ARTS DEPARTMENT

JESSICA BURKE | MIDDLE LEADER THE ARTS AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

State Honours Ensemble Program

Mary MacKillop Music had a number of outstanding young musicians accepted to participate in the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University State Honours and Darling Downs Ensemble Programs in 2022.

Adele Adams - voice

Noah Burke - percussion

Remi O ’Donoghue - clarinet

Bianca Philp - violin

Charlotte Voll - voice

Gabrielle Voll - voice

Lucas Ward - trombone

Amity Boston - voice

Georgianna Reisinger - voice

Katherine Preston - voice

These students needed to meet specific standards of musicality to be nominated and then underwent a full weekend's program with Australian composers and directors from the Qld Conservatorium of Music.

From the coordinator..... "Your students represented your school admirably and you should be very proud of their commitment, achievements and attitude."

We were also extremely excited to receive word from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music that we have had three successful students in the first ever Primary section of the QLD State Honours Program.

Sophilee Condon - 5 - 2 - Vocal Soprano

Louise Philp - 5 - 2 - Clarinet

Isabelle Voll - 4 - 3 - Vocal Alto

Anzac Day

The Mary MacKillop Marching Band and Colour Guard travelled to Brisbane to support in the 2022 Anzac Day Parade in the Brisbane CBD. It was well received by attendees and appreciated by the organising committee and participants, not surprisingly our performance and contribution was featured on the official telecast as well as receiving plenty of attention on the local news channels.

32 students aged from prep to grade 11 participated in the rain to represent the College and community proudly. We experienced the Anzac spirit with the jetfighter flyover and had fun being transported in the buggies!

Toowoomba Show And Qld Ekka

The MMCC Drumline were again requested to perform as part of the entertainment at this year’s Toowoomba show.

24 students aged from prep to grade 11 roamed sideshow alley, pavilions and main streets of the show entertaining the crowds. There was additional entertainment provided by Mary MacKillop Catholic College students with the Voll sisters performing three sets on stage of their vocal brilliance.

Arts students also represented their talents in the local community with entries in photography, drawings, screen printing, handwriting and mapping competitions.

Toowoomba Eisteddfod

21 entries in total from our Dance, Speech and drama and Music students in the Toowoomba Eisteddfod this year who made audiences aware of what we do at 'Mary MacKillop Catholic College' and how we present.

We had first time dancers win sections, primary school students competing alongside secondary students to be awarded and students competing against their best friends! A huge congratulations to all students ranging from years 3 to 11 who performed and represented the College proud and successfully and gained a total of 13 prizes!

5 x 1st

2 x 2nd

2 x 3rd

4 x highly commended

Creative Generations Tour

One of the best days of the year when you are in the senior school is always a field trip. The MMCC Visual Art, Mixed Media, Music and Drama students were rewarded this year with an epic tour to Brisbane to Visit the Gallery of Modern Art. They experienced fine dining at The Southbank Parklands, and concluded the afternoon immersed in the Theatrical interpretation of 'Cinderella' at The Lyric Theatre.

The entire cohort was enthralled with the production and revelled in the experience of observing the Fairy Godmother levitate above the stage and soar like an eagle throughout the production. Contemporary themes of ‘standing up for yourself and others’, and ‘making an effort to just be nice’ resonated at a personal level for each student. For 2 hours belief was suspended, and students were able to immerse themselves in the beautiful time and place of make believe.

As Katelyn Burton was heard to announce “It was a great experience, as we got to go and see a variety of art forms, from abstract art all the way to musical theatre. The day was definitely one to remember!”

Wakakirri

Mary MacKillop Catholic College committed to their first ever entry into the QLD Wakakirri Festival held in Brisbane. The Wakakirri StoryDance Festival is a national program that helps schools develop student engagement and wellbeing through participation in the performing arts. The ensemble created and performed a Story-Dance which they performed at the Logan Entertainment Centre in front of a sold-out audience.

The Colleges’ performance titled ‘Muhammad Ali's Rise to Glory’ was based on ''How a stolen bike leads to world domination!'' gained multiple performance and production awards:

Excellent theme/concept

Excellent ensemble

Excellent staging – combination of all aspects

Excellent overall costume design

Excellent soundtrack mix

The College was surprised and ecstatic to get the news that their Story-Dance was nominated for the National Festival Award: Human Rights Story Award! Panel feedback from Daniel Dunlop described their performance as a great story to inspire a story-dance piece with good use of the production elements to support the action. A nice variety of movement qualities throughout - Some lovely use of symbolism, performed with energy and some great ensemble work on stage.

To reach this point, students spent months rehearsing and preparing. Initially just once a week then extending to two rehearsals a week. In the final weeks leading up to the event additional hour-long rehearsals were included. Keeping the experience both challenging, and fun was an important part of how the preparation process was treated. Students were challenged in different ways such as by learning some combat moves, skipping, and having the experience of performing on a professional stage.

Wakakirri has been a great way for students to increase confidence, team-building skills, and coordination (as a few examples). Students are excited and looking forward to presenting this performance at Arts in the Park next month!

“Enormous talent”, “unlimited potential”, “astonishing craftsmanship”, these are just some of the comments overheard in conversation at Arts in the Park 2022. Despite the spectre of apocalyptic rain, the event was unstoppable, the change of venue taken in our unique MMCC stride.

127 performing students enthralled the audience ably supported by a dedicated team of 41 additional students involved in backstage setup and installation plus the facilitation of event activities. The success of the event made additionally possible through the Parent Engagement Network and the generosity of volunteering parents.

A tremendously sustained effort from all parties ensured one huge night of entertainment! We unleashed our talents across three stages, featuring the performances of music, dance and speech. A mezzanine labyrinth facilitated the exploration of an extensive exhibition of our Visual Art students selected from every year level at the College.

Within this - magicians amazed, henna tattoo artists adorned excited punters with motifs and face painters created new identities all within a packed carnival atmosphere. A pop-up jewellery shop additionally showcased and sold the work of an extremely talented group of designers to adoring fashionistas.

On behalf of Mrs Puhakka, Mr Chivers, Miss Lauverjon and the Music staff, we would like to sincerely thank all those who came to be entertained and support what we do here in the MMCC Arts department.

Broxburn Music Festival

Following a very busy term 3, some MMCC vocalists backed up on the first weekend of the holidays to compete and participate in the Broxburn Music Festival. Excellent results were achievements with awards presented to students in nearly each age group! Fantastic to see Mary Mac students represent and shine in the wider community.

Creative Generations Arts Awards

Congratulations to Taylor Blackley and Katelyn Haddow whose work was selected for the 2022 Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art. This exhibition recognises and celebrates the artistic achievements and creative talents of senior high school students from across Queensland.

Their work was included in a 4 week exhibition at the Toowoomba Regional Gallery among 40 works from across the Darling Downs region.

Australian Music Examiation Board Qualifications

Australian Music Examination Board qualifications provide a national benchmark and are recognized across Australia and internationally. The below students sat their external AMEB Theory exams recently and gained Honours or High Distinction results. Gaining this full range of skills supports their overall music education creating successful musicians and giving them the tools required to develop into well-rounded, professional players.

STUDENTS WHO GAINED LEVELS IN 2022 ARE:

Grade One

Archer Turner

Jacob Catchlove

Georgianna Reisinger

Melanie Siokos

Abigail O’Dea

Louisa Philp

Riley Mackenzie

Grade 2

Adele Adams

Bianca Philp

Noah Burke

Grade 3

Bianca Philp

LAST PLAY OUT OF THE YEAR!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.... and the Mary Mac Drumline processed Santa in to lead the way this year! With an official police escort, the Drumline turned heads during the opening of the Grand Central Shopping Centre CBD Tree Lighting extravaganza on Thursday. Bianca Philp provided the ultimate drumroll to countdown the lighting of the tree by the Mayor and the commencement of the celebration.

Our talented and much sort after vocalists- Voll sisters, Georgianna and Adele then entertained the crowds with Christmas songs. Fantastic representation again from the MMCC Arts Crew.