Podium Performances
Many OPAC ensembles will be performing at the Podium shopping centre over the next few months. We’ll be providing dates and times soon.
Our upper concert bands and stage bands are first up: Intermediate Concert Band, Senior Concert Band, Intermediate Stage Band, and Senior Stage Band will perform outside Coles on June 4th from 12pm.
Music Excursions
Year 9–12 elective Music students took to the city on Friday night to hear Sydney Symphony Orchestra perform The Planets at the Sydney Opera House.
Students experienced the power and colour of a full symphony orchestra performing one of the most famous orchestral works ever written. From the aggressive rhythms of Mars to the sweeping excitement of Jupiter, students were able to hear many of the musical concepts studied in class brought to life by world-class musicians.
Following the concert, students stayed overnight in the city before returning on Saturday morning. The trip provided a wonderful opportunity for students to spend time together, experience live music in an iconic venue, and create lasting memories with friends and staff. Students had an absolute blast and represented the College exceptionally well throughout the excursion.
Next Tuesday, Year 11 and 12 Music 1/2 students are heading to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to hear Catherine Likhuta’s Storm Chasers, a virtuosic concerto for timpani and wind symphony featuring SCM staff member Kevin Man.
The performance will take place in the beautiful Verbrugghen Hall and will be conducted by Steve Williams.
The excursion will provide students with the opportunity to hear contemporary Australian music performed live by outstanding musicians while experiencing one of Sydney’s premier acoustic performance venues. Students will be able to observe advanced performance techniques, orchestration, and the dramatic possibilities of percussion writing in a professional concert setting.
Experiences like these are an important part of music education, helping students connect classroom learning with the real world of live performance and composition. We are looking forward to what promises to be an inspiring day.
Is your Child Learning an Instrument?
Learning a musical instrument at home is an exciting journey, but practice rarely sounds like a polished concert straight away. Like learning to read or play sport, music takes patience, repetition, and encouragement.
What Should Practice Look Like?
For young children, good practice is usually short and regular. Ten to twenty focused minutes each day is often more effective than one long session each week.
Practice may include:
- Repeating small sections
- Playing slowly
- Clapping rhythms
- Singing notes
- Correcting mistakes
What Should Practice Sound Like?
Real practice can sound messy. Parents may hear:
- Wrong notes
- Slow playing
- Frequent stopping
- Repeated sections
This is completely normal. Mistakes are part of learning. Over time, these small repeated efforts build confidence and skill.
How Parents Can Help
Parents do not need musical experience to support their child. Helpful strategies include:
- Creating a regular practice routine
- Providing a quiet practice space
- Praising effort and persistence
- Listening occasionally
- Encouraging rather than criticising
Comments like “I can hear improvement” are far more helpful than focusing on mistakes.
2027 Electives: Performing Arts
Many students have started asking me about taking Music or Drama as an elective in 2027. Year 8 students are thinking about continuing their performing arts journey into Stage 5, as are students in Year 10 into Stage 6 with the HSC.
A few things to ponder…
When I was in school, my Drama teacher told me that there should be something on your school timetable that you really look forward to. Often, it’s the creative arts.
Music and Drama are unique subjects because they help students grow in confidence, creativity, communication, collaboration, and resilience. Students learn to work with others, think creatively, solve problems, and express themselves in meaningful ways.
Music teaches discipline, persistence, listening skills, and teamwork through performing and creating music. Drama develops confidence in communication, public speaking, empathy, and collaboration.
Importantly, these subjects also provide balance in busy school lives. For many students, the creative arts become the classes that energise them and help them feel connected at school.
The creative arts are not only for students pursuing careers in performance. They are for students who want to grow as confident, capable, and creative young people.
Mr Tim Chavura
Head of Performing Arts