MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER Issue 6 From the Director of Music Welcome to the latest edition of the Music Department Newsletter; we hope it gives you a flavour of the breadth of activities and events that have taken place in the department across both the Primary and Secondary schools. IN THIS ISSUE From the Director of Music
1
Around the Sections Associated Board exams
2
Music Theory
2
Brass
2
Billy Elliot
3
GCSE Music
4
Dates of your Diary
4
Primary Autumn Concert
5
Secondary Autumn Concert
6
Inter-House Music Competition
7
Brass
8
Guitar
10
Piano
13
Singing
14
Strings
15
Woodwind
18
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With the end of term fast approaching, we can look back at the past few weeks with a great sense of achievement and satisfaction, coupled with an even greater sense of exhaustion! To think that, since half term, we have had the Secondary Inter-house Instrumental Competition heats and final, an Unplugged Concert, Brass and Guitar Concerts, a Beginners’ Concert, the Primary and Secondary Autumn Concerts, The Al Khubairat Singers Remembrance Sunday services and Concert, Carols in the Science Garden, Carols at The Club and this week, Billy Elliot and Carols by Candlelight, is really quite remarkable. In addition we have also had three Scholars Talks on a range of topics: Improvisation, Composition and an Introduction to the Carnival of the Animals. Sandwiched between all these events have been the Associated Board and Trinity exams, of which you can read more about later in this edition. Open Mornings and Evenings and numerous assembly performances have given further opportunities for our musicians to showcase their amazing talents. These events take place alongside the daily instrumental and academic lessons and are in addition to the 60 co-curricular activities that take place each week in the department. We thank all the students and indeed the fabulous team of music teachers for all their hard work, commitment, enthusiasm and loyalty. This Newsletter will give you an insight into some of the events that have taken place, including contributions from the students themselves.
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Staff News
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Dee Harper-Jones, our Music Administrator will be leaving us at the end of this term. We thank her for her contribution to the smooth running of the department over the past three years and wish her every happiness for the future.
BSAK Parent Community Group
@BSAKAbuDhabi
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Associated Board (ABRSM) Exam results Huge congratulations to all our students who took ABRSM exams in November. Despite (at short notice) the exams being much earlier than anticipated, our students really excelled and pulled out all the stops to secure some simply outstanding results. 80% of all our candidates achieved a Merit or Distinction, earning above 120 marks from a possible 150. Particular congratulations go to the following students who passed their grade 8 exams: Sharadhi Somayaji - Violin with merit Bethan Davis - Violin with merit Jonathan Selvaraj - Violin with distinction Jasmine Laws - Piano Calum Grant - Piano Bethan Davis’s result is all the more impressive considering she was also one of the lead roles in this term’s production of Billy Elliot. It really goes to show what can be achieved with determination, commitment and sheer resilience! We await the results of this term’s Trinity exams with baited breath and wish all our students the best of luck when they arrive. We also wish out Trinity Music Theatre candidates the very best of luck for their exams in January. Secondary Chorus All secondary students who receive singing lessons, whether Classical, Musical Theatre or Rock n Pop are expected to sing in the BSAK Chorus which rehearses on Sunday lunchtimes from mid-day. From January the chorus will be preparing for a number of performances, including the Gala Concert which will take place at NYU on 1st May as part of the school's 50th Anniversary celebrations. This will be a major event in the school calendar and will include a rousing performance of Karl Jenkins's The Peacemakers, alongside the Orchestra, the Primary Choir and Al Khubairat Singers. Any students who sing or have an interest in participating are very welcome!
Music Theory Last year we published an article about the importance of Music Theory and we now feel it would be a good time to send out a reminder! ‘Teaching theory is like teaching a child to read; it gives them access and understanding to all written music’ As most instrumental lessons are only 30 minutes, it is often very difficult for the Instrumental teachers to spend much time on Music Theory, an integral part of one’s music education. The benefits of learning to write and understand musical notation are numerous; increasing creativity and composition skills but also improving sight-reading, improvising, performing and learning pieces faster. ABRSM believes that a thorough understanding of the elements of music is essential for a full and satisfying performance at the higher grades and therefore it is long-standing requirement that candidates must pass Grade 5 or above in Music Theory before they can enter for Grades 6, 7 or 8 Practical exams. Music Theory also provides great support for those musicians wishing to study Music at GCSE and A level. To support our students’ preparation towards Grade 5 Theory we run three Music Theory Clubs each week and we would really like you to encourage your child to attend these sessions. The students work through at their own pace, acquiring the understanding and knowledge in steps as they prepare for the Grade 5 exam (Students do not need to sit other graded exams en-route to the Grade 5, but may wish to do so.) Timings for these clubs are available on iSocs.
Billy Elliot The Music and Drama departments have been collaborating closely to present the iconic show, Billy Elliot. The musical has, since first launched in 2000, won the hearts of millions internationally. It is the inspiring story of a young boy’s struggle, against all odds, to make his dreams come true. Set against the backdrop of the 1980’s North England miners strikes, Billy’s journey begins when he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class. He discovers his passion for dance, and ultimately inspires his family, and the entire community to stand together, no matter what. Billy’s story still speaks to so many people regardless of class or background; The universal message of being yourself and daring to follow your dreams, is a message which we hope will influence the thoughts of all our students. The cast ranging from Year 7 - Year 13 (and including members of staff) were challenged with mastering a West End score by Elton John. The sensational dance and powerful storyline has been demanding on the performers, but once again, the students proved themselves to be determined, committed and full of talent. Congratulations to all involved in this memorable production.
GCSE MUSIC Our Year 9 students are currently busy choosing their GCSE options. GCSE Music is a fun and exciting course which develops performing, composing, listening and appraising skills. A knowledge and understanding of music can enhance the quality of life, regardless of one’s career. Universities hold musicians in high regard as they offer a wider ranging skillset to university life. Music engenders the qualities of maturity, self- discipline, analytical thinking and sensitivity – all sought after in many walks of life. The Edexcel GCSE Music course is divided into the following three components: Performance (30%) A solo performance and an ensemble performance lasting at least four minutes combined. Composition (30%) Two compositions, one is composed from a given brief and the second is a ‘free composition’. Listening exam (40%) Six listening questions based on the set works studied throughout the course and one unfamiliar piece. One essay question comparing one of the set works to another unfamiliar piece. Skills Required Proficiency on a musical instrument, of around Grade 3, at the start of the course, is expected. Students should to be able to read staff notation and follow a musical score for analysis purposes.
Dates for your Diary Next term is looking very exciting and a number of key dates are outlined below. As ever, we look forward to seeing you at these events so please come along to support our young musicians. Musical Events Term Two 2019 January Friday 11 Sunday 13
YMOG Preparation Day 9am YMOG Concert 4pm in Primary Hall
Wednesday 23 Monday 28-Friday 1
YMOG Concert 4pm in Auditorium YMOG in Bahrain
February Sunday 3 Monday 18
Piano Concert 3pm in Auditorium Informal Recital 3pm Auditorium
Saturday 23 Tuesday 26 Wednesday 27
International Fayre Beginners’ Concert – all instruments 4pm in Auditorium Musical Showcase Evening 7pm in Auditorium
Sunday 20
Wednesday 20
March Monday 4 Friday 8 Sunday 10 Tuesday 12 Wednesday 13 Friday 15 Tuesday 19 Wednesday 20 Sunday 24 Wednesday 27
Scholars’ Talk: 3.45pm
Scholars’ Talk: 2.45pm
Flute, Recorder & Guitar Recital in Primary Hall Community ‘Bavarian Camels’ Brass Day Reeds Concert 4pm in Primary Hall Unplugged Concert 6pm in Science Garden Informal Recital 4pm in Auditorium Community String Day Masterclasses with Omer Quartet
Scholars Talk 2.45pm
String Recital 4pm in Auditorium Beginners’ Concert 4pm in Primary Hall European Evening in Theatre
Primary Autumn Concert
Secondary Autumn Concert
Inter-House Music Competition
Brass: Ali Bryce-Shorland - Head of Brass What an exciting and busy term we have had with our Brass Department! There have been some amazing performances and I am incredibly proud of the sound our young musicians are producing, both individually and as ensemble members. We had four brass players competing in the Inter-House Music Competition in November. Well done to them for taking part; John, Ben, Kesu and Inayah. Inayah was the worthy brass winner (on French Horn) and she played beautifully in the final, going on to win the Intermediate section. Christian Plouvier praised her sound and “beautiful sense of phrasing”. Huge congratulations! Our Trumpeters were very much in demand for our school Remembrance assemblies. This is the first time during my time at BSAK that Primary School students have played The Last Post and our 4 trumpeters (John, Emma, Darya and Ben) did so beautifully; hearing them play was very moving. This was John’s last year of Remembrance performances so thank you, John, for the last 6 years!
The end of November saw our Secondary Autumn Concert which I unfortunately missed, but Concert Band Brass played superbly! I so enjoyed working with them all, especially on Imperial March, and was sad to miss it. Junior Brass, Junior Concert Band and Funky Brass 2 then went on to deliver fabulous performances in the Primary Autumn Concert. They played with such energy and enthusiasm and the whole room was rocking to Another One Bites the Dust! Well done Brass Team!
A great time was had by all! Our ABRSM results were fantastic with our students gaining one high pass, 8 merits and a distinction in their exams; all of this with much less preparation time than normal! The examiner, himself a trumpeter, praised their commitment, attitude and bold sounds. December has seen lots of Christmas Carol performances and the newly-formed BSAK Community Brass Ensemble has been working very hard already! This is an amalgamation of Al Khubairat Brass and members of the wider Abu Dhabi Community - students, teachers and parents - it is already proving to be a great success so far! We rehearse every two weeks on a Saturday and we are always on the lookout for new members, so please email AShorland@britishschool.sch.ae if you’d like any more information. Carols in the Science Garden was such a lovely, relaxed festive event and got everyone in the Christmas mood! Last Friday saw the Community Brass perform at The Club’s Festive Market. This was our second year and it was fabulous fun! It was so lovely to play to such a large and appreciative audience with our ensemble of 17 and the Al Khubairat Singers. We were given so many compliments afterwards and all of the students and adults felt very appreciated, especially after being given gingerbread houses as a thank you. We look forward to returning in 2019!
The look on our faces says it all!
Relaxing after the performance
The final week of term sees us not slacking off in any way and Community Brass have a performance on Tuesday before Carols by Candlelight at St Andrews Church. Junior Brass will be playing at two Primary Assemblies on Wednesday and then the massed brass ensemble of Junior Brass and Al Khubairat Brass will be entertaining everyone before school on the last day of term! Phew! What a term and what a team! Thank you all so much for your hard work, commitment, determination and bundles of enthusiasm and energy this term. Keep practising over the holidays but above all, have a fantastic break whether you are celebrating Christmas or not, and enjoy every minute! Ali Bryce Shorland
Guitar: Kalana De Silva - Head of Guitar It has been another fantastic term, filled with enthusiasm for all the guitars. We are delighted with the way this term has progressed with many opportunities for all the guitarists, from beginners to the more advanced.
The Guitar Concert was a huge success, showcasing solos and various ensemble groups. The culmination of this event saw 40 guitarists playing together, ranging from Year 3 to Year 13. This was a phenomenal achievement from the guitar point of view and shows the guitars have come a long way here at BSAK!
We are pleased with the number of guitars who participated in the Inter- house music competition 2018/19 this year. It’s great to see the standard of this event has gone music higher and to see new faces immerging. This year Saleh Akasha and Ryan Ali made it to the finals and we are delighted that Saleh was awarded the highly commended prize.
Ryan Ali
Saleh Akasha
We are delighted with all the ensemble performances in Junior and Senior Autumn term concerts. They were all were outstanding!
This term we had two days of Trinity guitar exams for 35 guitar students, of which 15 were grade 5 and higher. Furthermore we hope that all the Initial grade students who took their first music exam have had a good experience. We are still waiting for the results and we will let the parents know ASAP when we receive them. Special thanks to all the parents for their continued support, this would not have been possible without your involvement. We would like to congratulate Christian Innis for taking his grade 8 guitar exam this year. He started playing the guitar in Year 4 and has been heavily involved in the BSAK music scene ever since, including appearing in Billy Elliot. He has appeared in many competitions and concerts and his contribution to school ensemble groups has been phenomenal. We wish him all the best!!
Christian Innis
We are delighted with the Ukulele players this term, they performed at the Primary Concert and have shown immense progress within a short period of time; from next term we are introducing the advanced ukelele club in addition to the beginner ukuleles! Finally we wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; have a great holiday!!
Piano: Alex Tchobanov - Head of Piano It has been an incredible half term for the piano department here at BSAK. Two of our students were highly placed in the Inter-House Instrumental Competition - Marwan Ali reached the Finals in the Intermediate Category and Jonathan Selvaraj went on to win the competition for a second year in a row in the Advanced category, quite a remarkable achievement. The ABRSM results have been very successful this year as well and quite a few students received very high marks. Some of our outstanding pianists were Yuqi Shang Grade 5 with a Distinction 141 (highest mark at BSAK), Daniel Shaw Grade 1 - Distinction 132, Katie Lynch - Merit 127, and Erin Meenagh - Merit 127. A number of piano pupils did a great job as they took part in various school activities such as Primary Open Mornings, School Assemblies and a Beginners’ Concert, as well as Mr Hakim’s informal concert. I would like to congratulate and thank everyone for their fantastic work.
Singing: Tanja Stefanovic - Head of Singing What an exciting half term it’s been for the Singing Department with Trinity Rock and Pop exams taking place; we are eagerly awaiting the results which include many Grade 8 students. Our department was delighted at the commitment and preparation invested by the singing students across all grades. During December, we had a wonderful ‘Flash mob’ performance in Primary Reception which included students taught by Mrs. Corrigan, Mrs. Kilgour and myself - it was a real treat listening to a mixture of festive songs being sung and a great opportunity for students to sing in front of a large and enthusiastic audience. These experiences help to develop confidence and really promote musical joy. Special thanks also to all the students who have been attending extra rehearsals - the hard work that both Junior and Senior choir have invested really came to light during our Carols by Candlelight service which took place in St. Andrew’s this week - a beautiful occasion filled with seasonal spirit. Big congratulations to the many students who took part in the school musical Billy Elliot which was a remarkable collaboration between the Drama and Music Department; Bravo to all the singing students on your performances - you make us very proud. May I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful holiday - see you in 2019!
Strings : Molly Carter -Head Of Strings What a busy time we have had since half term! Students have been working hard preparing for the Which School Advisor Young Musician of the Year, YMOG and our very own BSAK Instrumental Competition, in addition to the ABRSM and Trinity exams, Secondary and Primary concerts, various assemblies and open morning performances. A huge thank you to all those involved and for all the parental support you provide! At the Unplugged Concert Cora Bridgeman performed ‘Make you feel my love’ by Adele, and accompanied herself on the cello while singing! Bravo to Cora for performing so wonderfully; this performance really did stand out!
The Beginners’ Concert boasted the largest number of beginner string players we have had in a long time. We were so proud of them for performing so brilliantly! For some, it was their first ever concert performance. Well done to our budding young violinists, viola players and cellists!
Thank you to:
Beginner Violins; Aviana Jackson Turner, Jennah Adam, Riad Alkilany, Celina Al Samarrae, Salehah Khan, Ava Marsh, Zara Saqib, Ceadhla Stevenson, Jovie Tapper, Ellen Withers, Skye Gargaro, Fraya Edwards, Ari Spyrou, William Stuart, Serafina Wright, Marianne Brown.
We were delighted with the results our students achieved with their ABRSM Exams this session, especially since they were given just 2 weeks’ notice of their exam dates! With an average mark of 123.2 (Merit), our results remain significantly higher than the UK national average, and students taking exams ranged from Grade 2 to Grade 8 on Violin and Cello. The breakdown of results is as follows: Distinction 11%, Merit – 66%, Pass – 22%. Huge Congratulations to Bethan Davis, Jonathan Selvaraj, Sara Ajala Williams, Sharadhi Somayaji, William Hargreaves, Matthew Lomax, Adam Marvin, Munachi Obiora and Kenodh DeSilva.
Junior Cellos; Alia Al Hamed, Alia Al Darmaki, Elyazia Al Mazrouei, Khadija Mohammed, Sam Meenagh, Idris Al Darmaki, Omar Marvin, Amara Lovell, Sophia Looker, Gabriel Stuart, Nasser Al Siksek.
Well done to our young string musicians Yasmin Taylor, Lucie Loridon and Jonathan Selvaraj who reached the Finals of the Inter-House Instrumental competition on 14th November! They faced fierce competition and were selected to proceed to the Finals where they performed amongst 11 other finalists. Huge congratulations to Jonathan Selvaraj for going on to gain the title of BSAK Young Musician of the Year for a second year running. He performed the first movement from Kabalevsky Violin Concerto in C. Not only is Jonathan an outstanding performer on the Violin, but is also a wonderful pianist - this young man is one to watch!
The Secondary Autumn Concert on 21st November was a wonderful occasion with a huge variety of ensembles and repertoire. Special Thanks to Senior String Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra members who performed so brilliantly. Chamber Orchestra:
Senior String Orchestra:
The Primary Autumn Concert was also a great success. Thank you to all the members of our Primary String ensembles: Junior String Orchestra, Cello Time, Junior Advanced Violin Ensemble and Beginner Violin Ensemble. For both the Primary and Senior concerts it was really evident that the weeks and months of rehearsals and private practice paid off. The students really showcased their hard work and talent at its best! Congratulations to all the young String Musicians who took part! Junior String Orchestra:
Junior Beginner Violin Ensemble:
Cello Time:
Junior Advanced Violin Ensemble: Special Thanks to this budding violin ensemble for also performing so wonderfully at Carols by Candlelight earlier in the week!
We hope you have enjoyed this term’s music-making in the string department, and wish you all a wonderful Christmas holiday, and a happy and healthy New Year! Many thanks to Mrs Wilson and Mr Norkie for their on-going support and tremendous work they are doing with our young string players.
Woodwind News: Claire Day - Head of Woodwind I love the busy activity within the Woodwind Department at this time of year. Our Inter-House Instrumental Competition took place in November with 13 Flute and 11 Woodwind students participating across both categories. Special congratulations to Emma High, Clodagh Walsh, Imi Hughes and Ryan Taoutaou who, against fierce opposition, made it through to the Final. The standard of playing was absolutely amazing and it was a difficult job for our judge, the renowned flautist, Mr. Christian Plouvier to decide between such players. Well done to Clodagh, Imi and Ryan for each receiving a Highly Commended Award. Bravo!
With exam season upon us sooner than expected, Mrs. Cathrine and myself were delighted with the results across the department with 3 Distinctions, 5 Merits and 2 strong Passes achieved - well done to Aaron, Munachi, Eva, Sasha, Carl, Viraj, Zoya, Sehansa, Kirstie and Clodagh Big thanks for the generous donations to support our charity initiative before the Senior Concert. Listening to carols before the concert whilst nibbling on festive foods helped raise 450Dhs for the school charity Red Crescent. The concert was amazing and helped those students preparing for YMOG - lots of work still to do for this big competition which takes place in January. Congratulations to Monty Walsh who has been offered a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland for the second year in a row - an amazing achievement for him and one which makes his school and this department in particular, very proud! The Primary Concert was a huge success with lots of joyful music - very well done to Junior Concert Band, Junior Flutes and Junior Recorders - you all practised thoroughly and therefore played beautifully.
Special thanks to all those who took part in our various Carolling moments - Carols by Candlelight, Carols in the Science Garden and Carols at The Club; all beautiful occasions which really created a festive air. Family support at these events is always very much appreciated.
Spotlight on a Scholar Mia Davies is a Year 7 Music Scholar who plays the flute, sings and is learning the piano at BSAK. Her primary instrument is the flute and she has been playing since Year 3. Mia has just sat her Grade 4 in singing, her Grade 5 in Music Theory and is studying towards Grade 7 on her flute. I had a sit down with Mia this week for a chat and hope you enjoy her comments and views on music at BSAK. What do you enjoy about music Mia? I really like the pieces I get to play and feel really lucky to be a
Scholar. I really appreciate the support I get from my teachers.
What difference has being a Scholar made to you? I have received more opportunities - I love helping at
Junior Flutes and I find the Scholars talks really informative.
Do you have a favourite talk so far? Yes! Mr. Hakim gave a talk on Carnival of the Animals which was
fabulous - I loved all the different styles and how he replicated the sounds of the animals through his playing.
This year you will be taking part in the YMOG competition in Bahrain - how do you feel about that? I am
really excited! I am looking forward to being away from my parents for the first time (!) and cannot wait to play on a big stage. I love playing with the older, more advanced flautists and find the whole experience really inspiring.
We are always on the look-out for new members to join our ensembles so please contact us if your son or daughter would like to be involved! Junior Concert Band Thursdays at 7:10 Senior Music Room Senior Concert Band Mondays at 3:45pm in the Senior Auditorium New Beginner Woodwind Ensemble Tuesdays at 7:10am in Mrs. Cathrine’s room