MUSIC Department NEWSLETTER TERM ONE 2019
ROB HALL
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Wow, where have these last three and a half months gone? It seems no time at all since we were welcoming new and welcoming back returning students in their new uniforms. So much has happened over the course of the term and hopefully this newsletter will give you a snapshot of some of the major events which have taken place as well as focusing on other events which may have been more ‘under the radar’.
IN THIS ISSUE From the Director of Music Staff News Primary Music An Interview with Mr Townley
As has now become tradition, the musical calendar starts with our Music Festival Week which features a range of solos and ensembles being performed in various locations around the school both before and after, and sometimes even during the school day. The first formal concert was the Scholars’ Concert during which we were fortunate to hear a range of performances from our 22 scholars, a number of whom are new to the scheme and, in some cases, new to BSAK. To perform publicly for the first time in only the third full week of term requires courage, yet they all performed brilliantly and set the standard that we aspire to maintain and indeed improve upon. The Staff Concert the following day was also an incredible event which showcased the broad talents of our instrumental team; we are so incredibly lucky to have so many first-class musicians in the school who are willing to go above and beyond and who truly inspire the students on a daily basis.
We will Rock You Unplugged Photos Around the Sections Brass Guitar Piano Singing Strings Woodwind
The Festival Week finished with the second Community Wind Band Day which involved over 100 Wind and Brass players from across the city, coming together to share their love of music. It really was a superb event and I’d like to thank both the staff here at BSAK who organised the day, but also the staff from the other schools and organisations who conducted, cajoled and inspired the players to achieve something special. We are already looking forward to the Community Brass Day which will take place later in the academic year. The first few weeks of term also give our instrumental teachers the chance to attend academic music lessons, particularly in Primary, to give students the opportunity to try out various instruments and this year we have attracted a huge number of new instrumentalists on a whole range of instruments; we look forward to following their musical journeys over the coming months and years. The second half of the term has been equally frenetic and began with an unforgettable Unplugged Concert in the Science Garden. Each and every Unplugged seems to somehow be an improvement on the previous one and this event was truly exceptional with a large audience who were treated to some simply fantastic performances. Our Rock n Pop musicians continue to excel and some exciting plans are being put in place for future events, so watch this space! The Primary Choir have had a sensational term. Now involving just shy of 100 singers, they formed a substantial part of the Choir of Tolerance and Human Fraternity who performed in the presence of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, at Umm Al Emarat Park to celebrate 2019 as the Year of Tolerance. The Secondary Inter-house Instrumental Competition, now in its third year saw the biggest number of entries and the standard was, once again, first class. The finalists were all commended for their skill and musicality by our visiting adjudicator, Rony Rogoff. Many congratulations to everyone who took part, but particularly to the overall winners, Kesu (intermediate) and Monty (senior) and to the winning house, Pegasus.
The rescheduled Senior Concert was another highlight of the term, although it had a rather different feel, taking place on a Thursday afternoon with students in their national colours as part of the school’s National Day celebrations. It was the first time that we had attempted to live-stream a concert but it is hoped that it will be the first of many so that friends and family across the globe can tune in to watch! The Primary Concert took place on the first day back after the long National Day weekend and was simply outstanding. Around 200 students took to the stage; many of whom were performing in ensembles for the first time, creating an unforgettable experience. Once again the concert showcased the breadth of opportunities as well as the outstanding talent we have within the school. I was personally delighted to see the first appearance of the newly-formed Primary Orchestra; this will prove to be a hugely beneficial experience for our younger players, embedding knowledge and understanding of playing in an orchestra in preparation for making the step up to the Senior Orchestra at the appropriate time.
The final weekend of the term saw two fun festive events with Carols in the Science Garden and Carols at The Club, led by our flautists and brass players. With us now into the final week of term, two major events are still to take place - the Al Khubairat Singers Concert and the ever-popular Carols by Candlelight, both at St Andrew’s Church. In addition we will also be performing at the Friends of BSAK Winter Wonderland on the last day of term.
STAFF NEWS The items mentioned above of course only represent a fraction of the concerts and other public occasions at which our musicians perform. This term alone there have also been Wind, Brass, Guitar and Piano Concerts as well as the termly Beginners’ Concert. Musicians have also performed at Open Mornings, Open Evenings, for assemblies and other ad hoc events elsewhere in the school. Some of our more advanced students have also had the opportunity of attending master classes with visiting performers at the Cultural Foundation and I know that they have found those sessions to be incredibly informative and thought-provoking. It would be remiss of me not to mention this term’s fabulous musical, We Will Rock You. The show was absolutely fantastic with some incredibly fine singing, coupled with superb acting and supported by a great technical crew and top-class band. It really was a magnificent production! I would like to thank all the staff in the Music Department for the incredible drive, enthusiasm and inspiration that they give to the students on a daily basis. None of these achievements would be possible without them and I genuinely feel honoured to work with such amazing, talented people each and every day. This was particularly highlighted at the Musical Soiree which took place at the kind invitation of the Australian Ambassador HE Arthur Spyrou. It was a wonderful evening which was enjoyed by all who were present. All that remains is for me to wish good luck to all the students who are sitting instrumental exams in the last few weeks of term including Prep-tests all the way through to Diploma level. I am sure that your hard work, endeavour and dedication will be richly rewarded. I wish everyone a happy and relaxing winter break and look forward to seeing everyone, refreshed and ready to go again in early January.
We welcomed two new members of staff in September, both of whom have fitted wonderfully into the BSAK musical family. Philip Townley has joined us as Head of Singing and I know he has already made a significant impact on our singers in his short time with us. His enthusiasm and motivation to promote singing within the school is infectious and it is genuinely an exciting time to be a singer here at BSAK. Milan Jankovic has joined us as the specialist Lower Strings teacher following Molly Carter’s return to the UK. Milan has engaged fully in a variety of musical events and has appeared in so many performances already, encompassing the orchestras, string groups and even Unplugged. Unfortunately Sonia Gonzales, one of our singing teachers left us part way through the term in order to dedicate more of her time to her own business interests. Although she was only with us for a short time, she did some fantastic work with her students and really got them thinking much more about the presentation of their songs. At the end of this term we will sadly be saying goodbye to Jo Cathrine, our reed teacher. Jo will be moving to Copenhagen to accompany her husband Simon as he embarks on the next chapter of his career as a design engineer. Jo has been an absolute delight to work with and has been integral to so many aspects of school life, not least in looking after the school cats! We thank Jo for all the energy and ardour she has brought to the department; I know her students are going to miss her enormously as indeed will I and all her colleagues in the department. Congratulations to Ramzi and his wife Rajaa on the safe delivery of baby Marco; we were so pleased to hear that baby, Dad and Mum (yes, in that order) were all doing well! Welcome to the world of sleepless nights Ramzi.
PRIMARY MUSIC
INTERVIEW WITH MR TOWNLEY
Music in the Primary School is always busy! Busy learning, rehearsing and performing. History came alive this term with the introduction of “The Amazing Egyptians” performance to parents in Year 4. During curriculum Music time with Mrs Smith, the children learnt many new songs. They can now tell you how to mummify a body, read hieroglyphics and name many Pharaohs. The Junior Choir has grown to nearly 100 children, which is fantastic. They have been rehearsing all term for the Primary Concert, Carols by Candlelight and as part of a massed choir of many schools in Abu Dhabi-The Tolerance Choir concert. Flutes, guitars, recorders, string groups, wind groups and brass groups have played in assemblies and in the school’s Primary reception area, delighting students, parents and visitors to the school. The Infant children are busy preparing for some Christmas concerts with the Nursery, performing to their parents for the first time. Year 1 are putting on a festive afternoon, while “Penguin Pete” is back for his last trip to the North Pole to see Santa with Year 2. It has been a wonderful term of music-making and next term promises to be just as musical.
What qualifications do you need? After my A-Levels I moved to Germany where I spent a gap year working with the Windsbache Knabenchor (Windsbach Boys’ Choir). Following this I studied at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, Germany, which I gained a BMus in Choral Conducting. I also have an MA in Choral Conducting from the University of Birmingham. What do you love most about your job? Everyday I feel so grateful that I can work in an environment where I am surrounded by music. Music and the making of music is inherently beautiful with the array of talented students that BSAK has astounding me every day. Here we have a wonderful opportunity to shape and inspire the musical lives and futures of so many students. My younger brother is currently training to be a doctor; an environment where he is surrounded by seriously ill people every single day. This makes me very grateful that I can be surrounded by music each day of my life!
Who are your biggest influences? I have been very lucky to be able to work with a number of notable musicians over the years. I will always be very thankful to my first Director of Music at St Mary-le-Tower in Ipswich, Dr. Michael Nicholas, who first opened my eyes to the world of music. Karl-Friedrich Beringer, former Artistic Director of the Windsbacher Knabenchor (Windsbach Boys’ Choir) in Germany, really showed me what was possible with a choir and what one can achieve. I am also incredibly grateful to my professors at the University of Birmingham, Simon Carrington and Simon Halsey, who gave me opportunities that I didn't even realise existed. The one person who I think about during every moment when I am teaching is the American theatre director Peter Sellars. Whilst studying at Birmingham I was fortunate enough to be involved in a number of projects with him. I was bowled over by his deep connection to the music, his ‘out there’ ideas which seemed both radical whilst making complete sense and his art of communication.
Which pieces can introduce me to the world of classical music? In terms of orchestral music there are three pieces that I would highly recommend to every listener. These showcase what both an orchestra and individual instruments can do. These three compositions are:
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev This composition follows the adventures of a little boy, Peter, who lives in a forest. The orchestra mirror what is happening within the story with it also being narrated. My favourite version has to be the recording where Dame Edna Everage is the narrator.
The Carnival of the Animals by Camille SaintSaint-Saëns Here different combinations of instruments portray the different animals. My favourite movement has to be the “Aquarium” where you can hear the sun shimmering off the surface of the sea and also the immense depth of a great ocean.
A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten This was the first piece that I heard at the BBC Proms and this is one of my first great musical memories. This work was actually first composed for a BBC educational documentary in the 1940s. Like the previous two compositions each movement shows off different instruments and the sounds an orchestra can make with the Finale being especially exciting!
We will Rock you
WE WILL ROCK YOU SASCHA DALLAS (HEAD OF ACADEMIC MUSIC) The Music and Drama departments are still buzzing from the success of our recent secondary school production of We Will Rock You. It was a truly spectacular show and students were lucky enough to perform to sell out audiences for every show; in fact tickets sold out within 48 hours, which is a true testament to all the hard work the students have put in over the past 6 months. There were so many stand out performances, the standard of both singing and acting was incredibly high and at times you might forget you were watching a school production and think it was a west end performance. To achieve such a high standard of performance takes months and months of preparation and dedication from both staff and students. We are really proud when we say that this was a hugely collaborative production, with staff members from all areas of the school contributing to its success. Mr Lloyd and Mrs Roberts from the Science and English departments worked tirelessly on the sound and lighting, our IT specialists were busy controlling the spectacular video screen
backdrops, Mrs Fahey designed the set and all the costumes, Mr Campbell from the Science dept was our photographer, Mrs Jerron Quarshie took control of the marketing, Mr Conrad arranged the online ticket booking, there were so many people involved in the show the list goes on and on. These incredible musicians played some of the toughest rock music ever written and pulled it off with great style and panache. A special shout out to our rehearsal pianist, Mrs Willson, who supported us throughout the term and attended so many of our rehearsals. Lastly, a huge thank you to our fabulous lead guitarist Mr Lopez, who mastered those incredible guitar solos and sounded like Brian May himself, congratulations Mr Lopez, you rock! Everyone involved should be extremely proud of what was achieved as it was a brilliant production. Both myself and Mrs Mayall believe it’s the best show BSAK have done to date. I know that the memories of this experience will last a lifetime and I do hope that the skills they have learnt and the experience they’ve had will support them well beyond BSAK.
WE WILL ROCK YOU
UNPLUGGED AT BSAK As the scorching summer heat retreats, we in the Music Department join the rest of Abu Dhabi and take to the great outdoors to enjoy this gorgeous time of year. And what better way to enjoy a balmy evening than with good company and live music? So late in October, once more we headed into the beautiful environs of the leafy, fairy lit Science Garden for our first Unplugged of the school year. We kicked off proceedings with Mr Lopez’s young up-and-coming Rock bands, their confident strut and well-rehearsed self-introductions leaving no room for our sixth form MC team to do the necessary and open the show! Next up was a new and glorious addition to Unplugged as the audience were transported to some smokey, underground, Parisian jazz joint in the hands of Dautari, Ms Jo Catherine and their saxophones with their blistering rendition of Chameleon. Up next, the first of our vocalists took to the stage, backed by the notorious Unplugged Band, and blasted into Lady Gaga’s Look What I Found from the smash hit movie - A Star Is Born. And the hits continued with tracks from Florence and the Machine, Khalid, Adele, Radiohead, to name but a few, even Metalica got an outing. We were also treated to Unplugged’s first ever Arabic Pop song performance, a beautiful and unique take on the very popular Arabic song, We Eftakart, with some wonderful flute accompaniment by another Unplugged newbie, Mrs Day. So, fair to say, there really was something for everyone.
Our performers ranged from Year 5 all the way up to Year 13, with some very confident performances from a few of our first-timers. The range of talent was huge and the atmosphere fairly buzzed under the flickering fairy lights, as the performers played to a packed and rapt audience. There were, as usual, some wonderful moments with a few standouts. Notably the poignant guitar and vocal duet between Year 13 Unplugged veterans, Katie and Josh and the wonderful version of Chameleon. All in all it was another great night of contemporary music at BSAK with probably our biggest audience yet. It’s always hard to say goodbye to our singers and musicians as they move on to University or to another school, another country. Often we’ve watched them grow from their shaky first performances to fledgling young artists and they are truly missed. But what is heartening is watching the younger ones step up and take the reins and witnessing the new batch of determined talent on show at this Unplugged. All the wonderful new voices, musicians and potential... It reminds us that life is change, it’s a cycle, everything has its time and we need to keep our faces turned towards the future and our ears tuned in to the new kids on the block. THE NEXT UNPLUGGED IS ON MARCH 10 2020 (Unplugged UnpluggedUnplugged The coco-curricular club will recommence in January, January invite only. If you’re not in instrumental lessons but interested in trying out to be a part of Unplugged, Unplugged please let Mr De Silva or Ms Corrigan know.)
UNPLUGGED
PRIMARY CONCERT DEC 4 2019
PRIMARY CONCERT DEC 4 2019
SENIOR CONCERT NOV 28 2019
SENIOR CONCERT NOV 28 2019
FESTIVE CONCERTS
BEGINNERS’ CONCERTS
HEAD OF BRASS ALI BRYCE As ever, we hit the ground running in the Brass Department this term and started off proceedings with the Music Festival at the end of September, which saw a mix of Primary and Secondary students perform solos and ensembles in Primary Reception. The day after this we welcomed over 110 students from across the UAE to our now annual Community Wind Band Day. This was a fantastic opportunity for students and staff from other schools to get together to play in “Band” and the sound they made together when performing the massed “Avengers Theme” in particular was amazing! It was wonderful to see new friendships being formed and the beaming smiles of the students enjoying themselves immensely. We even had 14 trumpets in the Junior Band (with a significant number of these being from BSAK!) What a fabulous day of music-making - we can’t wait for the next one! Our Brass Scholars Inayah, Katie, Georgina, Emma and Darya performed in the Scholars’ Concert and the horns played a beautiful piece of Faure together, which was stunning. We then had the Brass Bonanza at the beginning of October and it was wonderful to see our entire Brass department from Beginner to Advanced players, playing solos and together in ensembles, some of whom had only been playing a matter of weeks!
Our trumpeters were in demand again this year for Remembrance Day and Emma and Darya did an amazing job playing the Last Post and the Rouse. Special mention must go to Emma for playing it “solo” in the Year 6 assembly and then helping Mrs Bryce out as “Emergency Trumpets” for the St Andrew’s Remembrance Service after the original soloist was stuck in Dubai by floods! What a wonderful experience it was for us both. Not to be slowed down, we then had the Brass heats of the Senior Instrumental competition and congratulations to Kesu who won the Intermediate Brass Heat, and Inayah who won the Senior. Kesu then went on to win the overall Intermediate competition and Inayah played brilliantly in her final too. Huge congratulations to all competitors; the standard was extremely high and there were amazing performances from our BSAK musicians.
Inayah (Grade 8) and Emma (grade 5) have recently taken their Trinity Brass exams and currently we have 13 Brass and piano students taking their ABRSM exams. Millie, Zayan, Jacob, Darya, Toby, Aryana, Miles, Lolleigh, Harry, Kesu, Xavier, Wayne and Rafeea have worked really hard and there are some fantastic sounds coming from the Brass room and exam room, so I hope everyone gets the results they deserve! We have just had two fabulous concerts too; the Senior Concert and Primary Concert, both within a week of one another. Advanced Brass, Horn Ensemble, Funky Brass, Concert Band, Orchestra, Al Khubairat Brass, Brass Time! Primary Orchestra and Junior Concert Band Brass players all acquitted themselves admirably and gave great performances at the end of an already busy term! The end of term sees Community Brass and Advanced Brass massing together for Carols in the Science Garden, Carols at The Club, and Carols at St Andrew’s Church before Carols by Candlelight. Al Khubairat Brass and our beginner Brass Time Ensemble then take the reins for final assemblies on the penultimate day of term, and then all of our Brass players will be performing at Winter Wonderland on the last day of term, and before school to welcome everyone in. What is Christmas without brass playing carols, eh?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication this term. In addition to all of the above events, we have also played for open mornings and pop up events throughout the term, and every student has given their all. I couldn’t be prouder of you all and you are all the reason I love my job so much! Thanks also to parents for all of your support with remembering lessons and rehearsals. All Brass ensembles will begin the very first week back so I wish you all a restful break and see you all next year for more brass shenanigans!
HEAD OF GUITAR KALANA DE SILVA It has been another fantastic start to the year, with our guitarists involved in numerous concerts and events. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new students who have started their lessons this term and we hope they will continue to make fantastic progress in guitar! The Unplugged Concerts are gaining popularity and are now attracting a much bigger audience. We are pleased that more guitarists are beginning to take part in this event; well done to Sarah, Joshua, Ben, Nedal, Luke, Samuel (Sam), and to Kenodh for their brilliant performances. Well done to all the young guitarists who took part in the Beginners’ Concert this term. They all performed fantastically well and we look forward to hearing them more in the future.
William Hargreaves gave a wonderful recital to a supportive and appreciative audience in preparation for his ARSM Diploma. Performing works by renowned composers such as Scarlatti, Guiliani, Villa Lobos, Tarrega, Turina and Brower, William has shown tremendous resilience and we wish him all the best in his exam. This term’s Guitar Concert featured all our guitar ensembles as well as soloists ranging from beginners to diploma level. The audience particularly seemed to enjoy the variety of the electric/ acoustic guitar and variety of the program which included everything from Scarlatti (a baroque composer) to Sweet Child of mine! We would like to congratulate all the students who took part.
Most of our intermediate and advanced guitarists took part in the inter-house competition this term; it seems that the standard and competitiveness improves each and every year! Well done to Saif and William for reaching the finals at this event. The Initial Guitars, Junior Guitars, Advanced Ukuleles and Rock 60 Primary Band all took part in Primary Concert and their performances were absolutely amazing. Congratulations to everyone involved! As usual this term we have had many guitar students sit music exams with ABRSM, Trinity Classical and Trinity Rock & Pop, ranging from Initial grade to Diploma level. Significantly almost half of those guitarists were taking Grade 4 and above.
We feel this is a fantastic achievement, and bodes well for the future. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Joshua and Ali good luck in their grade 8 exams this term; they both started playing guitar at BSAK in Year 3 in group lessons and it is amazing to see them both now sit their Grade 8. Finally we would like to thank you, the parents, for your help throughout the term. Thanks also go to the students themselves for their hard work and dedication throughout the term. Wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous new year 2020!
HEAD OF PIANO ALEX TCHOBANOV It has been an eventful and exciting term for the piano department here at BSAK. It started off with the Scholars Concert, where we heard some of our top pianists perform challenging works. Also, we would like to thank Lisa and Jonathan for their participation at the BSAK Open Morning and the 6th form Open Evening. Another wonderful event was the Piano Concert, which featured piano students of all ages. They presented a prgram that included pieces ranging from Beginner to Diploma level. In addition, Lisa, Zoya and Kangzi took part in a Piano Masterclass at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
They had the amazing chance to perform for the renowned French pianist Jeremie Moreau. Last but not least, we would like to congratulate all students who entered the annual BSAK Instrumental Competition. There were two pianists in the final Isabella in the Advanced Category and Millie, who was Highly Commended. Many thanks to all piano students for their hard work and dedication. Also, I would like to congratulate my colleagues Ramzi Hakim and Hanneke Willson for all of their efforts during the term.
HEAD OF SINGING PHIL TOWNLEY It has been a busy first term of the academic year for our singers. Junior Choir has been a huge success this term with the highlights being part of the Choir of Tolerance and Human Fraternity as well as the traditional Carols by Candlelight in St Andrew’s Church. This term we had 90 children from Years 3-6 who were members of the Junior Choir - an incredible achievement. As part of the Year 6 Act of Remembrance the whole year group sang two pieces “Remember” and “In Flanders’ Fields” which were both very well-received by the rest of the Primary School and staff. We were all very impressed with the maturity that Year 6 showed in learning music which is about such a serious topic. This gives us great hope for the Year 6 show later on in the year! This term a Boys’ Choir has been created with Mr Townley leading it. At the moment this is just open to Year 6 but it will be extended to other year groups later on in the academic year. This has been a result of the singing Mrs Smith and Mr Townley have been doing in the Year 6 music lessons and will hopefully encourage more boys to take part in singing activities. It has also been a busy term for The Al Khubairat Singers.They sang “For the fallen” by Douglas Guest at the Remembrance Service in St Andrew’s Church and will also be part of two Christmas Carol events at the end of term. On the 9th December they will join the Concert Strings for a wonderful concert with the programme including works by Purcell, Schubert and Vivaldi.
I am pleased that a number of our singing students will be going on the Rodolfus Choral Courses in Summer 2020 in the UK. The courses are an incredible opportunity to make music at the highest level with people of their own age. If you believe your son or daughter would be interested in such a course, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Townley. Congratulations to a number of our Musical Theatre students who topped their grade in the Trinity College London Drama subject exams in the UAE for the academic year 2018 – 2019. Well done Anique, Frankie, Gabriella, Jacqueline and Lily Rose - a fantastic achievement. They received their certificates at an award ceremony in Dubai which was a memorable occasion. Finally, this would not have been possible without the dedication, inspiration and hard work from Briana Corrigan, Claire Dodds and Sarah Smith. Thank you!
HEAD OF STRINGS ROGER NORKIE Yet another busy term has passed, packed with musical events that catered for all the levels of our young budding string players. The term started off with the Scholars’ Concert in September where we heard some of our more advanced violin players perform challenging works for the instrument. The Music Festival Week also saw some of our Primary performers take to the stage, playing in the Primary Reception at the end of the school day. Our most advanced Violin players were treated to a wonderful opportunity back in October when the Tchalik String Quartet from Paris visited Abu Dhabi for a masterclass. Four students from BSAK were invited to participate in the masterclass and had to perform a bravura piece. The members of the quartet gave feedback on how to improve and build technique on the violin. They also spoke at length on how to further enhance performing in general.
Our termly Beginners’ Concert allowed many of our young artists the opportunity to showcase their talents and hard work, a number of whom were performing in public for the very first time.
Festive music made an early appearance this year and pieces such as Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger and Silent Night could be heard floating through the corridors from mid–November. These pieces were rehearsed to be performed in the Primary Concert towards the end of term. The Primary Concert showcased the school’s first ever performance by the newly-formed Primary Orchestra, comprising string, brass and wind players. We congratulate everyone who took part in the group’s first concert and look forward to many more. The children from ‘Violin time’, ‘Cello time’ and Primary Orchestra also formed a mass strings group to perform a few carols in the Primary concert. The String department’s final concert for this term will feature the newly-formed Concert String Orchestra, who will be in concert with The Al Khubairat Singers. The choir will perform choral works by Purcell, Schubert and Vivaldi and the String Orchestra will perform alongside, accompanying the choir. The Orchestra have worked incredibly hard to learn these difficult pieces and I am proud of the commitment and diligence they showed. A big thank you must go to the String team, Mrs Hanneke Willson and Mr Milan Jankowic for all their efforts teaching our young instrumentalist, as well as coaching the various string ensembles within the department.
HEAD OF WOODWIND CLAIRE DAY I love the busy activity within the Woodwind Department at this time of year with Christmas tunes starting in October bringing decorated trees, sleighs and jingle bells quickly to our door! Our various Carol Services brought Festive cheer even nearer - well done to my Elite and Senior Flutes who took part in Carols in the Science Garden and for playing so beautifully the following day at The Club Abu Dhabi. I have been attending Carols by Candlelight at St Andrew’s for 21 years; my sister, Mrs Moseley, and myself love to play together at this service which really gladdens the heart and heralds the true start of Christmas for us. A very well done to all the Junior Flutes and Recorders for your gorgeous playing - you make me very proud. Our Instrumental Competition heats took place in November with 11 flute and 6 woodwind students participating across both categories. Special congratulations to Kirstie, Monty and Jude 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, Rony Rogoff to decide between such players. Well done to Monty for winning the Senior category and Kirstie for receiving a Highly Commended Award. Bravo - the Woodwind Department rules! Monty is having a great start to the school year congratulations to him on being offered a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland for the third year in a row - an amazing achievement for him and one which makes his school and this department in particular, very proud!
After rain stopped play for our Senior Concert we were delighted to be able to play as part of the National Day celebrations with wonderful performances across the board; our Primary Concert was also 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. With Exam season upon us in December, Mrs. Cathrine and myself await the results with bated breath and will let you know how you scored as soon as we receive the results. Thank you for all the hard work and effort invested in your preparation you all deserve to do well. Woodwind exam students: Keera, Erin, Eva, Akaylia, Viraj, Munachi, Carl, Maia, Mia, Joe, Scarlett, Tanya, Kirstie, Isabella, Stephanie and Monty
WOODWIND
SPOTLIGHT ON A SCHOLAR DAUTARI OBIORA May I introduce you to Dautari Obiora a Year 10 Music Scholar who plays the saxophone and guitar at BSAK. Dautari has been playing the saxophone since the third term of year three and guitar since the beginning of Year Three. He is currently studying GCSE Music and working towards his Grade 8 in Saxophone and Grade 5 in Guitar. Dautari plays with many of the school ensembles and recently took part in the school production of We Will Rock You as part of the acting cast. In addition to this, he is a talented sportsman. Dautari is working hard towards the upcoming YMoG competition in Bahrain. I had a sit down with Dautari this week for a chat; I hope you enjoy his comments and views on music at BSAK.
This year you will be taking part in the YMOG competition in Bahrain - how do you feel about that? I am actually quite excited to perform in Bahrain as I will be able to get better at controlling my nerves and also display what I have been practising so hard on.
What do you enjoy about Music Dautari? I enjoy how music simply just puts me at ease, it also makes me feel as if I am floating in the air. I also enjoy dancing to music, which I tend to do when I perform.
What difference has being a Scholar made to you? It has greatly increased my confidence in myself and my musical ability. It has also shown me that there isn't an end-point in your musical learning as we learn so much from the scholar's talks.
Do you have a favourite scholars talk so far? My favourite scholar's talk is the one given by Mr Tchobanov as I learned about the development of the piano over the ages; I also learnt how it works but the most interesting part, in my opinion, was at the very start when he showed us the oldest known ancestor of the piano.
Look out for further Spotlight on a Scholar interview in our next Newsletter
FAREWELL TO JO It is with a heavy heart that I write this next bit of woodwind news - Mrs Jo Cathrine our woodwind specialist, cat fiend and all round musical nutcase is leaving Abu Dhabi for pastures new and will not be with us for the Spring Term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for being a fabulous teacher who brings joy to the department and who has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Music has brought me yet another dear friend - you shall be missed by us all Mrs. Cathrine - thank you for all your hard work, your enthusiasm, your energy and your kindness. May the road forward be a happy one for you and Mr. C!