School Anthem revealed
You may have read in our recent social posts the news of the visit to Tintern last week by composer, Paul Jarman, who has written our new School Anthem. Be sure to visit our website or social streams to catch up on all of the news about his visit and the upcoming premiere performance of the anthem on 17 October.
Friends of Music create a Winter Wonderland
A beautiful sparkling Winter Wonderland descended on the CM Wood Centre last Friday night as our fabulous Friends of Music committee opened the doors to our first Tintern Jazz Night in three years! Alongside our student Jazz Ensembles and Swinging Singers (aka our senior choirs), we welcomed an Alumni Jazz Band to the stage, consisting of students who had missed out on their Jazz Nights during the lockdown periods. Interspersed with student performances were amazing dance sets provided by Ross Irwin and his band. A major fundraising raffle was conducted during the evening with 18 prizes from local donors. Many thanks to the Friends of Music for bringing this wonderful event to fruition and to all families who attended and contributed to what was a most convivial night of entertainment and fun.
Some of our Music Leaders reflected on the night:
‘I found the Jazz Night to be a lot of fun. The decorations were fabulous and it was great to enjoy some good music and food with friends – what more could you want? Performing as part of the Swinging Singers was very enjoyable and the environment was very warm. The performances were all fantastic. Ross Irwin’s band was terrific and it was hard to resist the dance floor when the band got fired up. All in all, it was a delightful night!’
Nishka Fernando | Instrumental Music Captain 2022
‘It felt wonderful to be a part of the Jazz Night on Friday evening! The CM Wood was adorned in its ‘winter wonder’ and it was a delightful night full of song, food and dancing. It was a beautiful opportunity to share our music with family and friends. I would like to extend a thank you to the Friends of Music and all the music teachers who made this event possible. It was certainly a night to remember where the music connected us all.’
Natasha Gillam | Choral Co-Captain 2022
‘The night was one to remember as families and friends gathered together and laughed and danced the night away together listening to the most amazing jazz music. My favourite part of the night was when everyone got up to dance and have a blast with the incredible Ross Irwin Band. The live music was so exciting to listen to, I could not stop moving my feet! Everyone was beautifully dressed to the theme of Winter Wonderland and the tables were decorated with sparkling lights, making the night feel so special.’
Ella Jones | Choral Co-Captain 2022
Congratulations to Jazz Award Winner, Isaac Hong
Year 12 clarinettist and saxophonist walked away from Jazz Night as the very deserving recipient of the Ron Trigg Jazz Musician Award. This award goes to a member of the Senior Jazz Ensemble who has demonstrated a passion for jazz, development of their skills and an understanding of the Jazz idiom. Congratulations, Isaac!
Year 12 composer at work in our midst
I began to write my piece “Time is Finite” in the last week of Term 2 for my Music Styles and Composition class which I attend through Virtual School Victoria (VSV). I have been continually writing this piece over the last 9 weeks, building upon a prompt I was given about the idea of how I could develop a musical theme/idea through variation, contrast and repetition. I chose to write for a string orchestra because I was familiar with how to write pieces for that type of Orchestra and because I had played Violin in both the Scrolls String Orchestra and Symphony and had a grasp on how to write for the instruments.
I have always had fond memories of Scrolls and with how the software made my piece sound. I decided that it needed to be played live to really bring my piece to life. I asked Mrs Mackie whether the Scrolls ensemble was available, and then asked if they wanted to play my piece, and she said, ‘Yes!’
Over the last few weeks, we have been rehearsing my piece and preparing for our recording date by going through each part very closely and practicing. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, as I can finally hear what my piece sounds like. I would like to thank Mrs Mackie and the members of Scrolls for giving up their time to help rehearse and perform my piece. This piece wouldn’t be the same without everyone who helped.
Tristan Stafford | Year 12
Singing Soiree
On the evening of Monday the 15 August, Tintern held its annual Singing Soirée. It was wonderful to see a number of students sharing their lovely voices and having an opportunity to gain performance experience. It was a delight to be surrounded by a cordial ambiance and an encouraging audience, especially succeeding the absence of performance opportunities during the pandemic.
The concert presented a range of styles and genres, and the singers overcame challenges of nerves and how to present themselves on stage. Singing is a wonderful creative outlet and is always good for the heart and soul. It never fails to lift my mood and is a special way of connecting with people. It was heart-warming to not only see older students perform, but many younger students stepping out of their comfort zone and delivering beautiful songs. I hope all the singers and other students continue to put themselves out there as performing is an amazing way to gain confidence.
I would love to congratulate everyone on their incredible performances at the event, it was a very pleasant evening to attend. I would like to extend our thanks to Mrs Bezaire and our accompanists Ms McKenzie and Ms Tori Wood. We look forward to more beautiful sharing of music in upcoming events.
Natasha Gillam | Choral Co-Captain 2022
Essentially Ellington Downunder 2022
On a cold, Saturday morning in August, the members of the Tintern Grammar Senior Jazz Ensemble attended the Essentially Ellington event at Melbourne Polytechnic which was another brilliant opportunity to present our playing skills. Being a new location for all it was quite a busy start, exploring the campus not quite knowing where to go and calling on our wonderful Tintern community of parents to help retrieve our trombone player who was more than a little lost.
We warmed up and performed our three pieces, Lindy Hopper’s Delight, St. Thomas and 3AM, showcasing the result of our hard work from the past few months. Straight after our performance we had a private workshop with Jerome Jennings, who (to sum it all up) is a very talented jazz musician from New York who plays in the highly acclaimed Jazz At the Lincoln Centre Orchestra. He worked with us and taught us many insightful new skills and tips to jazz music. He was a very energetic person and spread his energy to all of us the more the rehearsal went on, showing us new ways to play the music and key things to make us sound even better, such as listening to different variations of the piece.
He taught us the importance of balance in music and how each section and musician plays a massive part in creating good sound quality and tone. Everyone was given some excellent tips and feedback and I am sure most would agree when I say that the overall experience, whilst a little scary, was very enjoyable and we all are very excited to apply his feedback into our playing during our future rehearsals.
Daniel Sun, Year 9 | Drummer and Vibraphonist – Tintern Grammar Jazz Ensemble
Victorian School Music Festival – Concert Band and Wind Symphony awarded GOLD!
Woodwind, Brass and Percussion music is alive and well at Tintern Grammar. The students of the Concert Band and Wind Symphony attended the Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF) on 16 and 17 August. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to perform, receive feedback from renowned professionals in the field of Symphonic Wind Band playing and to see students from other schools perform, giving them a wider view of the music community that resides right here in Melbourne.
Our bands received wonderful feedback from our adjudicators, as they admired the musicality, the accuracy, and the sensitivity with which the band played. They commented on the balance, the students’ understanding of what they were playing, and how responsive they were to requests from the adjudicators throughout their workshop. Both bands, although abuzz with nerves, rose to the occasion and received a Gold Award for their efforts. This is a fantastic achievement, of which the students should be very proud. They are a talented, engaged and committed group of students and it is wonderful to see them reap the reward for their efforts. Congratulations Concert Band and Wind Symphony. The school and Mrs Clarke are very proud of you and excited to see the next phase of your development as musicians, using all the pearls of wisdom gleaned from your time at the VSMF.
Lisa Clarke | Head of Music – Instrumental Performance
Woodwind and Brass Concert – 22 August
The festival of music at Tintern continued on 22 August with a wonderful display of emerging talent at our Woodwind and Brass Concert. With over 25 individual solo performances and three lovely ensembles performing, it was a real treat for our dedicated and attentive audience of family and friends. The students ranged from those just beginning their instrument through to our seasoned performers, all of whom enjoyed the opportunity to perform with our fabulous accompanists for the evening, Heather McKenzie and Janette Patton.
It was great to see our growing Brass department feature with the return of our Brass Ensemble, performing an Irish Tune from County Derry, and solo trumpet and French Horn performances. Although performing solo is a challenge, it is a rewarding experience and one which helps musicians grow, develop confidence, and understand not only how to manage nerves but what it means to share their music with others and the joy that brings. All the students should be very proud of their performances, and we hope some of them will take up the opportunity to perform again at our Twilight Concert in Term 4.
Lisa Clarke | Head of Music – Instrumental Performance
