MUSIC

CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC

There’s a joke from the cult 1980 movie The Blues Brothers: “What kind of music do you usually have here?” asks Elwood Blues. “Oh, we got both kinds,” answers the bartender. “We got Country and Western!” There are no such limitations at GGS, where everything from hip hop to electronic, jazz, folk, rock, pop and classical was showcased across Term 2 at a series of concerts and performances, including Battle of the Bands, Winter Concert and the Middle School Music Programme Showcase.

With more than 200 students enrolled in instrumental music at Corio, our Music School is a thriving hub of creativity. “There are many different aspects to our Music Programme, including our teacher-led curricular and co-curricular programmes, as well as our informal student-led culture of music making which we experience at events like House Music, Battle of the Bands and the various Soirees held throughout the year,” Director of Music, Ari Farrar, said. “Music has a unique and important place within our School and in the lives of our students. Performance opportunities such as these enrich students musically, socially and emotionally; over time, music will become an indispensable part of them – a gift that will last a lifetime.”

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Our third annual Battle of the Bands lit up the Equestrian Centre in May, featuring a variety of musical acts from Middle School, Timbertop and Senior School. Senior School rock band The Five Bananas took home the coveted Band category prize, with the experimental Dysunktion Junktion runners-up, whilst other winners included gaii (Acoustic Category and Best Original Composition), Gus Leung (Solo Category), unplugged (Best Entertainer), Macey Callander (Best Vocalist) and Midnight Magic (Rising Star).

WINTER CONCERT

The immense musical talent on display at our annual Winter Concert warmed the David Darling Play House in June. Held for the first time since 2019, the Winter Concert is our largest and most formal concert. An assortment of bands, choirs, orchestras and ensembles from Middle School and Senior School (including the newly formed Musical Theatre Troupe and Year 5 Starling Singers) performed an eclectic array of music, from Bach (Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major) and Les Misérables (At the End of the Day) to Justin Timberlake (Just Sing) and the theme from The Avengers.