Muse News

How's Music Going in 2019?

New Students

There’s a great demand amongst the year 7s to learn a musical instrument. This is exciting, good for the school and warms my heart. My very small decision to learn an instrument at school changed my life for the better, back then and even now. A ‘small’ decision indeed!

Why is learning an instrument important?

Well it may not be. But for some it can keep them at school, give them a safe place to be, teach them that hard work relates directly to achievement and, as in my case, can give a person confidence to enable them to improve all aspects of their life.

What we're working on...

We have a great variety of small ensembles that are always looking for new challenging pieces to perform.

Satellite Bands

There will be the occasional singer who chooses a song that needs a band, or a guitarist, or a bongo player or something like that… that’s when a band will be formed, for the specific goal of performing for the singer. The band will then go their separate ways, much like a professional ‘sessional musician’ would.

The Saxophone Quintet

I would be proud of the Saxophone Quintet if I had formed the ensemble myself. OK I’m still proud of them… a great sound and enthusiastic members. They are working on ‘High Hopes’, ‘Don’t stop me now’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Death of a Batchelor’ and many more.

The Wind Quintet

A classical format consisting of a flute, an oboe, a clarinet, a horn and a bassoon. They don’t just play classical music but the ‘blend’ of instruments is unique and beautiful. They are working on ‘Love of my life’, ‘When she loved me’, ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

The Stage Band

My new baby! (So to speak…) As a young saxophonist the most fun I had was in a stage band. I’ve just arranged ‘I’ve got the music in me’ for this new band that features our music captain Renae Wilkinson.

The Brass Ensemble

The brass ensemble is, at the moment, my most enthusiastic group. They have had some set-backs but are moving forward with ‘I was made for loving you’ and ‘Gonna fly now’ among others.

Choir

The choir is beginning soon. The delay in getting it going is due to a somewhat different approach. This year we will be getting the voices (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) to rehearse with some of the advanced students and then bring them together once they know their own part to the pieces we will be performing.

Concert Band

Concert band (formerly senior band) will consist of many of the musicians who haven’t been learning that long as well as some senior musicians as well. I imagine that the existence of so many other groups will cater well for many of the senior players that enjoyed the senior band in the past. Even with the new name this group will be the largest ensemble and play music styles that are not covered by the other groups.

Events

 The Hamilton Eisteddfod 

is an upcoming event that we are working toward. We will be entering quite a few sections of the competition, hoping to represent ourselves and our school with pride.

ANZAC day

I love Hamilton but live in Balmoral; a small community in which I used to work and be involved with the RSL. I have, when working at the school, been organising the ANZAC day march and commemoration. This year I hope to help them out with musicians from Hamilton (primarily Baimbridge College) and form a marching ‘Satellite band’ to cover the event. I hope the students will be enthusiastic in helping out this small community, as I’m sure it will be greatly appreciated by the community.

The Production

There will be a production during the second half of the year. I have no details as yet as to where, when or what it will be, but I will be sorting out the details soon.

New Monthly Recitals

The monthly recitals in the ‘dungeon’ of the music centre are beginning in April! This will be a short (about an hour) performance evening of great variety featuring anyone who is hungry for a performance venue and an audience, and there are a lot this year. I will publish the dates on compass and elsewhere but really we’re not looking for a great huge audience every time. It’s a small intimate venue that will have, hopefully, a friendly audience who will support performers who are looking for a chance to perform pieces that they are currently working on, and consider them ready.

I’m still working on a snappy name for these recitals, stay tuned for that.

Musings

What follows is some ramblings, personal thoughts and philosophies about music, I have no more information about events and news. Thank you for reading this far I hope you are informed and enjoyed the information. If you should choose to continue reading, thank you again… but I understand if you’ve had enough.

My teacher the late Dr. Peter Clinch was an amazing person. People would say to him ‘Aren’t you lucky to be able to play so well’ …he would reply… ‘Yes I am, and it’s funny, the harder I work, the luckier I seem to be…’.

His approach that nothing substituted for regular daily practise has become mine as well.

 I was lucky enough to have parents who were on the strict side when it came to music and set my practise time and routine for me. Needless to say, I didn’t think that I was lucky at the time. My emotions, my feelings and my psychological state of mind didn’t matter… 5.30pm (or whenever it was) was my practice time… end of conversation.

Bad habits are hard to break, but what people don’t say to you often is that good habits are similarly difficult to shake off, even if you want to.

Later I would tie my practice time to a regular thing that happened in our house, in order to make it easier to remember. I may be wrong in the memory of this, but I seem to recall my sister enjoying ‘Neighbours’ the TV show and how it wasn’t my ‘cup of tea’ (in fact, I hated it). So the theme song would send me off to my room with my clarinet and music. (Interestingly even now, if I hear that theme song, a part of me thinks it’s time to go off and practise.)

I’d like to also stress just how important ensembles are to a young musician’s development. They force you to play in tune, in time and with a mind to what’s going on around you… oh and they’re really fun and rewarding when it all comes together.

Finally if you have a young musician in the household please understand that the noises emanating from their practice area will improve with time, please be patient. Oh and if you’re strict about practise times and schedules they may complain at first, but then thank you later in their life.

I did.

Glenn Hayes.

Music Coordinator.