Music

from Loreto Normanhurst Yearbook 2021

Sport Profiles

At the start of 2021, there was undeniable excitement about the year ahead. After the restrictions of the previous year, students and staff were thrilled to be playing and singing again. Everyone looked forward to reconnecting with each other in music ensembles and working towards upcoming performances. Boarder and House Conductors and Accompanists displayed incredible resilience and determination as they commenced rehearsals outside and while wearing masks, and the school Choir and Symphonic Wind Ensemble moved to larger spaces in the school for rehearsals. Despite this, all ensembles thrived and joyfully anticipated performing live at Music Festival. Additionally, students engaged in the online Open Day preparations with commitment – rehearsing and submitting performances and photos. Our Music Captain, Vivien Li, and Year 12 Music student, Matilda Hardy, even created a “Week in the Life of a Loreto Normanhurst Music student” video to share their passion for music, despite being unable to perform live. After missing their performance evening in 2020, Year 10 Elective Music students presented outstanding solo performances in Term 2 and our Primary School students engaged in more musical opportunities with the introduction of the Primary Voices choir, alongside the Concert Band, Strings and whole-school Choir.

The Music Festival returned to the International Convention Centre, Sydney, and provided an incredible display of hard work, talent and felicity. A diverse range of musical styles were performed by soloists, including singers, pianists, percussionists and dancers, in addition to a variety of ensembles and student-led choirs. The following students and Houses are to be congratulated for their performances and receiving awards on the evening:

Term 3 saw a return to online learning and Music students once again demonstrated adaptability with their learning. Year 5 and 6 students engaged in musical challenges, research tasks, presentations and submitted videos of performance. Year 7 and 8 students started their semester of Music online and approached learning about notation, instruments of the orchestra and music in the media with interest, selecting from performance options to complete on asynchronous learning days. Elective and senior Music students continued to focus on musicology, composition and solo performance skills, while completing written examinations online and submitting recorded performances for feedback. Students continued to attend their private music tuition via Zoom and many students experienced great success in completion of AMEB performance examinations throughout the year. Our Year 12 Music 1, Music 2 and Extension Music students’ resilience and optimism during this time was outstanding. Students were required to present their Trial and HSC examination performance programs at school under strict COVID-safe guidelines, which impacted their preparation, accompaniments and staging.

Each Year 12 student performed their HSC program exhibiting confidence and a high standard of musicality The return to learning at school in mid-Term 4 allowed Music students in Years 5 to 12 to resume some practical activities in the classroom, which reignited the joy of engaging in music performance tasks. There is much anticipation for 2022, when staff and students hope to participate in ensembles and live performance once again. We also acknowledge and thank our 2020-21 Music Captain, Vivien Li, for her unwavering passion for music and exceptional leadership during a challenging year. We look forward to the year ahead and anticipate further student growth and engagement in Music.