Didjeribone 

On Wednesday 19th May, Year 7 and 8 students attended a performance called Didjeribone. The presenter, Tjupurru was highly entertaining and performed a range of pieces on the didgeridoo and didjerbone. He has performed with many well-known bands, including Midnight Oil, and talked about his experiences in these groups. Most recently he recorded a film soundtrack with Michael Franti in Bali. Students enjoyed the interactivity of the presentation as well. Thank you to Mrs Caesar for organising the visiting performer.

Cambodia Visit

Thank you to all of the music students and ensembles who performed during Week 3 at the various events for our visitors from Cambodia. The staff from Cambodia were very impressed with the musical talent at the college and are looking at how to further develop music in their schools upon their return to Cambodia. Thank you in particular to Ms Smith and Highly Strung, Mr Peter Morgan and the woodwind ensemble, Ms Kate Freeman and Grace Notes as well as Tim Hardman in Year 9 for entertaining the visitors. 

Secondary Assembly performances

Thank you to our performers at Secondary assembly so far. In recent weeks we have had performances from Adelaide Robinson, Freya Eather, Tim Hardman, Jaela Hibbard, Hunter Metcalf, and Lauren Blair.

Thank you to all students for sharing their talents with the Secondary school.

Mothers Day Breakfast

Thank you to all the students who performed at the Mothers Day Breakfast this year - Tim Hardman (9), Jaela Hibbard (9), Lily Hibbard (11), Sureyya Brennan (11), Mahi Khobregade (11), Isabella Dal Pozzo (10), Camble Scott (10). The students did an amazing job and were well-received.

Quad Jams

Quad Jams started at Friday lunchtimes in the Greenroom with huge success. It has been wonderful for our students to have a different performance opportunity and for students from all year levels across primary and secondary to come together and enjoy the music. Thank you to the Year 12 students and the secondary rock band who have performed at the first Quad Jam sessions this term.

David Ford Centre Opening and 30th Gala Dinner

A massive thank you to the HSC Music Class and Secondary Vocal Ensemble for performing at the David Ford Centre Opening on Friday 19th May. The HSC Music class performed two of the HSC Major work performance pieces and the Secondary Vocal Ensemble performed a beautiful traditional piece. 

The same evening, the college celebrated its birthday with a 30th Gala Dinner. The Secondary Jazz Band provided the pre-dinner entertainment followed by Hip Mumma (featuring our music tutors Georgie Chorley, Danny Stitt and Pete Skelton) entertaining the crowd throughout the evening. 

A massive day in the college’s calendar and thank you to our amazing music students who supported the events.

Eisteddfod

We have a large number of students participating in Dance, Choir, and Instrumental School sections of the Eisteddfod. Please check Parent Lounge (easy access through the BDC App) and accept approval for your child to attend if you haven’t already done so. Groups and ensembles who are participating include:

• Stage 1 Dance
• Stage 2 Dance
• Stage 3 Dance
• Primary Dance Academy
• Secondary Dance Academy
• Joy Choir
• Grace Notes
• Primary Performance Choir
• Superstrings
• Highly Strung
• Secondary Rock Band
• Secondary Jazz Band
• HSC Music class

Good luck to all of our performers!

Boom Clash Rockstar

Congratulations to our Junior Rock Band which consists of Angela Tobin (8), Bram Nicholson (7), Axel Nicholson (8), Frank Lane (7), Matthew Healy (8) and Tenzin Aichroy (8) on making it through to the live semi-finals of Boom Clash Rockstar. The group were nominated through the school with a video of their performances. The group will perform live at The Hoey Moey on June 17 so all are welcome to come along and support them. Good luck guys!

Callum Walraven - Taree Eisteddfod

Congratulations to Callum Walraven (Year 4) who competed in the Taree and District Piano Eisteddfod and was awarded the following:

1st place- 12 years/under Championship
1st place- 10 years/under pre 1900 piano solo
1st place-  10 years/under restricted piano solo
Highest aggregate- 10 years/under

Callum had a great time at the eisteddfod getting to meet and play with other young pianists!

Congratulations Callum!

Sam Gillespie 

Congratulations to Samuel Gillespie (Year 8) who has been accepted into the Royal Ballet School Summer Intensive program in London. He will travel to London in Term 3. Congratulations to Sam on this great achievement.

Tap Boards

After approximately 12 months of planning, our Dance students now have tap boards! Our senior students were excited to try them out this past week. A huge thank you to the Friends of Performing Arts who helped raise funds to purchase materials for the tap boards and to Ms Kate Freeman who organised for them to be made. Thank you to Mr Joel Blythe and his senior construction class who did such a wonderful job making the boards. Such a great addition to our dance program.

HSC Major Works

This term is massive for our HSC students in Performing Arts as they get closer to Major Works being due. NESA assesses all Major Works in Term 3 and we will have a showcase evening Thursday Week 1 Term 3 where students will present their Major Works to parents, students, staff, and friends. 

In Dance, one of the options that students can choose for their major work is film. Zoe Cooke has been spending many hours outside school preparing her work, filming at various locations including the beach. Thank you to High Performance Program dancers Jess Peters (8) and Adelaide Robinson (7) for assisting Zoe with her project.

Boys and Dance

Our Year 7 boys have been enjoying Dance for sport this term in our Dance Studio with Ms Johnson. You can see their enjoyment in the pictures below

Woodwind Lessons

Mr Peter Morgan currently has some lesson availability for woodwind tuition. If your child is interested in learning saxophone, clarinet, flute or oboe, please complete an online enrolment application which can be found on the college website:

https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/college-life/performing-arts

We also have some woodwind instruments available for hire if needed.

If you have any questions, please speak with Mrs Rachel Caesar - rcaesar@bdc.nsw.edu.au or any of the music staff.

Music Tutor Spotlight - Sabine Element

Hello, I’m Mrs Sabine Element, the new violin teacher at BDC. I also teach violin at Bellingen Public School and am one of the tutors for the Bellingen Youth Orchestra. I’m a young and enthusiastic teacher with a background in Early Childhood Education. I love working with children, helping them develop their confidence and find joy in playing the violin. 

I have been playing the violin for 17 years and still absolutely love it! I found my love for the instrument when I first heard my Aunty play it in the family living room. That moment ignited a love for music and the violin that I still have today. Learning an instrument is a beautiful thing, it’s challenging, but also builds a lot of skills within a person. It’s a fantastic outlet for creativity, emotional regulation and It can build your confidence, giving you a sense of achievement. It’s also been scientifically proven to improve memory, problem solving and reduce stress. All things that everyone needs! 

Here are my 5 goals of teaching violin:

1. To establish the concept of a beautiful tone

2. To establish the habit of making tension-free motions

3. To establish an attitude and outlook full of confidence & sensitivity

4. To help the student learn how to study and to achieve a sense of accomplishment

5. To help nurture a love for music and the instrument

I run my studio program and its term schedule with the pursuit of excellence in education. I work exceedingly hard to provide an engaging, fun, challenging and effective learning environment for my students. I have very much enjoyed working with my students at BDC this term and look forward to terms ahead, creating beautiful music together. 

Sincerely, Sabine. 

School of Rock

The Coffs Harbour Musical Society’s latest production, School of Rock has opened at The Jetty Memorial Theatre. We have many BDC staff, students, parents, and alumni who are part of the production. Make sure you book your tickets for this unforgettable production: https://www.jettytheatre.com/school-of-rock-the-musical/

Upcoming Events for your Diary

Rebecca Day
Head of Performing Arts