Music Department in 2021

Chris Petch — November 28th, 2021

Many wonderful successes in a turbulent year.

2021 continued to present a series of pandemic-related challenges, however the young musicians of the Burnside High School Music Department, under the leadership of our inspirational team of staff, rose to meet these challenges head on and produced yet another highly successful year of music making with so many highlights along the way. Details follow below but I would like to take this opportunity to record huge thanks to the following people who make all this possible:

All the itinerant teachers and private music tutors who work with the students to prepare them for performances. Too many to list here!
Our SMP tutors: Carlo Ballara, Michael Lawrence, Emma Eden, Karl Margevka, John Robinson, Lois Johnston and Neill Pickard for their expertise in drawing the very best from our top young musicians.
All our Chamber Music Tutors for the work they did preparing groups for the contest, again too many to list here.
The Choral Team: Lois Johnston, Sue Densem and Charlotte Ensor for their exceptional work with our choirs.
Charlotte Ensor, Arts Coordinator, and Jane Doig, Music Librarian for their outstanding administrative support.
Members of the Senior Leadership Team for their unfailing support of the Music Department and the special significance it has within the school, and Patrick Shepherd, President of the Specialist Music Programme.
To all the students who have contributed to the department this year, both in class and in co-curricular activity. The resilience and perseverance you have continued to show this year has been truly inspirational and the rewards are plain to see.
And finally to the Burnside Music Department teaching staff: Cain Hood, Cameron Oswin and Helen Renaud for their tireless efforts throughout another challenging year, expertise in pushing our students to achieve excellence in all they do and their unfailing collegiality and support for one another. This is a very special team indeed.

To all students who are leaving us this year, you take with you the very best wishes of the Music Department team in all that you do in the future – never forget the part that you played within our very special community and do stay in touch.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday break and look forward to starting all over again in 2022.

Chris Petch

HOD Music

A Summary of the Musical Year...

The year began smoothly with the various ensemble weekends. This started with the choirs, including Bel Canto going to Living Springs for the first time.

Bel Canto Camp — Image by: Charlotte Ensor

This was then followed by the Chamber Music weekend, Living Springs Instrumental Camp and, in Term 2, Hanmer Springs Contemporary Camp. These intensive camps are a great opportunity for the ensembles to spend some quality rehearsal and social time that sets them up for the year of performances ahead.

Instrumental Camp at Living Springs — Image by: Charlotte Ensor

The rest of the first half of the year included most of the planned performances and contests without major restrictions, while the second had to see some compromises and cancellations.

One highlight from Term 2 was the Music Roadshow, when some of our ensembles travel around local primary and intermediate schools to encourage students' involvement in music at their schools and into their future.

Music Roadshow — Image by: Charlotte Ensor

The choirs were able to perform for audiences in June with the Choral Showcase, the Big Sing regionals, and the North West Festival all taking place that month. Unfortunately, the Big Sing Cadenza and Finale in August were both cancelled and the Burnside Voices concert in September had to be replaced with a series of recordings that were edited into a concert for their families and friends.

Magna Voce — Image by: Burnside High School

Junior Performance Choir — Image by: Burnside High School

Bel Canto — Image by: Burnside High School

Aurora Voices — Image by: Burnside High School

The Chamber Groups were able to successfully compete in the districts and regionals in June, and were fortunately able to attend the nationals in August, with several awards gained across the rounds by four of the small ensembles.

Burnside High School Brass Quartet — Image by: Helen Renaud

Fingersticking Good — Image by: Helen Renaud

Our Jazz students were also able to compete in the ARA Jazzquest, with combos finding success in June, and the Big Band and Funk Band competing and being awarded in August.

The Specialist Music Programme was able to hold the Piano and Wind & Brass mid-year recitals before lockdown cancelled the others. In Term 4 we were then able to hold the Gala Day performances for all of the courses with restricted audiences.

Specialist Music Programme — Image by: Charlotte Ensor

Unfortunately, as the Orchestral Showcase was cancelled, Symphonic Band did not get an opportunity to perform this year, but the Orchestra and Junior Strings were fortunate to attend the CSO's Big Play Out day in August just before lockdown, and the Junior Concert Band successfully competed in the Christchurch Wind Festival. The Big Band and Junior Jazz also got the opportunity to perform at the Christchurch Big Band Festival during Labour Weekend.

Junior Concert Band — Image by: Burnside High School

Orchestra — Image by: Burnside High School

Junior Strings — Image by: Burnside High School

This year's award ceremonies in Term 4 all looked a little different due to audience restrictions. The Music Awards were split into two, celebrating the year 9-11s that had competitive successes this year, and then the year 12-13s that both achieved successes and showed continued service to music ensembles in their school career. These were livestreamed to their families and friends. The award winning Funk Band and Chicks from Corea along with the Chamber Orchestra and Senior Contemporary Band all got an opportunity to perform. A special thanks must go to special guest, former HoD of Music, Mr Peter Rowe for attending and presenting the cup with his name.

Special Award Winners with Mr Peter Rowe — Image by: Burnside High School

The performances of ensembles for the school prizegivings and graduation were a little unorthodox this year as they were recorded prior and inserted into the livestreamed events.

This year's Junior Showcase unfortunately couldn't go ahead with an audience, but as was done for the choirs, the ensembles were recorded and edited together to create a video concert for their families and friends. While a quiet end to the year, it still allowed everyone an opportunity to show the hard work they had put in throughout 2021.

National Selections:

Elisa Bird, Alfie Buttle, Jack Buttle, Tor Chiles, Luas de Groot-Tsuji, Ocean Faloon-Cavander, Alun James, Grace Jeong, Lena Krakowiak, Caleb Langford, Joshua Langford, Ben MacDonald, Bethany Mitchell, Charlotte Panckhurst, Daniel Ross, and Luke Sutherland were all selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Symphony Orchestra
Bella Hopkins, Lila Nicholson, and Emma Suzana were selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Choir
Monika Duncan and Daniel Ross were selected for the National Secondary Schools' Brass Band
Huey Duncan and Akira Lindeman were selected for the National Secondary Schools' Development Band
Peter Croker was selected for the New Zealand Symphonic Winds
Ciaran Wright was selected for the National Youth Orchestra

Year 9-11 Roll of Honour — Image by: Burnside High School

Year 12-13 Roll of Honour — Image by: Burnside High School

2021 Contest Results

CHAMBER MUSIC

District Awards:
Fingersticking Good (Roy Zhang, Hiromu Crosado, Ciaran Wright, Roy Zhang) - KBB Award, Highly Commended, Graham Johns Percussion Trophy
Reflections (Elisa Bird, Indy Williamson, Benjamin Davey) - KBB Award, Highly Commended
Burnside High School Brass Quintet (Ben MacDonald, Emily Allan, William Kao, Ninami Shibata) - Best Performance of a New Zealand Work, Woolston Brass Cup

Burnside High School Brass Quartet — Image by: Burnside High School

Selected for Regional Finals
Feier (Karen Huang, Emma Fletcher, James Anderson, Josephine Ngu, Matthew Seinafo)
Fingersticking Good
Reflections

Fingersticking Good — Image by: Burnside High School

Reflections — Image by: Burnside High School

National Finalists - both awarded Silver
Reflections
Fingersticking Good

BIG SING

Bel Canto: Selected for National Finale, Winner for Best Performance of a New Zealand Work and Outstanding Contribution from a Student Accompanist

Aurora Voices: Selected for South Island Cadenza Showcase.

JAZZ QUEST

Gold Award:
Combo 8 (Mahgen Clark, William Kao, Jacob Mullen, Dylan Jonkers, Sho Woodhouse)
Combo 9 (Oscar Fischer, Emma Gibson, Jai bartlett, Hendrix Tavai, Monet Schutte, Pip Goomes)
BHS Jazz Combo, Chicks from Korea (Dylan Blundell, Dylan Jonkers, William Kao, Jacob Mullen, Monet Schutte)