Wednesday, March 25, 2015

March 26 Music Update



Vanuatu Concert Fundraiser

Throughout NZ schools are organising lunchtime concerts to raise money for Vanuatu.

Chisnallwood will run a short lunchtime concert tomorrow - Friday 27th March at 1.15pm featuring Max, Ryan and Keira from room 17 - an acoustic trio performing popular covers. 
Please bring a gold coin for this. All proceeds go to Vanuatu relief.

Itinerant Lessons

A reminder that students MUST let their itinerant teacher know in advance if they are going to miss a lesson for any reason. Eg. If you are calling the school about absence for sickness, please also let them know if a music lesson will be missed (or call the music department as well). If we know in advance, teachers can work around it, but if no notice if given, teachers can't reschedule in time and so the lesson is charged for. 


Closing Dates
April 2nd is the closing date for special groups for the music festival – senior choir, concert band, orchestra. Please see Mrs Bell for more info and the school code. The auditions will run in early May. Audition information can be found on musicfestival.school.nz
Tomorrow is the last theory club for the term (Please bring a gold coin). May 8th is the next closing date to sit a theory exam. (Exam is on June 20), then there is another opportunity later in the year.
April 29 is closing date for rockbands entering RockQuest. 
Ed Sheeran #SchoolOfEd #MoreFM #Chisnallwood
Please watch out for our Year 8 EdSheeran competition entry. Our YouTube video entry is of some year 8 students performing one of his songs. Please check it out on YouTube and share and like it with #SchoolOfEd, #MoreFM and #Chisnallwood. If it gets enough hits then Ed Sheeran will perform at Chisnallwood for 100 year 8s in the holidays!!!!!
Coming up in the holidays:
Friday April 17th - Jazz Band Day
Sat April 18th Sound Tech Training Day 
Mon-Thurs April 13-16 various rock rehearsals.
The NZ Jazz and blues Festival is on in Christchurch in the first week of the holidays. There are lots of great concerts to go to!

SCHOOL HOLIDAY RHYTHM EXTRAVAGANZA - AFRICAN DRUMMING AND RANDOM ACTS OF MUSIC
Tuesday, 14th April
10.00am - 12.30pm
Chisnallwood Intermediate School, 
76 Breezes Road, Avondale. Click here for the map 
Entry by donation: ($2.00 - $10.00 per person)
Bookings helpful. Book here, or phone 0800THEMUSE (0800 843 687)
Email: info@themuse.org.nz
We welcome all people, young and old to come together for two workshops. We will split into two groups, based roughly on age (with adults distributed throughout both groups and siblings kept together where desired). Each group will participate in two workshops. Although aimed at meeting the needs of younger people, we welcome people of all ages to join us. The more the merrier.
West African Drumming
Experience the joy and excitement of playing in a djembe ensemble with master drummer, Robert Fugah.
Random Acts of Music
This workshop will be an opportunity to explore improvising on tuned percussion instruments in a musically structured environment. Random Acts of Music workshops help people discover their own creative potential, and experience the joy of playing spontaneously in an ensemble. As usual, we welcome experienced musicians to join us on saxophones, voice etc.
MAY will be full of some cool performance opportunities for Chisnallwood students - There will be NZ Music Month performances in both the Aranui and Shirley Libraries, World Trade Aid day Irish performance, Hook Line and Sing Along sing-off, RockQuest (May 23), Buskathon (May 2-3).
Details published soon!
Please keep an eye on chisnallwoodmusic.org.nz for itinerant timetable updates and music group updates.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

March 19th




Irish Band at South City Centre on St Patrick's Day
Well done to the Irish band who drew a crowd at South City Centre celebrating St Patrick's Day and thanks to CJ Musicworks for their fantastic support.

MUSIC CLOSING DATES COMING UP:

April 2nd is the closing date for special groups for the music festival - senior choir, concert band, orchestra. Please see Mrs Bell for more info and the school code. The auditions will run in early May. Audition information can be found on musicfestival.school.nz

March 20th (tomorrow) is the closing date for Hook Line and Singalong original song entries. See Mrs Bell for details.

May 8th is the next closing date to sit a theory exam. (Exam is on June20)

April 22 is closing date for rockbands entering RockQuest.

Please keep an eye on chisnallwoodmusic.org.nz for itinerant timetable updates and music group updates.





Tuesday, March 3, 2015

March music update (week 5)





WEEKEND PERFORMANCE
On Sunday March 1st the Chisnallwood Irish band, Jazz Band and "Better Than Bacon" were able to perform at the 2015 Streets' Children's Day in windy Wigram. Before that a Chisnallwood acoustic trio performed for locals, 4 politicians and Jo Seagar at the local community fun day. 

MUSIC FESTIVAL SPECIAL GROUPS AUDITIONS
Applications are open for any advancing students who wish to audition for the ChCh Primary Schools' Music Festival representative groups - Senior Special Choir, Concert Band or Orchestra.
You can find the application at musicfestival.school.nz but students must get the school code in person from Mrs Bell first. 

NZSO Concert
Tuesday March 10th, Horncastle Arena, 7pm
NZSO with British piano star Freddy Kempf
Egmont Overture
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ‘Emperor’
Concert duration: 1 hr 30 (including interval)

Special deal - student tickets for $10 - please let Mrs Bell know if you want special tickets by this weekend.

CSO Ambassadors
Congratulations to our two new 2015 Christchurch Symphony Orchestra Ambassadors for Chisnallwood; Aya McLarty and Alice Crighton.


MUSIC STUDENTS
All music students and participants in music groups - remember to keep an eye on chisnallwoodmusic.org.nz 

Most groups are underway, with recorder and marimba due to start next week (8am rehearsals) , and rock bands announced over the next week. New members may join the orchestra, ukulele or choir at any time.

New sound tech applicants will hear back later this term when teacher assessments are done. Successful applicants will get an invitation letter to the training day in the holidays.
Other holiday events in the second week of the holidays will be an extra rehearsal/workshop for rock and jazz bands.

Remember to let your itinerant music teacher know if you can't make a lesson. 

Remember to practice up whatever you were given to work on! Even if you can't get to your instrument on a particular day, you'd be amazed how even just thinking, reading and fingering through your work can advance your playing! Also remember that there is often a music room at school you can practice in before or after school if you need it.
Some more tips on practice:
Practice slowly and correctly.
Chunking - Spend time practicing the bits you need to work on rather than the whole piece.
Have a practice within 24 hours after your lesson so you remember what you need to practice for the week! 

Coming Up:

Tuesday March 17 - St Patrick's Day - Irish Band performance at South City Mall around 1.30pm