up locally in Lindfield, attending Beaumont Road Public School and is now one of Australia’s finest concert pianists.  Please book your ticket and learn first-hand from this wonderful young Australian musician. He is highly talented, very entertaining and may be a catalyst in helping you to launch your own journey as a musician.

• Friday June 14 
• 5.00pm – 6.30pm
• The Shore School Orchestral Recital Room
• $15.00 per observer
• https://www.trybooking.com/BCOEN

Flash Mob, Anyone?

Don’t stand in the way of SPX Junior Choir, you’ll be knocked over by joy and spirit.

Sometimes all it takes to make your day is one great song. Isn’t it lucky then, that we have the ‘make your day’ playlist?  Yes, the SPX Junior Choir will pop out at any chance they get to make others happy. Here we see them singing the duet “Shallow” to Florence Nightingale (Mrs Hunt) and Madame Switch (Mrs Fromager). The boys don’t need Lady Gaga or Bradley what’s his name; they can sing both parts at once. Hilary and Maxine were very pleased to be serenaded on a cold Thursday morning, “Wow boys, you’ve really warmed our hearts.” As we started to pack up one Star Is Born quickly whispered, “Miss, should we sing it again?” After thinking carefully, Mrs Rawle suggested, “Leave them wanting more. But we’ll be back...”

Why all the Pomp and Circumstance?

Bow ties, tiaras and Elective students make an appearance at the SSO and Sydney Philharmonia Choir’s, “Last Night of the Proms” Concert, Thursday 6 June.

The ‘Meet the Music’ series is all about harnessing students’ love of music. Last night’s concert was one of the most interactive performances we have ever experienced. We got to sing along, wave flags and throw streamers in celebration of the infamous ‘Last Night of the Proms’ at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a fantastic evening for everyone in attendance. Our sincere thanks to Mr Primrose-Heaney, Mr Cummins and parents for supporting this educational opportunity.  

James Baldock Year 10 Music

Young Mind Brings New Life to Old Treasure

Oliver Lenehan - SPX Resident Organ Restorer and Music Historian

When a passion for Science and a love of Music combine, what do you get? You get Oliver Lenehan! Oliver is a Year 11 Music 1 student of St Pius X College who has a huge obsession with pipe organs. Each Friday after school Oliver has been visiting the Sarto Centre to clean and restore our heritage pipe organ.

We are so proud of Oliver, his intellectual curiosity and initiative. When asked whether the organ was tuned to standard tuning, Oliver laughed aloud and said, “No, it is tuned to its own temperament, and this is definitely not concert pitch!”  To learn more about Oliver’s research of the Sarto Centre Pipe Organ, please enjoy reading the attached notes he has dutifully compiled. 

Year 7 Musicians

You see children playing instruments.  

We see:

Following directions

Teamwork

Choice-making

Listening skills

Engagement

Independence

Turn-taking

Fine motor skills

Gross motor movements

Problem solving

Inventing

and much more!

“This is Gonna Be the Best Day of My Life…”

Year 8 Musicians engage, innovate and create

Each week Year 8 musicians keep improving and we all know mums and dads love seeing their teenage boys learning and having fun. Here we see Mr Primrose-Heaney’s class enjoying a Musical Futures lesson, packed with non-stop music-making.

Happy Birthday Ronan!

You don’t get older, you get better!

With so many boys in our Performing Arts Department there are bound to be a few birthdays to celebrate.  One very special St Pius musician turned 15 on Friday and it was only right that we embarrassed him with pink cupcakes and celebration.  Our Italian Bassist Mr Russo and Irish tenor Mr Brannan lead the party and not one Year 9 student complained about having to eat cake or sing!

Meat Pies and Mozart?

They should be eating Austrian strudel!

With 80 pages of dots to read and somewhat complex harmonies to master, the SPX College Altos are ready for the challenge. With a meat pie in one hand, score in another, they are using cold lunchtimes to master their music. We can’t wait to hear them drop their lines back into the mix at Choir rehearsals on Wednesdays @ 7.30am. 

Roger Covell - University Professor and Champion of Australian Composers

We give thanks to the teachers in our lives and the love of learning they leave as their legacy.  Mrs Rawle and I were sad to read that our University Professor and the chief music critic of the Sydney Morning Herald, Roger Covell has passed away. He taught us musicology over our B. Mus B. Ed degrees. In all the lectures we had Professor Covell never read from notes; he knew the History of Western Music backwards and forwards. Professor Covell had a dry sense of humour. His favourite examination was to drop the record needle on any of forty large musical works (including the four hour Ring Cycle). As he stood with a twinkle in his eye, we had to isolate the exact section in the work and write a musicological analysis. We were slightly terrified and slightly exhilarated by this process of assessment. We all loved Roger. 

St Pius X College Welcomes Sydney Conservatorium Practicum Music Teacher, Miss Janet Rang

Let the love of teaching begin…

We are blessed to have Sydney Conservatorium Bachelor of Music and Education student, Miss Janet Rang completing her teaching practicum at St Pius X College. Janet lives locally and attended Killara High School. While her major instruments are flute and piano, Year 8 boys have already begun teaching Janet to play the guitar. Janet displays huge amounts of initiative and is actively participating in rehearsals