ARTStanding

Transferable skills for life

By Lauren Vilanova Email this article

Courage, talent and determination in performing arts.

Warming Winter Concert
Our annual Winter Concert featured 120 students performing a range of instruments with some outstanding vocals. Before a full house of family and friends, our students were nervous, yet they shone on stage, demonstrating the success that can be found by working diligently towards your goals with grit and determination.

It can take many hours to ready a piece of music for performance, so sticking with it - especially when it gets hard or the end feels unreachable - is extremely important. Being a member of a band or choir gives our students a supportive and understanding environment where they can challenge themselves, persevere, and take risks.

Congratulations to all our students who performed so wonderfully on this special night.

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Immersed in Strings
Our Year 3 students featured at our Winter Concert, having used Semester 1 to learn a string instrument as part of their weekly classroom music lessons. Tutored by Caroline Schilling, students had the choice of learning violin, viola, or cello.

Learning and playing an instrument in a group setting targets the development of prosocial skills, such as helping each other set up, impulse control by waiting to play, and auditory and visual working memory by copying the tutor's demonstration.

Mastering these instruments takes a lot of patience, practice and focus, and we're delighted that a number of these students are continuing with small group tuition next Semester. We look forward to seeing their progress and growth.

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Senior Dance Showcase
Our Year 10 to Year 12 dance students came together to perform a diverse range of solo and ensemble devised pieces for family and friends. Thought-provoking and introspective, these talented students explored personal themes using space, pyshical motifs, and carefully selected soundtracks.

We enjoy seeing how our dance program is growing and look forward to seeing further refinement of technique through classes and personal exploration.

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Instrumental Concert
In addition to our College ensembles and bands, a large number of students learn an instrument through private tuition, with the opportunity to perform for their family and peers. With research showing strong links between learning an instrument and an increase in language acquisition and memory skills, vital skills for school productivity and achievement, we are fortunate to have a number of expert instrumental tutors for our students.

Finding the right instrument and sticking with it when things are challenging is vital to achieving significant and positive changes to brain function - and it's never too late to begin!

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Drama Showcase
Opening the final week of Term, our talented drama students held their first ever Drama Showcase, highlighting the creativity, collaboration and commitment shown by our students. From monologues to to large ensemble numbers, the audience was reminded of how important theatre is as an accessible vehicle to experience the full spectrum of emotion, and unpack challenging societal themes.

Realism, Commedia del'Arte, Musicals and Australian Theatre were just some of the different genres that students have been engaged with this Semester, and they demonstrated their talents before consecutive audiences of supportive family and friends.

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Lauren Vilanova
Performing Arts Leader