Now into the full swing of Term 1 2023, our music students received the fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents at two community events over the weekend.
First up, Whitefriars music was exceptionally represented at the St. Anne’s Primary School’s Strawberry Fair on Saturday 4 March by the Year 10 Rock Group ‘Blackout’ – consisting of Max Malley, Declan O’Farrell, Sourav Gray and Ash White. The band played a full set to a vast array of parents, friends and families and were a great hit in showcasing their musical talents. A huge thanks to Mr Matthew Balassone for his guidance and supervision.
The next day at the College’s Open Day for prospective parents, our music and drama students were again front and centre, bringing their talents to entertain prospective parents and their sons. The Ellington Jazz band set the tone for the day with their tight harmonies and soulful groove, captivating the audience and bringing a sense of great energy and excitement for the rest of the day. A huge shoutout to ensemble director Mr Nicholas Fitter and the students themselves (Winton Davis, Alastair Bolton, Matt Cowper-Hill, Daniel Brand, Oliver Brand, Joseph Li-Sculli, Kaspar Nickel, Lucas Thang and Ben Chincarini) for talent and hard work.
As the tours kicked off, ‘Redacted’ – our Year 11 rock group took to the stage, filling the school grounds with high energy and electrifying riffs. Consisting of Oliver Brand, Jonathan Clark, Nick Cima and Ethan Brearley, their performances were truly impressive in spite of the heat, demonstrating the commitment and dedication they have put into their craft.
The contributions of all these students were invaluable in promoting music and theatre to prospective parents and their sons. They highlighted the importance of the performing arts and the benefits it has for our young people in developing strong social bonds with their peers. Each performance was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students individually and as a whole, as well as the guidance and support of their teachers.
I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the students involved in addition to the work of our Performing Arts Captains Bill Donaldson, Riley Costello, Lachlan Miller, Benjamin Weng, Daniel Brand and Kaspar Nickel – who were instrumental in discussing the key benefits of performing arts with each family that came through.
As always, we are so proud of our young musicians and look forward to seeing more of their talent in the future. A final thankyou to Nathalie Fox and Michael Schofield for their support in providing the students with the opportunity to showcase their abilities.
Mr Matt Frampton
Learning Leader – Performing Arts
