MUSIC

TEACHER INTERVIEW

How do you like the Music facilities at Balgowlah Boys?

 We have great music facilities. We have lots of instruments and a lots of equipment to use and we also have a recording studio that not a lot of people don’t know about which is fully functional. We also have a band program that uses all of instruments and facilities which is great.

What does Balgowlah Boys offer for people who are interested in Music?

Anything that they choose. We have a band program and anyone is welcome to join the band and we also have an instrument program were you can learn an instrument with a tutor at school during class time. You can also join the stage band if you're invited to join it, there are also ensembles that happen inside school. So for examples Year 9 and 10 elective classes they break into small groups and play their instruments in the form of rock bands, jazz bands or whatever they want to do. There is also a Year 7 and 8 music extension program so when the students audition at the end of year 6 they get put into a special year 7 music class. Which forms 7D class and  they do special rehearsals and preparations so that they can do extra performances they can compose their own pieces, they really do whatever they want it’s a lot of self-directed as well so they have a lot of choice in the matter. There are so many things what can i tell you about. Year 11 and 12 students have the option to do music for their HSC. They perform a lot of repertoire, they learn how to write proper music essays and they develop the skills to be an all-round musician.

How good do you have to be in the stage band?

 You have to audition and you got to be willing to put the effort into practice in to really cope in that band. So a lot of them will be maybe grade 4 upwards I’d say. But it’s not really what grade they're at but rather about their skills and how much practice they put and how much effort they will apply    

What is on for offer to people who haven’t played an instrument before?

Well I’m glad you asked that. Year 7 often learn the piano and they might do a bit of drumming. In Year 8 we have a whole topic in Term 1 and 2 about rock instruments and we learn the guitar, ukulele and we have just bought a whole lot of drum sticks so we can learn some basic rock beats. The students learn a lot of instruments in junior years, a lot of students in Year 9 learnt an instrument in Year 7 and they will continue lessons inside of school. The students might of not played an that instruments before high school but they have the opportunity to start something and continue with because we have the tuition.  

What tips would you give for the new Year 7 coming into Music?  

Don’t be afraid to just try. We aren’t expecting you to be genius, we not expecting you to concert pianist or brilliant recital performances just give it a go. If you don’t do particularly well it doesn’t matter because you’re learning a new skill and it's about enjoying yourself, learning something new and doing your best.   

What interactive activities can the students do throughout the year?

Well in Term 2 we had a music composition about the pentatonic composition and I gave my students the option to do it on the computer. They could use a program called music score or note flight and they were able to put their composition into the program and listen to it. The Year 7 and 8 students are also involved in MAD so there’s a full choir with all the Year 7 and 8 students except for the ones in the band. Everyone has to singing and everyone is involved, you get a t-shirt and its lots of fun   

Can you give us a quick rundown of MAD for the people who don’t know what it's about?

MAD is our big performance in the year the one that we work so hard for and all the students put something into it. MAD  stands for Music Art Drama and we hear a whole lot of concert band performances there are choral and band performances and then there are individual work and the Year 9,10,11 and 12 those year groups combine together and form small groups and they do their rock band that they use to audition with. There is a whole art expedition that they participate in as well and drama too.

So what pieces of music do the New Year 7 have to learn for MAD?

 We try to do a bit of everything so some of the pieces that most people would know are ‘Happy’, ‘Can’t stop the Feeling’, ‘Footloose’, ‘Radioactive’, ‘Do you hear the people sing’, ‘The circle of Life’ from the lion king. The year 7 students have to learn how to sing African.  

What do the students learn in their first Term of music?

They learn all about pitch. So they learn about note values, duration, clefs, rhythm, they learn how to write music and they do so much about the concept of music and really an introduction to music.