Exceptional circumstances have made 2020 a very interesting year with a few unexpected twists and turns. Term four has continued to show that the Arts are resilient and able to flourish and adapt to change. Our Arts Prefects Trinity Maydon and Anna Engelbrecht have continued to do an exceptional job of facilitating arts involvement across the school.

Both the Otago Secondary Schools Music Festival and an event designed to replace it earlier in term three, had to be cancelled in 2020 due to COVID related restrictions on public singing. In light of this we organised a Music Matinee to take place in the St Hilda’s Chapel during the last week of term three, with the Orchestra, Sings Hilda and Nga Korimako. This event was designed to be feasible under either Level 2 or Level 1 restrictions, giving students the opportunity to share the music they had been working on during the year with friends and family. A few days prior to the Music Matinee we moved to Alert Level 1, opening the door for tea and coffee and a few more guests. The event was a great success! So much so that we look forward to holding a similar event at the end of each term in 2021. 2020 has given us the opportunity to explore new ways of participating in and celebrating the arts, and some of these new ideas are so good we want to continue them.

In the last week of term three our final arts assembly showcased some of the performances from hip hop and aerobics competitors following the national competition. The Year 7 & 8 crew ‘Purpose’ placed 1st in Same School Primary/Intermediate Small Crew. The two Senior crews both placed in the top 5 crews in New Zealand with Elusive placing 3rd and Vivid placing 5th in Same School Secondary Small Crew. Early in term four we were also able to see the work of senior textiles students in a fashion show as part of assembly showcasing the garments they had created and exhibited in their exhibition project the previous week.

This term St Hilda’s Kapa Haka have been working towards performances for both St Hilda’s Day and Prize Giving as well as learning the school Haka that has recently been written for the school. The whole school will look forward to the opportunity to learn this haka in 2021!

Early this term students in Year 7 to 10 who learn an orchestral instrument at school, were able to attend the annual Junior Instrumental Day. Students divide into strings and wind instruments and practice pieces together for an afternoon performance. This day is always a wonderful opportunity for young musicians to play together in a large ensemble, and the hard work of the itinerant music teachers in putting this together is always appreciated! We were also thrilled to have our annual visit from the Royal New Zealand Ballet this term and students enjoyed a workshop based on the choreography of the recent production of Sleeping Beauty.

Other highlights of this term have included Drama performances and the Dance showcase, where students were able to share their major assessment pieces from the year, and the visual art exhibition where NCEA Photography and Visual Art boards from level 1 to 3 were on display in our exhibition space. In some ways this year, fewer external arts events have highlighted the importance of celebrating what we do right here in school! St Hilda’s students are creating art in sophisticated and meaningful ways across the arts disciplines both curricular and cocurricular, and as always their work is an inspiration to the adults around them!