Music Notes

Vocal soirees

Nicole Bull, Academic Dean of Performing Arts

Due to COVID restrictions this year, both Junior and Senior School vocal concerts will be held a little differently. We are very excited that all our senior voice students will have the opportunity to perform their items on Teams. This can then be viewed by family and friends in the comfort of their homes.  

We are working diligently to capture the magic of our live performances virtually. These performances are optional and may not suit all students. Senior School students who do not wish to perform online will be given the opportunity to perform live in a dedicated Friday afternoon soiree in early Term 4. Junior School students will also be offered the chance to perform in a junior vocal soiree in Term 4. 

Details of the concerts will be sent to all participants.

Spotlight on music staff

We would like to introduce you to Angela Wasley and Samantha Robertson, both voice tutors in our Music Department. They teach students from mid-Junior School through to Senior School.

If you are interested in voice lessons for your child, please contact the Music Department at music.admin@kilvington.vic.edu.au. 

ANGELA WASLEY, VOICE TUTOR

Irish-born Soprano Angela Wasley received a scholarship to attend Melbourne Conservatorium at age 19 and completed a Diploma of Opera in Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts, ‘Opera Studio’. 

She worked as a soloist for the Victoria State Opera ‘School’s Company’ and performed at the Edinburgh Festival and Scottish International Children’s Festival. She continued from there to Italy where she studied Italian at the Instituto Linguistico Bertrand Russell in Padova (Padua). 

Angela worked as a chorister for the English National Opera for many years, where she performed in numerous operas and as a soloist in many concerts throughout the United Kingdom.

As well as teaching at Kilvington Grammar, Angela teaches singing at Mentone Grammar and Caulfield Grammar. Along with her colleague Samantha Robertson she runs the ‘Amadeus Opera Company’ at Mentone Grammar - the only school that runs an opera program in Victoria. 

Currently, Angela is studying to be a Vocal Rehabilitation Practitioner. She is learning from amazing professionals such as Kerrie Obert, Jenevora Williams, Duncan Rock, Lydia Hart, Kari Ragan, Christina Shewell, Julian McGlashan and Markus Hess.

As a singing teacher, my teaching involves learning to use the voice in the most efficient way: becoming aware of which muscles one uses and increasing stamina by creating the sound from minimum effort, thereby making singing easier and preventing injury to the vocal cords.

Singing is always looked upon as a simple skill, however, this is certainly not the case. During a year of lessons, the student starts each piece at the cognitive stage - by thinking about the notes and words. This is quite limited and time consuming for the student, and the battle is to keep them engaged. 

The second phase, the fixation stage, is where practice occurs through repetition and subtle adjustments and, finally, retention. 

We need the involvement of parents here to encourage the student to practice most days for 10-15 minutes only, rather than two days of forty minutes. As the student grows, the practice time will increase. 

The third stage, automaticity, diminishes effort levels as no effort is needed to think about the breathing mechanism or the placement of the jaw and tongue etc, as these should now be in place. 

At this stage, I start to introduce the connection to lyrics and what the piece privately means to the individual. This is the moment that magic happens - when individuals bring their own experiences to the performance.

SAMANTHA ROBERTSON, VOICE TUTOR

I teach voice at Kilvington Grammar as well as Mentone Grammar School, where I further direct choral and operatic ensembles. I was launched into the wonderful world of Opera upon debuting a role at age 12 with Victorian Opera, and I have maintained an active performing calendar since.

After attending the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, where I was the recipient of the Robert Salzer Voice Award, I then completed a Bachelor of Music (Performance) with First Class Honours at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. 

Throughout my singing career, I have enjoyed performing across Australia and Europe within operatic productions, concerts, events, and choral settings. Personal highlights include performing for Prince Charles and Camilla as well as often singing alongside my partner Stephen (who is also a singing teacher at Kilvington!), where we regularly perform together with the not-for-profit Victorian Concert Orchestra, who bring music to regional communities.

As a teacher, I strive to inspire my vocal students through sharing the intricacies and beauty that music has to offer, supported by a strong vocal technique and adoration for an art-form accessible to all. 

Having studied at the Italian classical school of Bel Canto, I champion this method within my teaching, as well as seek to equip students with the education and tools to support the health and longevity of their voices. 

I am an accredited (NCFE) Vocal Health First Aider, and hold accredited levels towards the Australian Kodály Certificate in Secondary Music Education, accredited training within the Orff Schulwerk Approach and am currently in the final stages of completing a Master of Teaching (Primary and Secondary).  

I absolutely adore the passion and dedication that the Kilvington Grammar vocal students share in their performing, and eagerly await the upcoming vocal soiree where they will have the opportunity to showcase their hard work throughout the year.

Prep to Year 4 speech and drama concert

Kathryn Nelson, Speech and Drama Teacher 

With lockdown restrictions upon us, our Prep to Year 4 Speech and Drama Concert had to be reimagined in a video recording.  We were so lucky that we were able to film our concert items before the new lockdown began. A link to the video recording will be posted in the next edition of ITK. 

The students enjoyed taking part in the recording of the Concert. This experience enabled the Speech and Drama students to increase their confidence in performing and also demonstrated their resilience in performing under very different circumstances.

I wish to thank the following students for their enthusiasm and for taking part in the Prep to Year 4 Speech and Drama Concert recording:

Zoe Blackmore, Savannah Burdon, Jiawei Chen, Jiayu Chen, Edward Chen, Hiromi Cheung, Arya Choksi, Jordan Chow, Abigail Christie, Chelsey Dai, Tejas Divakar, Charlotte Ferguson, Stella Frangoulis, Elaine Huang, Toby Kennedy, Lachlan Kham, Holly Krischock, Amilia Liveriadis, Olivia Luo, Eva Michelini, Nylah O’Neill, Amelia Oswald, Eloise Pearce, Aryan Ramsurrun, Oliver Sey, Shourya Shah, Emily Shao, Alice Stevens, Hanya Sun, Faye Tian, Eric Wei, Erika Xu, Elina Yu, Laily Zemaryalai, Jasmine Zhang and Angela Zhu.

Stella Sauer, absent.

I am very grateful to teach such wonderful students.

 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra opportunity for string musicians

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is proud to offer young Victorian string musicians the opportunity to take part in an intensive and inspiring event led by celebrated conductor Dane Lam. 

Taking place over two days and culminating in a performance at Iwaki Auditorium, students will experience life in the MSO, including participating in rehearsals and tutorials with MSO musicians.

EVENT DETAILS

Dates: Saturday 11 September – Sunday 12 September

Times: Saturday 9.30am – 3.00pm, Sunday 9.30am – 4.00pm

Venue: Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank, 10-130 Southbank Boulevard

Cost: $100

REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY

Age: Up to 18 years

Ability: AMEB Grade 6 and above or equivalent

For further details, please contact Ms Nicole Bull, Academic Dean of Performing Arts.

Friday afternoon soirees

Due to the current restrictions, the Friday Afternoon Soirees are postponed. We look forward to presenting them again as soon as we are able.

Diary dates – Term 3 (dependent on COVID restrictions)