Year 7-9 Orchestral Music 2015

2015 has been another busy and interesting year for all those involved in the Orchestral Programme at year 7, 8 and 9.

Now in its third year, the course has evolved considerably since 2013, as the specialist instrumental teachers (Gayna Avery, Rebecca Leathwick, Gerald Oliver, Anne Moir, Julia Evans-Brant, Mark Hodgkinson) and I manipulate the delivery of it to best suit the way our boys prefer to learn and work. Content such as the particular instruction in how to produce sound, understanding theory, learning ensemble etiquette, and guidance in developing practice routines will obviously always remain the same. We teachers, though, have been encouraged to move with the times in other aspects though, as our youngest St Thomas’s boys are 21st century students - they are used to enquiry based learning, and have made it clear they expect to run their show!

For this to happen, we have begun to take advantage of Mt Sion’s lower floor, conveniently situated next to the music department, whenever it is available during our class time. The boys in year 8 and 9 like to independently manage their progress in groups, and the glass spaces are a music teacher’s dream. I am able to guide and introduce new material and techniques when they are ready for it, but the boys are very good at deciding for themselves what they need to work on and how to go about it. Utilizing a developing foundation of knowledge and skills they begin to acquire in year 7, the year 8s and 9s like to be left to figure out how to read and play the pieces they have to learn, and experiment with their ideas, before asking for any commentary and advice from me. Though aware they’re being observed, the boys have become so used to this environment that they are not distracted by what is going on with other groups in rooms around them. Observing their focus, and pleasure in their achievement, is very rewarding for me. It seems the boys are more involved and interested when they are discovering for themselves what they need to learn, which also makes them keen to attend lessons with the specialist teachers.

The Mt Sion building also enabled us to host workshops with staff and students from St Joseph’s in Geelong, Australia. Some of you will know of David Gallaher, an experienced and well known former Christchurch musician and teacher. David is now the Head of Music at St Joseph’s, and he runs a similar programme to ours at St Joseph’s. I was grateful for the chance to talk with him and the other music teachers with him about what works (and what doesn’t work) for their boys at St Joseph’s. The group touring included 55 boys and five teachers, making a vocal group, an intermediate band, and a senior stage band.

On the day, the St Joseph’s visitors immersed themselves into our sectional rehearsals, and spent the morning tutoring and socialising with the St Thomas’s boys. The work completed during this short time was really impressive, and many of our boys were actually able to participate in the concert that St Joseph’s put on for us before they left to go back to Australia. We were the last school they visited on their tour, and the only one to perform a Haka! That was hugely appreciated by the St Joseph’s boys and apparently on arriving back in Geelong the videos taken of the haka were widely shared and talked about. The workshop was so successful and fun. David is keen to host a group of our St Thomas’s musicians in Australia when we are ready to go on tour! Recently, one of their teachers who visited with their tour, John Shawcross, returned to St Thomas’s for a day, and he was really impressed with the progress our boys have made since he last heard them. Developing a relationship with St Joseph’s, a fellow Edmund Rice School, will benefit our boys greatly so we are all looking forward to collaborating with their musicians again in the future.

An aspect of the orchestral course that some boys have struggled with is music reading. This is a really important part of the course as it is one of the skills that has obvious transferable benefits to many other subjects. The boys mostly prefer to develop their abilities practically, and, as singing is also a healthy and fun endeavour, I decided we should all take part in the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival. Many primary and intermediate schools from Christchurch and surrounding areas take part in this long running Festival. As the only Catholic School with an intermediate department not represented, I thought we were doing ourselves a disservice by not being involved! The boys will soon be unable to enjoy singing as sopranos, and on accepting the good sense in undertaking this endeavour, most boys made the best of the situation and took to learnin g the songs with a great attitude. Separating music reading did help the boys understand the concept better, helping overall achievement in their instrumental study too. We also found out there are some very talented singers amongst the year 7 and 8 boys! The repertoire took some adjusting to and we discussed the value in learning about genres that are different to what we already know and like. Understanding history and other cultures helps us to understand ourselves. I think I’m correct in saying that most of the pieces we learned grew on all the boys. Closer to the evening of the concert, some made it clear they were not keen on singing in public, so, only those who wanted to performed in the Festival at the Horncastle Arena. We had an impressive turn out of over 40 boys, and we had a great time on the night, representing the College in style.

The Wigram Prize Giving served as a teaser for our end of year concert. Unfortunately this year’s end of year concert was thwarted by the Hall repairs. Next year, though, the pieces being prepared for that performance will continue to be practised and perfected. They will make up a standard repertoire for the College, including our School Song, National Anthem, Hymns, Mass parts, other pieces suitable for school functions, and, Advent and Christmas Carols. I’m very excited about also introducing some new pieces that have been arranged especially for our programme by Richard Oswin. These are pieces that have been chosen to suit the aesthetic tastes of our boys, so they will enjoy learning and performing them!

2016 will see the continued development of the College Orchestra beginning at year 9 level. I expect to be ready to showcase this orchestra in the Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Orchestra Festival, and, I hope some boys will also want to be involved in smaller groups in the Chamber Music competitions. Also being planned are collaborative events with the Christchurch School of Music, and, Villa Maria College. I hope the Junior Choir has the opportunity to continue to develop so we are able to grow a choral tradition alongside the orchestral one which is becoming part of the St Thomas’s culture. It would be great to see a St Thomas’s choir represented in the Big Sing competition.

Living in a scientific age, we do not need to waste time debating whether Music Education is necessary. We know it develops us emotionally, academically, socially, physically… in a way no other subject does (if sceptical, google: Music Education Neuroscience). Despite evidence proving the benefits Music Education provides has been produced in countless studies for at least two decades, our state education system has not jumped on these finding and encouraged schools to adequately provide our children with decent training in Music. It fits that St Thomas’s, an institution admired for its achievements in progressive endeavours, would choose to make available to all their young students, such a programme. I feel privileged to be able to teach it. While I realise that not all boys will continue on with orchestral pursuits after year 8, my aim is that all boys will directly benefit from the time spent in these classes. I expect the skills learned and practised will assist them in other areas of their schooling, employment, and general life. I especially hope that all the boys who have been involved in the Orchestral Music Programme at St Thomas’s develop an appreciation for, a sense of understanding of, and a feeling of belonging to, the Arts. I am very excited about what that will mean for the Arts in New Zealand’s future society.

Thank you for your continued support,

Victoria Panckhurst.