Parents and Students,
Welcome to the Chatswood High School Extra- Curricular Music Program for 2019. It is going to be a fantastic year. Music Camps, Concerts, Festivals and Tours have all been planned for the students in our ensembles. The Music Department will feature the following ensembles: Concert Bands (3), Big Bands (2), Orchestra, String Ensemble, Junior String Ensemble, Jazz Combos (2), Guitar Groups, Percussion Ensembles (2), Choir and Senior Vocal Ensemble.
Students participating in one of our ensembles are required to pay a fee for the year. This is a one-off annual payment. Money received pays for tutors, new music, and new instruments. Students may wish to participate in more than one ensemble. (Suggest a maximum of three ensembles for any student).
There will be three Concert Bands. Wind Orchestra – 70 students, Senior Concert Band – 80 students and Junior Concert Band – 50 students
The Wind Orchestra rehearse Tuesday afternoons from 3.15pm – 5.15pm. This years’ WO will include students from Years 8-12. The Wind Orchestra represents the school at Music Festivals and other important events. In April 2018 Wind Orchestra, Big Band 1 and String Ensemble toured to the USA where they gave performances in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The Wind Orchestra is directed by Gavin Staines
Senior Concert Band consists of students in Years 7-10. They rehearse Wednesdays from 7.20am – 8.50am. A music camp at the Collaroy Conference Centre will be held from March 17-19; with performances at Term Music Nights and a possible tour to Central Australia in September. Senior Concert Band is directed by Miss Stephanie Sexton and Gavin Staines.
Junior Concert Band consists of Year 7 students only and they rehearse Thursdays from 7.40am – 8.45am. The Band will participate in the music camp at Collaroy in March, perform at Term Music Nights and tour to Mudgee in October. Our Junior Band is directed by Miss Stephanie Sexton.
Big Band 1 rehearse on Thursday afternoons from 3pm-4.30pm. (a Big Band consists of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, guitar, piano, bass, drums) Big Band 1 performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in July 2015, and released a CD.
Big Band 2 is led by Ellen Kirkwood and they rehearse Friday mornings from 7.40am. (Students interested in playing in a Big Band must also play in one of our Concert Bands)
The two Jazz Combos rehearse Fridays at lunch. A combo is a small group of jazz students, keen to develop their improvisation skills. Interested students should see Mr Staines or Miss Sexton.
The Senior String Ensemble is directed by Chris Bennett with rehearsals on Mondays from 7.40am to 8.45am. String Ensemble participated in the Music tour to the USA last April, with the highlight being the performance in Carnegie Hall, New York
The Junior Strings rehearse before school on Tuesdays under the leadership of Alastair Forbes-Duff. They will participate in the music camp at the Collaroy Conference Centre in March.
The Orchestra rehearses Friday mornings before school with Sylvia Marson.
We have Guitar Groups. Led by Jeremy Brien, Trevor Gascoigne and Eitan Muir, these groups rehearse Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons after school. Two Guitar nights are held during the year. Students interested in playing in a group should see Miss Sexton.
Robert Oetomo is our Percussion Tutor. He leads two Drum Corps/Percussion Ensembles on Thursdays from 2.45pm - 3.45pm, and Fridays from 3.15pm -4.15pm These ensembles consists of approximately eight players and is open to percussionists, keyboard players and elective music students.
All students playing an instrument are invited to take private lessons.
Students requiring a private teacher should contact Mr Staines.
The 2019 Term Music Night dates are Wednesday March 20th, Monday July 1st, Monday September 23rd and Monday December 2nd. Professional Musicians and Primary School Ensembles are often invited to feature at these nights.
Parents can be involved by i/ assisting with supervision at one of our weekly rehearsals, or ii/ assisting at Music Nights, selling tickets and helping with refreshments at Interval.
Please note that students who are hiring a school instrument in 2019 are required to pay a hire fee.
Percussionists playing in one of our Concert Bands are required to have their own ‘Stick Bag’ (with 5 pairs of sticks/mallets) Concert Band Percussionists, and students playing the Drum Kit in Big Band, Jazz Combo and Guitar Group are required to pay a hire fee to play our percussion instruments. This money is used for the maintenance of these instruments.
Please call me on 0410496303 or email me at [email protected] should you have any questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Gavin Staines OAM
Welcome to the Chatswood High School Extra- Curricular Music Program for 2019. It is going to be a fantastic year. Music Camps, Concerts, Festivals and Tours have all been planned for the students in our ensembles. The Music Department will feature the following ensembles: Concert Bands (3), Big Bands (2), Orchestra, String Ensemble, Junior String Ensemble, Jazz Combos (2), Guitar Groups, Percussion Ensembles (2), Choir and Senior Vocal Ensemble.
Students participating in one of our ensembles are required to pay a fee for the year. This is a one-off annual payment. Money received pays for tutors, new music, and new instruments. Students may wish to participate in more than one ensemble. (Suggest a maximum of three ensembles for any student).
There will be three Concert Bands. Wind Orchestra – 70 students, Senior Concert Band – 80 students and Junior Concert Band – 50 students
The Wind Orchestra rehearse Tuesday afternoons from 3.15pm – 5.15pm. This years’ WO will include students from Years 8-12. The Wind Orchestra represents the school at Music Festivals and other important events. In April 2018 Wind Orchestra, Big Band 1 and String Ensemble toured to the USA where they gave performances in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The Wind Orchestra is directed by Gavin Staines
Senior Concert Band consists of students in Years 7-10. They rehearse Wednesdays from 7.20am – 8.50am. A music camp at the Collaroy Conference Centre will be held from March 17-19; with performances at Term Music Nights and a possible tour to Central Australia in September. Senior Concert Band is directed by Miss Stephanie Sexton and Gavin Staines.
Junior Concert Band consists of Year 7 students only and they rehearse Thursdays from 7.40am – 8.45am. The Band will participate in the music camp at Collaroy in March, perform at Term Music Nights and tour to Mudgee in October. Our Junior Band is directed by Miss Stephanie Sexton.
Big Band 1 rehearse on Thursday afternoons from 3pm-4.30pm. (a Big Band consists of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, guitar, piano, bass, drums) Big Band 1 performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in July 2015, and released a CD.
Big Band 2 is led by Ellen Kirkwood and they rehearse Friday mornings from 7.40am. (Students interested in playing in a Big Band must also play in one of our Concert Bands)
The two Jazz Combos rehearse Fridays at lunch. A combo is a small group of jazz students, keen to develop their improvisation skills. Interested students should see Mr Staines or Miss Sexton.
The Senior String Ensemble is directed by Chris Bennett with rehearsals on Mondays from 7.40am to 8.45am. String Ensemble participated in the Music tour to the USA last April, with the highlight being the performance in Carnegie Hall, New York
The Junior Strings rehearse before school on Tuesdays under the leadership of Alastair Forbes-Duff. They will participate in the music camp at the Collaroy Conference Centre in March.
The Orchestra rehearses Friday mornings before school with Sylvia Marson.
We have Guitar Groups. Led by Jeremy Brien, Trevor Gascoigne and Eitan Muir, these groups rehearse Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons after school. Two Guitar nights are held during the year. Students interested in playing in a group should see Miss Sexton.
Robert Oetomo is our Percussion Tutor. He leads two Drum Corps/Percussion Ensembles on Thursdays from 2.45pm - 3.45pm, and Fridays from 3.15pm -4.15pm These ensembles consists of approximately eight players and is open to percussionists, keyboard players and elective music students.
All students playing an instrument are invited to take private lessons.
Students requiring a private teacher should contact Mr Staines.
The 2019 Term Music Night dates are Wednesday March 20th, Monday July 1st, Monday September 23rd and Monday December 2nd. Professional Musicians and Primary School Ensembles are often invited to feature at these nights.
Parents can be involved by i/ assisting with supervision at one of our weekly rehearsals, or ii/ assisting at Music Nights, selling tickets and helping with refreshments at Interval.
Please note that students who are hiring a school instrument in 2019 are required to pay a hire fee.
Percussionists playing in one of our Concert Bands are required to have their own ‘Stick Bag’ (with 5 pairs of sticks/mallets) Concert Band Percussionists, and students playing the Drum Kit in Big Band, Jazz Combo and Guitar Group are required to pay a hire fee to play our percussion instruments. This money is used for the maintenance of these instruments.
Please call me on 0410496303 or email me at [email protected] should you have any questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Gavin Staines OAM