Music News – Week 8 Update
Term 3 Reflection…
As I reflect on the term thus far, it is hard to believe what has already been accomplished in seven weeks. I am always delighted at how our students work towards music events with genuine enthusiasm, intrigue and with a desire to do their absolute best.
Term 3 started with our Chamber Choir and all of Year 2 to 6 singing I Vow to Thee, My Country at our Founder’s Day Service. Congratulations to our soloist, Kai Jindrich (Y5) for opening this work with such sensitivity and purity of sound, setting the tone for this rousing massed item.
Music Morning Concerts
Our Music Morning Concert series, held in both Week 4 and 6, gave 50 of our young performers across K to 6 the perfect platform to showcase what they have been working on. Both Music Rooms 1 and 2 were buzzing as our supportive audience of family and friends listened with admiration and enthusiasm. I have been inundated with positive feedback about these events. There is nothing like the goal of a concert to motivate our young performers. Thank you to our young musicians for presenting and performing with such poise!
Junior School Soirée: Thursday, 21 August
Congratulations to our 30 Soirée performers. The music staff were delighted with how these musicians performed with real regard for the musical style and how they engaged with their audience: from the way they announced their items, through to their final bow. It was also wonderful to witness our students listening to each other’s performances so respectfully and to hear a spectrum of instruments from drums to voice.
Spring Festival – Junior School Eisteddfod: Thursday, 28 August
Our Junior School Eisteddfod was a triumph! 140 entrants participated in this event, and we are so proud of how the students carried themselves throughout this competition. Having external adjudicators provide verbal and written feedback to each performer is such a valuable part of their learning journey.
Well done to all our entrants, and special congratulations to the following 1st place winners of each section:
Piano – Year 3-4: Hugo Brady & Rex Yim
Piano – Year 5-6: Kai Jindrich & Marcus Simunovic
Voice – Year 3-6: Aidan Pyne & Toby Wang
Strings – Year 3: James Conomos
Strings – Year 4: Ryan Shi
Strings – Year 5: Kai Jindrich & Marcus Simunovic
Strings – Year 6: Sung Him Huang & Mason Pun
Guitar – Year 3-4: Sandy Dusseldorp
Guitar – Year 5-6: Alex Frabotta
Woodwind – Year 3-4: James Conomos
Woodwind – Year 5-6: Liam Esplin
Brass – Year 3-4: Freddie Colman
Brass – Year 5-6: Leo Murphy & Leo Spinak
Percussion – Year 3-6: Sacha Alexander
Cranbrook Voices sang at the Induction Ceremony for Dr Anne Johnstone as Head of School, Wednesday, 3 September.
As the years pass, I hope Cranbrook Voices look back and remember their fine contribution to this Service as they sang Anna Page’s Cantate Domino, in 2 parts. What an honour and a privilege to be the only vocal group invited to perform on this special occasion and to share their gift of music with our new Head of School, Dr Anne Johnstone.
Opera Performance by Mrs Phoebe Humphrey’s: Wednesday, 3 September
As part of our Opera UOI, Mrs Phoebe Humphreys, our singing teacher and seasoned performer with Opera Australia, gave a stunning performance of Puccini’s O mio babbino caro, which was the perfect provocation to prompt further inquiry from our Junior School students about the artistic elements of opera. They got to experience, firsthand, how opera singers train like athletes to be able to support and project their voice without any amplification.
Musica Viva workshop – ‘Lost Histories’: Tuesday, 9 September
Our Junior School students have been on a self-discovery through music as they have engaged with history and place through the songs of Troy Russell, a Birpai and Gamillaroi musician and composer, in preparation for this live performance workshop.
‘Who am I? Where did I come from? How would I like to be remembered?’ These are some of the questions explored in the songs of Troy Russell, whose work reflects his rich personal connection to history and place.
By experiencing these songs performed by Troy, violinist Susie Bishop, and vocalist Leila Hamilton, students were given the opportunity to reflect on and engage with their own sense of history and place. Sparking creativity and encouraging curious investigation, students have been inspired to take a journey of self-discovery.
Students prepared for this workshop connecting with previously unheard music through performing dance sequences from graphic notation, responding to sound through movement and drawing their own graphic notations. They particularly enjoyed creating narrated, instrumental and electronic soundscapes inspired by the story of the unsung heroine, Mary Ann Bugg, a Worimi bushranger of the mid-19th century. She was an expert horse rider and bush navigator who travelled with her bush-ranging husband, “Captain Thunderbolt”. Our boys loved learning about the fact that Mary Ann Bugg was the mastermind behind many of the bushranger pursuits! Our Musica Viva artists were extremely impressed with how our boys sang and participated with great interest, knowledge and enthusiasm.
Looking ahead…
WEEK 8
Thursday, 11 & Friday, 12 September
Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Exams – JS & SS locations
Friday, 12 September: Cranbrook Voices will sing at Year 12 Farewell Assembly as a parting gift – another great privilege for these fine singers to be invited to perform at this formal occasion.
WEEK 9:
Student Led Conferences
Each term I am always amazed at the quality and quantity of achievements in Music. I wish you all a restful holiday break and thank you for your support in all things music, after what has been an extremely busy and fulfilling term.
Best wishes,
Peter Fox
Head of Music, Junior School