Music

The Maitland Area School community is extremely proud of our Music and Arts program. Our music students (including choir) perform in public to a wide variety of audiences, and participate successfully in competitions. Music concerts are high lights of the Year. Our school band consistently receives high recognition at music eisteddfods, including the annual Balaklava Eisteddfod. This year we have over sixty students taking part in the school choir, and later in the year we will be participating in the Festival of Music in Adelaide.

Classroom Music

Classroom music is an integral part of the R–7 curriculum and is taught by specialist music teachers. Along with singing, playing, composing and performing activities, students are also involved in the school Dance-a-thon, the Music is Fun Band visit and touring musical group performances. Music is offered as a choice subject from Years 8–12. Students have a minimum of three lessons each week, learn a musical instrument with an instrumental music teacher and play in Year level bands and the school Concert Band.

Choir

MAS has two choirs. Students are invited to join the junior choir from Year 3. The senior choir includes students from Year 5 and higher. In 2009 the choir will be performing at the Adelaide Choir Festival of Music.

Instrumental Music

MAS students are able to access a variety of instruments from Year 5 and upwards. Instruments include drums, guitar, trumpet, trombone, flute, saxophone and clarinet. Lessons are taught by Education Department IMS teachers (face–to–face at the school or through Distance Education technologies) or by trained MAS staff. Students may hire instruments through the school, which subsidises the cost.

School Bands

Instrumental students in Years 7–10 play in Year level bands as part of their classroom music. Students are also invited to join the school’s Concert Band once they have reached sufficient proficiency on their instrument. The Concert Band rehearses each Wednesday afternoon after school and performs at school assemblies, local functions, the Kernewek Lowender, and in Adelaide at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Little Groovers

Little Groovers is a pre–school children and parents music group that meets each Monday in the school’s activity room. Please contact the school for more information.

Music Performances

Performing is an integral part of the MAS music curriculum and students are given a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their skills to a wider audience.

A formal music concert is held each Year at the McKnight Theatre showcasing the choir, concert band and soloists. This is usually held in late term 3 or early term 4.
Year level bands perform at school assemblies and to younger classes.
The Concert Band performs at a variety of venues, including Presentation Night, the Maitland ANZAC Dawn Service, the Curramulka Lights, the Balaklava Eisetddfod and in Adelaide at the Royal Adelaide Hospital at the end of the year.
The School Choir and Concert Band both perform each year at the opening of the Maitland Show.

Other Events

Other regular musical events include:
The School Musical: Held every other year, the school musical involves all R–6 students, a range of 7–12 students and many staff, both on and off–stage.
Dance-a-thon: The Dance-a-thon is an R–6 fund raiser for the Junior SRC held in term 3.
Music Is Fun Band: The Music IS Fun Band is a regular visitor to MAS, usually in term 2.
Christmas Concert: Biennial event showcasing R–6 students’ music and drama skills.
Maitland Music & Arts Club Productions: The school maintains close ties with the club ,with many staff and students performing in their biennial musicals.

Music Program
The Maitland Area School community is extremely proud of our Music and Arts program. Our music students (including choir) perform in public to a wide variety of audiences, and participate successfully in competitions. Music concerts are high lights of the Year. Our school band consistently receives high recognition at music eisteddfods, including the annual Balaklava Eisteddfod. This year we have over sixty students taking part in the school choir, and later in the year we will be participating in the Festival of Music in Adelaide.
Classroom Music
Classroom music is an integral part of the R–7 curriculum and is taught by specialist music teachers. Along with singing, playing, composing and performing activities, students are also involved in the school Dance-a-thon, the Music is Fun Band visit and touring musical group performances. Music is offered as a choice subject from Years 8–12. Students have a minimum of three lessons each week, learn a musical instrument with an instrumental music teacher and play in Year level bands and the school Concert Band.
Choir
MAS has two choirs. Students are invited to join the junior choir from Year 3. The senior choir includes students from Year 5 and higher. In 2009 the choir will be performing at the Adelaide Choir Festival of Music.
Instrumental Music
MAS students are able to access a variety of instruments from Year 5 and upwards. Instruments include drums, guitar, trumpet, trombone, flute, saxophone and clarinet. Lessons are taught by Education Department IMS teachers (face–to–face at the school or through Distance Education technologies) or by trained MAS staff. Students may hire instruments through the school, which subsidises the cost.
School Bands
Instrumental students in Years 7–10 play in Year level bands as part of their classroom music. Students are also invited to join the school’s Concert Band once they have reached sufficient proficiency on their instrument. The Concert Band rehearses each Wednesday afternoon after school and performs at school assemblies, local functions, the Kernewek Lowender, and in Adelaide at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Little Groovers
Little Groovers is a pre–school children and parents music group that meets each Monday in the school’s activity room. Please contact the school for more information.
Music Performances
Performing is an integral part of the MAS music curriculum and students are given a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their skills to a wider audience.
A formal music concert is held each Year at the McKnight Theatre showcasing the choir, concert band and soloists. This is usually held in late term 3 or early term 4.
Year level bands perform at school assemblies and to younger classes.
The Concert Band performs at a variety of venues, including Presentation Night, the Maitland ANZAC Dawn Service and in Adelaide at the end of the year.
The School Choir and Concert Band both perform each year at the opening of the Maitland Show.
Other Events
Other regular musical events include:
The School Musical
Held every other year, the school musical involves all R–6 students, a range of 7–12 students and many staff, both on and off–stage.
Dance-a-thon
The Dance-a-thon is an R–6 fund raiser for the Junior SRC held in term 3.
Music Is Fun Band
The Music IS Fun Band is a regular visitor to MAS, usually in term 2.
Christmas Concert
Biennial event showcasing R–6 students’ music and drama skills.
Maitland Music & Arts Club Productions
The school maintains close ties with the club ,with many staff and students performing in their biennial musicals.

Music Program

2010 Festival of Music

The 115th Adelaide Festival of Music got off to a bright and musical start with twenty schools - including Maitland - performing in a 300 voice choir at the Adelaide Festival Centre last night.

Our choir, conducted by Belinda Wundersitz, featured in the program and supplied the soloist for one of the highlight numbers.

The capacity crowd at the theatre enjoyed every minute of the musically diverse program, which featured not only the primary choir but guest soloists and bands.

Congratulations to all involved, it was a wonderful night!

ANZAC Dawn Service

MAS was well represented at this year's Maitland ANZAC Dawn Service, held at the War Memorial on Robert Street.

The Concert Band led the service with several students making their Dawn Service 'debut'. A number of adults joined the band for the performance including Tim Schwartz (cornet), Di Morgan (Flute) and Margaret Francis (bass drum).

Head Prefect Jessica Nankivell presented a book on behalf of the SRC while principal Andrew Gravestocks presented one on behalf of the school.

Thanks as always to the parents who transported their children to the service and to the staff members who supported and played with the band.

Festival Choir Assessment

On Tuesday the 23rd of March the Festival of Music Choir was visited by David Jackson, the Deputy Choir Conductor for the South Australian Primary Schools Music Festival.
The choir were asked to prepare two set songs from memory, Monster Mash and Extraordinary Things, both which included difficult two part harmony and detailed articulation. The rest of the two hour session was spent workshopping vocal skills and learning ‘ TB’s’, the ‘tricky bits’ from the remaining pieces of the Festival Program.

Mr Jackson was very impressed with the outstanding behaviour of our students and their marked enthusiasm. His assessments for each section of the criteria ranged between an A and a B. His comments included acknowledging how well prepared and rehearsed the students were for the assessment.

Congratulations to the thirty year 5, 6 and 7 students who are participating in this years Festival of Music Program and many thanks to Lee Polkinghorne for accompanying us on the day.

The Festival Choir Performing at the Maitland Show

Maitland Show

On the 17th of March our school participated in the Maitland Show. The R-6 students thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the back of the truck for the parade through the main street, holding up signs displaying our school values and cheering and waving to the crowd.

A big thankyou must go to Tim Davey for the use of his truck and for driving us. The combined Junior and Festival school choirs (over 60 children), sang Advance Australia Fair for the official opening then separately presented a song each for the crowd’s enjoyment. The band entertained everyone during the afternoon, with a variety of songs including those from well known movies and a Michael Jackson medley. Well done to all performers for sharing their talents, and congratulations to all students who participated in the parade with such enthusiasm.

Congratulations also to the Year 10s; their lambs won 2nd prize in the Trade Lamb competition.

maitland_show

Dance-a-thon

Today we held our Junior School’s major fundraiser for the year, our annual Dance-A-Thon. The Dance-A-Thon ran for an hour and involved individual classes performing their dances and also whole group dances such as the “Chicken Dance”, “5,6,7,8” and “Locomotion”. It was fantastic to see so many parents watching as well as participating in the parent dance “Nutbush”. Well done to the Year 3MN class for winning the “Best Dance” award. Congratulations must also go to Ella Davey, Jayden Luciani, Frankie Wanganeen, Chaticia Buckskin, Chloe Secker and Matthew Clarke who were judged best dancers in their age groups.

danceathon

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