Performing Arts 

Remote Learning in Performing Arts

Year 7 Music

As part of the Year 7 Music curriculum, students explore the instruments of the Orchestra. They look at the different instrument families, including strings, percussion, woodwind and brass. 

In this unit, students learn how instruments produce sound. They investigate how instruments change pitch and volume through vibrations and sound waves. The faster sound waves travel, the higher the pitch of the instrument. The students discovered that this can be done through manipulating the tension or length of a string, the width or length of a tube and the tension or size of the skin of a drum.

The assessment task for this unit of work was for students to make an instrument of their own from items around the house.  Using their knowledge of vibrations and sound waves, the instrument needed to be able to make a minimum of three pitches and play a basic song like ‘Hot Cross Buns’ or ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’.

These are a few examples of the many amazing instruments that the students made. There was careful consideration in the tuning and resonance of the sounds produced. 

Year 10 Music

As part of the Year 10 Music curriculum, students are required to prepare and perform a solo performance. Students are required to take into consideration the genre of the piece and make choices appropriate to the stylistic interpretation. 

Students begin exploring the use of musical articulations, dynamics and ornamentations in their pieces. This assessment task requires research and a lot of preparation.

This term, our solo assessment task looked very different. Instead of performing live, students were asked to film their performance. With this came new challenges such as: testing the sound quality of the recording devise, considering the placement of the performer and backing track in relation to the camera to accommodate for a balanced sounding performance and new performance etiquette skills when recording.

Here is an example of one of the beautiful solo assessment tasks. Eve Libbis-Terrell sings and accompanies herself on the acoustic guitar, performing the 1975 hit, 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac. This Blues/ Country song uses a repetitive finger plucking pattern and vocal skills idiomatic to the genre in which you will hear Eve sing. 

Well done to all the Year 10 Music students. 

Madeleine Tabacchiera

Performing Arts Teacher

Senior Choir

We were delighted with the first virtual choir performance of ‘The Hymn to St Brigid’ by members of the College Senior Choir at the recent Remote School Assembly.

Congratulations to the girls involved and Mr Matt Graham for putting it all together. We hope to bring more virtual performances of our Senior Choir in the coming weeks.

Keryn Holden 

Learning Leader: 

Performing Arts