Junior Strings is a non-auditioned Year 9 and 10 string ensemble for music students, with nearly 50 students playing violin, viola, cello, and double bass.

 Throughout these young classically trained musicians, we see a lot of skill and talent that is brought out more by participating in this group. Although we haven’t participated in many events in 2022, we have learnt many classical pieces and performed in the Aurora Festival.

We rehearse on Tuesday lunchtimes and one music period a week under the guidance of Mr Ballara, Mrs Clark, and Dylan Jonkers, our Year 13 student conductor, whom we greatly appreciate. We have learnt a few pieces including Incantations by Richard Meyer, the 3rd and 4th movements of John Rutter’s Suite for Strings, and most recently have joined with some of the other junior ensembles to create a junior orchestra, in which we are playing a rendition of Sway by Michael Bublé.

Both this year and last year, I have enjoyed playing cello in Junior Strings and meeting new people who also take part in this group. As a Year 9 at Burnside High School last year, Junior Strings really helped me connect with other people who had similar musical backgrounds and made me feel more at home within the Burnside community. Junior Strings is a great opportunity that Burnisde offers to string-playing music students, and I know many people would have missed out on a great experience if they hadn’t been a part of this ensemble.