Music

Music

Mrs Sarah Turner 

Week 6 

What a huge week we had last week. I love how Pymble girls sign up to everything, come along and have a fabulous time, sharing the joy of music. 

Congratulations 

Violet Li (Year 4) recently had tremendous success in various eisteddfods, performing on cello and piano.  

Overall, she has been awarded: 

  • Four first prizes 
  • One third price 
  • Six highly commended 

Below is a detailed list of the individual prizes and sections: 

  • St George Eisteddfod cello open 10 years and under: 1st prize   
  • Ryde Eisteddfod piano solo 9 years and under: 1st prize     
  • Ryde Eisteddfod Orchestra string 9 and under: 1st prize   
  • St George Eisteddfod piano open 9 and under: 1st prize  
  • Ryde Eisteddfod Bach Award 14 and under: 3rd prize   
  • Sydney Eisteddfod recital award (10 years): Highly Commended  
  • Sydney Eisteddfod 18th-century piano (10 years): Highly Commended  
  • Sydney Eisteddfod cello (10 years and under): Highly Commended  
  • Ryde Eisteddfod orchestral string solo 8 to 9 years: Highly Commended  
  • St George Eisteddfod open baroque 10 and under: Highly Commended 
  • St George Eisteddfod open string 10 and under: Highly Commended  

In addition to these achievements, Violet recently sat her AMEB Grade 6 Cello exam in June and was awarded an A+ (High Distinction). She is now preparing for her Grade 7 Cello exam in September, as well as working towards her AMus.A exam for piano. 

The girls from Junior Jazz Ensemble performed on Monday during assembly. Unfortunately, I could not attend, but I heard wonderful news about the success of the event. It’s always such a great opportunity for our girls to perform and this will prepare them for the NSSWE Spring Festival on Sunday 14 September. Information about this will be on the portal which is a compulsory event. 

Our Scholars’ Concert on Thursday night was absolutely fabulous. Allie Osborne from the Sydney Symphony gave the girls some very sound advice: be resilient – you are not machines and therefore not perfect. Mistakes happen; it’s what you do with those mistakes that count. 

AMEB exams 

Many students are sitting their AMEB exams this week. To all who sat these, please read the feedback as this will help you in your next exam. I have been fortunate to hear many practice sessions around the Music building and there is some lovely work being done with our private tutors – well done. 

Studio Concerts 

Our private music tutors often hold studio concerts to help prepare the girls for the act of performing. It can be intimidating to perform in front of strangers and it’s always important to know how you will react when nerves and adrenaline kick in. 

On Friday 22 August I attended a vocal concert for Tanith Bryce’s students at Roden Cutler House in Gordon. I was so proud of the way the girls behaved and performed. When performing in a nursing Home, anything can happen. Thankfully nothing happened in this concert, other than a few people humming along. Well done to all involved. 

Dates for your Diaries 

  • Friday 5 September 5.00pm – HSC Music Recital evening. Please come along and watch our musicians perform their repertoire in preparation for their HSC. 
  • Saturday 13 September from 1.00pm – Battle of the Bands – Barker College. This event is for the girls in the Rock Bands and part of the Barker Spring Fair. 
  • Saturday 20 September all day – Garden Party – Various ensembles will perform at this event and permission will be sent out shortly. 
  • Tuesday 23 September 5.00pm – Music Elective Night in the Music Gallery – all girls from Years 8 to 11 who study Music will perform an item for family and friends. 
  • Friday 26 September – Year 12 Valedictory Dinner – Randwick Racecourse. College Quartet to perform. 

Call for Parent Volunteers – Music Support Group  

We warmly invite parents from all year groups to join our enthusiastic and supportive Music community. Musical experience is not required — just a shared passion for encouraging and supporting our talented music students.  

Our Music Support Group plays a vital role in assisting at concerts and events throughout the year, and the students truly appreciate seeing their families involved.  

We are especially seeking Year 11 parent volunteers, as we currently have no representation from this year group. If you’re interested in getting involved, meeting other music-loving families, and making a meaningful contribution to the program, we’d love to hear from you!