It was wonderful to have many SC Rock Bands and the j6ers join us to help entertain the crowd. Many of these groups feature past Minimbah students. It is fabulous to see them continue to grow musically when they leave our little campus.

We are now preparing for Harmony Day and Grandparents Day. We are looking forward to sharing music with the Penbank Campus for the Harmony Day picnic which will be held at Penbank, on Thursday 30 March. The students have been learning the Torres Straight Island song ‘Kaiapi’, during their choir sessions. This will be performed with all students from both junior campuses. Students have volunteered to be part of smaller ensembles performing with Sambado and Asanti Beats. All students will learn a dance when the Indigenous Outreach Project visits later in the term.

It feels like we have only just shared music with our Grandparents, but it is on the horizon again. We are busily rehearsing for this very special event in our school calendar. We are aiming to have every child perform at the Grandparents Day morning tea this year.

While all this is happening, the classroom program ticks on:

· During class music, Year 6 have spent time preparing for Matilda auditions and trying to answer some big questions, including 'What is Sound?' and 'What is Music?'. Music Workshop has seen the students continue to learn their orchestral instruments. This year we will focus on playing as an ensemble

· Year 5 have been looking at the 'Instruments of the Orchestra’ in preparation for the Music Workshop Round Robin. Students try 6 different orchestral instruments - flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, violin and cello

· Year 4 have been learning 'classic' melodies using the beautiful sounding xylophones; working on music reading and aural learning skills

· The Year 3's have made a superb start with learning new skills on the recorder. We have focused on warming up, being sure of our notes and emphasizing the importance of making a good tone

· Rhythm and beat have been at the forefront of music for Year 1 and Year 2. Students have demonstrated their understanding of beat and rhythm using 'nature' as instruments and as a different mode of music notation. Leaves, bark, sticks, pods etc. were used in different ways to create sounds – scraping/striking/shaking. It was interesting to hear how many different sounds we could make

· Foundation have learned songs about swimming and have been bringing the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' to life, using untuned percussion to provide sound effects. Look out for this at an upcoming assembly!

We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Harmony Day Picnic at Penbank on Thursday 30 March.

SUE FLETCHER and JOHN BECKLEY
Minimbah Music Teachers