CLASSROOM MUSIC NEWS  

Year 8 Music Elective – Composition Workshop Day

On Friday 31 August, Year 8 Music Elective class were treated to an incursion featuring song writing and composition. Members of the Evergreen Music Studio including former student David Williams introduced different and innovative ways to compose songs. Students were divided into three groups which rotated throughout the morning and learnt about writing lyrics, composing melodies and creating chord progressions. The morning sessions closed with a presentation of the songs composed by each group to the entire class.  

During the afternoon students enjoyed a composition workshop presented by Brendan Collins, Composer in Residence at Barker College. The boys learnt about composing chord-based melodies in a variety of keys and once again through a rotation process combined their efforts to create a polished and interesting composition. As can be seen from student comments about the day, the class greatly enjoyed their experiences which will have a lasting impact on them as musicians.  

“The highlights for me were learning how to make our own song. This was a highlight because it gave me the skills that I learnt and could then take them away and make a song in my own time. Another highlight was working with an expert composer learning how to use Sibelius.” Jess Conners  

“The highlights for me were making our own songs and performing them. I also enjoyed swapping computers so I saw other people’s idea on some music.” Joshua Wilson  

“I really enjoyed the day and took a lot of skills and ideas from it.” Charlie Johnston  

“My favourite part of the day was creating the chords and melody. It sounded really good and worked well together and we got to experiment with different chord progressions and see what worked the best. We all got to play parts and make them up ourselves.” Alex Bohm  

Our thanks to our Music Faculty Co-ordinator, Alan Caulfield, for organising such a wonderful and engaging incursion for the students. 

Faith Ling
Year 8 Music Elective Teacher

MUSIC FESTIVAL  

Year 12 Music Showcase Report  

Last Friday evening, Year 12 Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension students presented their final College concert, in a dinner/show format, before their HSC Music Practical Examinations. The evening was broken into three acts, starting with a cocktail set, through main course and then a dessert to conclude proceedings. Students performed their full HSC programs with the support of their exceptional accompanists and it was an absolute pleasure seeing them rise to the occasion for an appreciative audience. Year 12 Music Showcase is a vitally important experience for students in their overall musical development and refinement of HSC works. The Music Community wishes Year 12 Music students well in their final week of preparations before the exams.  

Special thanks to Year 12 teachers, Alan Caulfield and Joe Montz, and Lynne Papahatzis, Faith Ling, Nathan Gliddon, Michael Sparks, Jason Smith, Darren Heinrich, Belinda Ling, Chris Ling and the 10 other accompanists involved for their assistance and support of the students on the evening.

Solo Recitals Report  

Over 60 students took to the stage last Monday evening as part of Solo Recitals, the first Music Festival event of this week. The evening began with a presentation by Alan Caulfield where the external adjudicators were introduced to our students and their parents with a professional performance of the Jazz standard, Have You Met Miss Jones, after which the eight instrumental and vocal sections got underway. At the conclusion of each session the adjudicators gave overarching summaries of the performances along with presentation of prizes, awards, certificates and comments. The adjudicators’ words of wisdom and constructive criticism will serve to enthuse and inspire students well into the future. Congratulations to all student performers for their participation and good spirit.  

Solo Recitals is an opportunity for the College Music Tutors and their students to showcase the fruits of their many, many hours of tutelage and practice. It truly is a jewel in the crown of the College Music Festival!  

The success of Solo Recitals was due to the professionalism and efforts of so many staff, including; teachers, Alan Caulfield, Joe Montz, Faith Ling and Sharon Jones; tutors, Ralph Pyl, Belinda Ling, Chris Raggat, Michael Sparks, Denise Stanley, Emma Clain, Adam Pecar, David Warrokka, Frances Fordham, Jason Smith, Dani Cosford, Louis Gordon and Nathan Gliddon; administrative assistant, Lynne Papahatzis; external adjudicators, Rod McCormack, John Morrison, Brendan Collins and Gregg Arthur, and external piano accompanist, Bianca Zatz.  

Special commendation to the winners of the various vocal and instrumental categories:  

Keyboard

Senior                   Kelvin Mai
Middle                  Finlay Warby
Primary                Liam Hankinson  

Voice

Senior                   William Findlay
Middle                  Jimmy Breslin     

Guitar

Senior                   Jake Griffths
Middle                  Aidan McKechnie
Primary                Gianluca Seminara  

Bass Guitar

Senior                   James Wacher
Middle                 Alex Gale  

Brass

Senior                   William Findlay
Middle                  Mitchell Seymour  

Woodwind

Senior                   Patrick Scognamiglio
Middle                  Luke Wonderley
Primary                Liam Hankinson  

Drums

Senior                   Callum Hulme
Middle                  Finlay Hogan
Primary                Aron Brennan  

HSC Music Practical Examinations & Submitted Works  

Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension students will sit their HSC Music Practical Examinations and submit Musicology and Composition works next week. The HSC Music 1 Practical Examination will be held in the Auditorium on Friday 14 September and the Music 2/Extension exam will be on Monday 17 September. Final submission of Music 1 & Music 1 Core Compositions, Elective Compositions and Musicology Essays, and Music 1 Elective Compositions to NESA are on Monday 10 September at 3.00pm.  

Alan Caulfield
Faculty Co-ordinator Music

Rock in the Quad

Despite the rain, Rock in the Quad is in full swing (under the temporary name Rock in the Auditorium).  Thank you to all the boys who have registered for this year’s event.  It promises to be a great one!

P & F Father and Son Breakfast

Well done to the boys of Guitar Ensemble, and our selected soloists for their contribution to the Father and Son Breakfast.

Music Festival Showcase Finale Concert

All musicians at St Augustine’s College are getting together to perform for the community in our biggest night of the year.  The Festival Showcase concert is held on the last night of the Festival (September 7 @ 7pm in the Brimson Centre). Every band, choir, and ensemble is playing in this huge extravaganza.   The night will also include performances for selected soloists from the Solo Recitals from Monday, and the winners of Rock in the Quad.  Entry is free.  All students are asked to arrive at 6:30pm for a pre-talk and sound check/warmup.  

Manly Jazz

We are proud to announce that all of our Jazz groups at the College have been selected to perform at this year’s Manly Jazz Festival.  The internationally acclaimed Manly Jazz is known worldwide for its beautiful location and the diversity of music it presents, from traditional New Orleans jazz to funk, Latin, fusion, blues, gospel, swing and roots, with performances in multiple indoor and outdoor venues including major stages alongside the world famous Manly Beach.  

This year our boys will be performing in three locations:

Saturday 29 September                 Stage Band 2 (Stars of the Future stage)
Sunday 30 September                   Junior and Senior Jazz Ensemble (Roaming)
Monday 1 October                          Stage Band 1 (St Matthews Church)  

Please contact Joseph Montz or your conductor if you have any questions or would like to inform us of your son’s absence.

Music Rehearsal Schedule

Upcoming Events

September 3 - 7                                College Music Festival (week 7)
September 23                                    NSSWE Afternoon of Jazz (Junior Jazz)
October Long Weekend                      Manly Jazz Festival (Jazz Ensembles and Stage Bands)