Music Newsletter September 2026
Our instrumental music students worked incredibly hard throughout the semester, preparing for what was a fantastic Performing Arts Gala on Thursday 20 August.
As part of their preparation, a lunchtime performance was held in Week 5, providing some students with a wonderful opportunity to perform in front of an audience for the first time.
The audience enjoyed a fantastic variety of performances, including drum solos performed along to backing tracks, as well as performances on alto saxophone and trombone. We also had the pleasure of hearing some of our more established performers showcasing their skills on bass guitar, piano and voice.
The concert attracted a wonderful audience of students and staff, who could be seen singing along, moving to the music and enthusiastically supporting their peers. The performances were clearly enjoyed by students and staff.
The following week, the Performing Arts Gala provided an opportunity for even more students to share their musical talents with the school community and their families. Instrumental Music Coordinator, Mrs. McPhail, encouraged all students participating in instrumental lessons to perform and welcomed students who do not currently take lessons at the school to get involved.
The Performing Arts Gala opened with a specially selected student ensemble, carefully put together by Mrs. McPhail, featuring at least one student from each year level. The group included percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar and vocals, and performed the Michael Jackson hit They Don’t Really Care About Us.
The evening continued with an impressive range of solo and ensemble performances, showcasing the incredible diversity of talent within our school. The audience enjoyed solos on voice, piano, trombone, saxophone and guitar, as well as a beautiful vocal and guitar duet of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. We were also treated to a stunning performance of the Jurassic Park theme, performed as a French horn solo with guitar accompaniment.
There were plenty of show-stopping moments throughout the evening, including Ethan Vergaro’s wonderful performance of Frank Sinatra’s My Way and the school senior ensemble’s energetic performance of Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone.
The students and audience were also surprised by a special staff ensemble performance. The staff group featured Mrs. McPhail on tenor saxophone, Mr. Clark on bass guitar, Mr. Bairstow on drums and Ms. Brenton on piano. Their performance was a fun mash-up featuring snippets of songs from a huge range of artists, including The Beatles, Ed Sheeran, Timbaland, Taylor Swift, Adele, ABBA, Queen, Daryl Braithwaite and John Denver. They even managed to include Let It Go from Frozen and Barbie Girl by Aqua!
The purpose of the mash-up was to demonstrate to students that with just four chords, musicians can learn and perform an incredible number of songs. It was a fun way of showing students that music can be accessible, rewarding and something they can enjoy throughout their lives.
The Performing Arts Gala also featured a preview of our school’s first production, The Lies We Were Told, which will be performed in Term 4. It was wonderful to see the hard work Mrs. Manly and the production students put in at rehearsals for this to come together on stage. Their scene provided plenty of laughs for the audience.
The evening concluded with the school ensemble bringing the night to a lively finish with Tequila and I’m a Believer.
The Performing Arts Gala was a wonderful celebration of the musical and performing arts talent within our school community, and we look forward to seeing these students continue to grow, perform and share their talents in the future.
For any information about learning an instrument (including voice) at school, please contact Mrs. McPhail.
