Junior School 

Performing Arts

Music Leaders Report

VIVIAN: This is our first official music leader’s report for 2023 and we are both excited to be your Performing Arts Leaders this year.  

ANDY: We have seen our co-curricular ensembles resume rehearsals for the year and they are already sounding fantastic! We have been pleased to welcome our new Junior Strings Coordinator Ms Irik, who has taken on the role of directing our String Quartet and String Orchestra, teaching our Year 1 strings program as well as taking on new students on both violin and cello. The String Quartet demonstrated that they were already off and running with a competent performance at the recent Windermere Open Day. Ms Irik is also running lunchtime workshops for our Junior String Orchestra members which is assisting note consolidation and providing important sectional practice.  

The Beginner String Ensemble has made a strong start, learning a number of new pieces, learning to listen for tuneful playing, developing their ensemble skills whilst improving their sight reading too. 

VIVIAN: In the world of dance, Mrs Chapman has taken on the role of running our dance program this year for students in Years 1-4. They are busily learning some great routines and preparing to show us their fabulous moves next term.  

Junior Concert band is going from strength to strength with Miss Howarth and Mrs Sinclair at the helm. They are currently developing their ensemble skills and legato playing with some new and exciting works. They have just begun playing an arrangement of Funky Town which was a toe-tapping disco hit from the late 70’s! They look forward to performing that one for you. 

Our Year 5 and 6 Koristers students are settling in well to our Monday morning rehearsal despite the early start! They are singing some beautiful pieces and improving their sight singing and ensemble skills.  

ANDY: Students in Year 5 and 6 are getting inspired for this year’s musical called ‘Tut, Tut’ set in Ancient Egypt and based on the Mark Twain story ‘The prince and the pauper’. There will be auditions in early Term 2 and rehearsals for the lead cast will begin shortly after. Mrs Sinclair will be uploading further information on the Performing Arts page on the HUB, check it out over the coming weeks.  

VIVIAN: Speaking of the HUB, Mrs Sinclair and the junior music team will be posting more information for all ensembles onto the HUB over the coming weeks. This will include things like news, photos, practice copies of music and audio tracks for students to listen to and practice with. Please get into the habit of checking these pages regularly for updates and encourage your parents to check them out too! 

That’s all for this week so we thought we might finish with a joke… 

ANDY: How do you fix a broken tuba? 

VIV:  I don’t know, how do you fix a broken tuba?  

ANDY: With a tuba-glue!