Music Handbook 2023

MUSIC • PUORO

GIVING STUDENTS A VOICE

At Rangi Ruru we believe that music gives students a voice. Through music, our students learn about humanity and the possibility of joy and wonder. Their imaginations are developed—vital for individual and social well-being as our students strive to enhance their own lives and the lives of others.

We also believe that music assists in the development of empathy, a tool to build communities that bind us together in the face of crises that are an increasing part of our complex world.

Music at Rangi Ruru is a creative outlet that forms a common global language through which our students are supported to express individuality and collaborate to become curious and connected global citizens.

Our experienced Music team is passionate about ensuring that through music we help our students understand the difference between mere achievement and success in life. Music is what makes us human and can connect us all.

Ka whangaia, ka tupu, ka puawai. That which is nurtured blossoms and grows.

We look forward to welcoming you to our music community.

JANET KINGSBURY Director of Music

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SOME RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

• One student selected for the 2023 National Youth Brass Band of New Zealand

• 2023 NZ Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra: Seven students selected

• Four 2023 Ministry of Education Gifted Learner Awards

• Two students contracted to the 2023 Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

• Nine students selected for the 2023 CSO Virtuosi

• Young Jazz Band-iT national competition: Finalists

• Two students in the 2022 and 2023 NZ Secondary Students Choir

• Aurora Festival 2022: Silver and Percussion Prize

• 2022 Big Sing National Finale – Silver

• 2022 NZCT Chamber Music Contest: National winner (mixed-schools group) and national finalist

• 2022 Ara JazzQuest Big Band Competition: Silver (Jazz Band)

• 2022 NZ Symphony Orechestra National Youth Orchestra: Four students selected

• 2022 Ara Jazz Quest Combo: Silver and Bronze awards

• 2022 Commercial Music students wrote and produced an anti-bullying song for the Ministry of Education

Visiting Experts

• Leading performers and teachers

Stephen Larsen, James Tennant, Rolf

Gjelsten and Michael Endres

• NZ Trio

• Alex and Arna Morton (Morton Music)

• Timothy Wayne-Wright (The King’s Singers)

• Dillastrate (Henare Kaa and Tim Driver)

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MUSIC AT RANGI RURU

Music is integrated into the heart of our community at Rangi Ruru, well beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. Students are featured in every facet of school life as soloists, and in small and large ensembles— at assemblies, chapel services, student-initiated events, connections with the Rangi Ruru alumnae and wider whānau.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES

Our students take part in local and national school-based festivals and competitions, and are frequently invited to feature in a wide range of community events and functions. Through this real-life approach, our musicians gain the skills and dispositions to contribute positively through music to communities they may become involved in beyond school.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES

Studies have shown that students who are involved in extensive musical programmes do very well academically and we see this in our community: Rangi Ruru is consistently one of the top-performing schools in Music in New Zealand.

As a school, we strongly support NCEA as a robust and highly regarded academic qualification, with our results consistently being among the country’s highest. These include Outstanding, Top Scholar, and Premier Scholarship awards, with each category including Rangi Ruru musicians. In Music, our students have achieved a 95% music scholarship success rate in the last eight years, including several Outstanding and Top Music Scholar Awards.

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OUR ALUMNAE

AMELIE SPINKS

JAZZ BASS STUDENT AT CONSERVATORIUM VAN AMSTERDAM

Amelie (class of 2016) is primarily a bass player, both electric and upright, and she also plays guitar, sings and writes original material.

Growing up, she was exposed to music in a variety of genres and started bass in Year 8 as a means to play across this range.

During her time at Rangi Ruru, Amelie played bass in the Jazz Band, Jazz Combo and Sinfonia and was also principal bass in the NZ Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Christchurch All Girl Big Band and the UC Christchurch Youth Orchestra.

She played bass in the combined Rangi Ruru and Christ’s College productions of West Side Story (2018) and Evita (2020). She was also selected to take part in the 2020 International Conservatorium van Amsterdam Summer Jazz Workshops, where she currently studies jazz bass.

Amelie credits her first public performance in Year 9 as the catalyst to develop her skills.

“It made me realise that I enjoy performing and that I wanted to improve. Rangi Ruru helped me get excited about where my instrument could take me and pushed me to practice,” she says.

Amelie was also a high-performing academic and athletic student during her time at Rangi Ruru.

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MUSIC AT RANGI RURU

A TRADITION OF MUSICAL SUCCESS

In the past 10 years, 67.5% of the recipients gaining our senior Gold Braid Academic and Leadership awards have been students involved in some aspect of our music programme. Many of these students have received offers of scholarships both in New Zealand and overseas for tertiary study where they have continued to be innovators and leaders in their fields and beyond.

OUR MUSICAL LEGACY

The continuous cycle of learning as a result of the legacy of students who have moved on from Rangi Ruru is an important part of our ethos. The development of younger musicians is fostered through inspiration from senior students, who then move on to make room for the younger ones to move through. Our Music alumnae often keep in contact and return to engage in workshops and mentoring with current students.

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OUR ALUMNAE

AMY CLOUGH

CLASSICAL MUSIC (OBOE) STUDENT AT VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

Currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Music at Victoria University, majoring in Classical Performance on oboe, Amy has had performance opportunities with groups such as Camerata Chamber Orchestra, Hawke’s Bay Orchestra and Orchestra Wellington. She has also recorded several projects for the

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

A high-achieving academic and Music scholar during her time at Rangi Ruru, Amy (class of 2016) was awarded Elite Academic Colours twice, the Special Prize for Excellence, Dux and NZQA Outstanding Scholarships in Music and History.

Her exceptional ability as an oboist, academic, musician, singer, percussionist and chamber music coach was recognised by her holding all Rangi Ruru’s highest awards in Music—plus earning an A+ for her study in oboe at the University of Canterbury during Year 13.

Amy was a national semi-finalist in the NZCT Chamber Music Contest, principal oboe in Rangi Sinfonia, a member of our senior choir Resolutions and played in the orchestra for two senior productions.

Amy was an oboist in the 2019 and 2020 NZSO National Youth Orchestra, a member of the NZSO mentoring programme, and principal oboe in the NZ Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and Christchurch Youth Orchestra. She also performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra as an intern in 2019, the University of Canterbury Chamber Orchestra and the New Zealand School of Music Orchestra.

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MUSIC PROGRAMMES

MUSIC CURRICULUM

Music is offered as a subject to all, with increased specialisation and personalisation as students progress through NCEA Levels 1 to 3 and Scholarship.

Students are exposed to a diverse range of musical styles and genres through performance and creation of original music. These areas are always supported by the exploration of musical context, analysis and music literacy. Skills in live recording and mixing are developed using a range of current music technologies.

There is an emphasis on the development of the whole student through our integrated approach to wellbeing, along with opportunities to develop leadership skills in all aspects of the teaching and learning programme.

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CO-CURRICULAR

We offer a highly-regarded music co-curriculum, including:

• Choral

• Orchestral

• Jazz

• Chamber Music

• Stellar Strings

• Rock Band

• Percussion

• New Music

• Musical Theatre

Instrumental and vocal tuition is available to all, and performance artists, teachers and composers are engaged as part of our Artist in Residence programme. All groups consist of students across year levels who learn from and support each other. The students give freely of their time to work beyond the school day to further develop and deepen musical skills and understandings.

STELLAR MUSIC

Our music extension programme, the Stellar Programme, provides personalised learning in a caring and inclusive environment for music scholars and other high achieving musicians.

Stellar Music Scholarships are available for students in Years 7 and 9. Scholars receive discounted tuition fees, a generous grant towards instrumental/vocal lessons and are given free access to mental performance coaching.

Music Scholars, along with other high achieving musicians, are well supported through the Stellar Enrichment Programme (StEP). They are empowered to challenge themselves and find their own voice through music. Mentoring is available from leading creative and forwardthinking professional musicians who inspire students to extend their musical horizons at school and beyond. Students are also actively encouraged to become involved in the wider academic, sporting, cultural and service programmes available at Rangi Ruru.

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OUR EXPERTISE

Our passionate and highly-regarded music staff go above and beyond to facilitate and include the best possible quality and range of musical experiences for the students.

Three full-time music staff (in specialist areas of art/classical, world, jazz and commercial music - including music technology) are supported by part-time staff: a music administrator, directors in Choral and Jazz genres, and 20 itinerant instrumental and vocal teachers, many of whom are among Christchurch’s leading musicians.