Fantastico, Magnifico, Eccellente to all the students who have performed in the past couple of weeks. The last weeks of Term 4 feel like one joyous performance celebration after another. We have enjoyed the Bazaar Talent Quest Assembly, the End of Year Instrumental Music Concert and the last IM Assembly for the year. Whether the students performed solos, small ensemble pieces, or rocked out in a mass orchestra/band, it has been a thrill to see them confidently share their achievements with family and friends. A heartfelt thank you to all the performers, to all the teachers and audience members: your generous support and appreciation really encourages and inspires our young performers.
Our Instrumental Music program has ended for this year on a tremendous high. The IM students and families enjoyed the best of concerts which featured all our learners from Years 2 – 6, and we were delighted to repeat some of the many highlights in the IM Assembly. The big finale for both events was the massed IM orchestra performing ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ with guest rock band stars Ben, playing electric guitar, and Arlo who was keeping the beat on the Drum Kit. Our special guest, now legendary, lead singers, Richard and Jared, along with their amazing back-up singers in the audience, and all the energised performing students, brought the house down with uproarious applause.
Bravo too, to the new IM students who began this year: it can be a big first step onto the stage. All personal achievements are made up of a journey of small steps. Some steps are triumphant, and sometimes these steps achieve less than what we hoped for, but always, the learning steps we take move us forward. Esmé and I have seen many anxious first performers hesitate at the side of the stage, but fast forward a few years and we, like the IM teachers, are so chuffed to witness the growth in confidence in these students.
The IM Concerts always present a broad variety of musical styles from different cultural traditions and from many periods of music history. Our wonderful MCs Matilda and Gabriel did a great job to heighten our understanding of how music is an ongoing living tradition, by adding points of interest to their announcements. Bravo to all our performers, and thank you for sharing your achievements with us. To our Yr 6s, most of whom have been students in the IM program for 5 years, we say thank you, to you and your families, for participating in our IM program. Your performances have inspired and delighted us, and we wish you all the very best in your ongoing music adventures.
It’s been a great year for IM and we say a massive thanks to the IM teachers Mark, Marcos, Seb, Kylie, Sasha and Mitchell, and to all who support the IM program. Please, please enrol or re-enroll for IM 2023. Enrolment forms must be returned to Julie or Jacquee by Monday Dec 12th. Thank you.
The Bazaar Talent Quest Assembly was a fabulous acknowledgement of a wonderful, wonderful day. I am delighted that all our students had the chance to experience the Talent Quest performances. The audience appreciation and delight gave immense energy and courage to the performers on stage. To participate as a performer felt great, and for their peers who were watching, the skill and ability of more experienced students truely impressed with wonder and wow. For those who were beginners sharing a new skill, the generous encouragement from the sea of faces in the gym was affirming and enabling. A huge thank you to all the Bazaar organisers and teams of parents who ran the stalls: it was great that we could hear from you at the Assembly and that the whole community had the chance to show their immense appreciation.
And now, more joy from our youngest…
… to our grown-up Graduates.
It seems like yesterday that the Preps were uniting our school Neighbourhoods with their innovative Prep Postal Service, and it’s not just the teachers who feel this. Now that our Postal Service Posties are about to graduate, they can’t believe that 7 years got behind them so quickly. The Yr 6s have chosen some fantastic songs for their Graduation Medley which resonate with their PHPS journey: happy memories, humour and a sense of achievement. The medley includes the song ‘See You Again’ which, especially for the students, goes to the heart of what it means to journey on from their primary school life. We are also VERY excited by the Grad Band, and I applaud all the extra practise the students have done to get ready: thanks heaps to Ben, Miles, Cleo, Rudi, Tom, Jeremy, Olivia, John and Reuben. There is no doubt that Graduation Night will be an outstanding memory, and we look forward to sharing the Grad Song with everyone at the Final Assembly.
And…
… our Super Prep Stars were just awesome hosts for their Grand Parents Day. We were delighted to welcome our visiting family members, some of whom had travelled quite a distance, with some very super singing. This year’s Preps are great singers, and their confidence just keeps growing. We sang our favourite top four songs: ‘Mr Moon’, ‘Cosmogony’, our own Cucumber song, and the viral smash hit ‘It’s Corn’. Were the Grad Parents bowled over? Ooo yes, but we have one more song to prepare for the Inquiry Assembly next week: the Capsicum song, with original lyrics by the Preps… ’Capsicums, capsicums. A hollow barrel of seeds. Red, yellow, green, purple, orange, but pink I’ve never seen… ‘ We think it will sound great with sleigh-bells!
Our music celebrations will send us out for the summer break with a bumper final assembly, please do join us at 9:15 on Tuesday Dec 20th and bring your inner Mariah Carey and Alice Cooper voices, and tissues, as we say our thank yous and good byes. Many thanks again to everyone for 2 joyous weeks of music making. Cheerio, Deb.