With the official start to spring less than three weeks away, one can be excused for being a little bit premature in celebrating the sounds which normally accompany the spring season. However, when it comes to the Junior School voices we can never underestimate the positive power they have regardless of the season.
Choirs form such an integral part of our Junior School co-curricular program. The sounds that these groups produce and the opportunities for connection that they create are second to none, from our youngest students in the ELC who have weekly music sessions which regularly entail singing and movement-based activities, to our Year 6 students who may be part of our audition choir, Vivace.
Early mornings see many a choir rehearsal and a plethora of students entering Metcalf Hall with huge smiles, displaying their positive attitude and engagement in our choral program.
Ably led by Tim Barker, Lesley Collins and Mark Dickinson our Piccolo Canto, Bumbl3, Bumbl4, Bel Canto and Vivace choirs not only rehearse to improve their collective voice, but also to perform at events such as assemblies, Open Mornings and most recently the Victorian School Music Festival where the Bel Canto Choir (pictured) won a Gold Shield award for their performance.
Bumbl4 performed to a packed Metcalfe Hall as part of our Open Morning showcase for prospective new parents and families and Vivace has just completed another audition intake with a further 13 students being successfully selected to join the choir.
With the past two years making choral singing difficult, the choirs are now nearly back to full strength and provide the opportunity for many of our students to grow vocally and share a sense of accomplishment both individually and collectively. The benefits for students of being involved in cross-age groups and with others who share the same passion for singing is not only a catalyst for connection but also central to student wellbeing.
Our choirs will be performing across assemblies this term and in Term 4 and we welcome parents to attend and share in the joy of group singing.
Alby Ingles
Deputy Head of Junior School Kew – Student Wellbeing
