Music Camp

Music Camp 2018

This year 81 students attended Music Camp at The Old Priory, Beechworth. After months of organising everything from booking the camp, organising students, working out the ensembles, rewriting orchestral parts to suit our students' needs, the big day arrived.  We travelled on two coaches to Beechworth along with our truck, filled to the brim with instruments of all shapes and sizes. The students helped unpack quickly before our first rehearsal before dinner.

Every night before dinner we have our Big Choir rehearsal.  Big Choir involves absolutely everyone on camp, even the ones who pretend to hate singing and is the only experience I can think of involving students in the same learning activity from Yr 7-12.  This year we learnt ‘Walking on Sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves. Tilly and Ada taught the choralography, which was a hit with nearly all!! Sorry to the dancers who actually know how to dance!!!

We rehearsed the following groups-Senior Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, Guitars with Singers, Guitar Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Choir, Big Choir, Funk Band and String Orchestra. All groups started new repertoire on camp and had to work hard to get parts learnt in time for the concert.

On Tuesday, we went for a walk around the Beechworth Gorge. It's a gorgeous walk and meanders along the river and through beautiful bush land. On Wednesday we traveled to Wangaratta to the Aquatic Centre where the students played on an inflatable we had hired or played basketball for a couple of hours. A well deserved break from playing music.

On Thursday, we had a morning rehearsal and the packed up all the equipment, loaded the truck and headed for home.

On Friday we had a very busy day of rehearsing at the Town Hall in preparation for our concert.  At 5pm the audience began to arrive and by 5.30pm there were no seats left. The concert was magnificent. It showcased the extraordinary efforts of the amazing, fabulous, gifted, inspirational and awe-inspiring students and staff of the Castlemaine Secondary College Music Department.  Well done everybody!!

Kirsten Boerema

Music Coordinator