It has been a very busy two terms since my last Vortex article and as we head to the conclusion of the year, I want to sincerely thank the wonderful CPA staff, our students and parents for their support of the Creative and Performing Arts Program at St Edmund’s College. The Arts hold a significant importance within our College and it has been wonderful to see so many students actively creating and performing in our community. An Arts education play a crucial role in the holistic development of our students, contributing to their cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. As we look ahead to 2024, I want to encourage all students and families to consider pursuing an Arts education for their child through our wonderful program.
Our Co-curricular program has continued to flourish with many students continuing to engage in our ensembles. The Band of the Royal Military College visited at the beginning of November and provided workshops for the Combined College’s Band. The students received excellent tuition from professional musicians and the Junior School were treated to a combined concert of the RMC Band, Combined College’s Band and the Pep Band who played some crowd favourites.
School of Rock rehearsals commenced at the beginning of Term 4. The students have already demonstrated excellent commitment and skill development and we can not wait to show the entire school community this incredible stage production in May. Tickets will be available early next year.
Performing on Stage 88 was a highlight for many of our co-curricular ensembles in October. Singing Blues, Senior Drumline, Year 11/12 Music, The Combined College’s Band and Junior Band took to the stage to spread some joy on the final days of Floriade. Thank you to Mrs Leanne Thomas for organising this wonderful opportunity for our students.
Year 11 and 12 Drama performed as part of the Come Alive Festival of Museum Theatre with their self-devised play ‘Fowl Play’. The students were required to choose an archive document from the National Museum as inspiration for their short piece and choose a diary penned by Sir John Pearce, who campaigned to get the military to remove Emu’s from the Wheatbelt in Western Australia. Congratulations to the Drama students on their excellent performance at the Mill Theatre at Dairy Road.
Singing Blues and the Year 8 Music class were invited to perform at the launch of ACT Children’s Week at the ACT Legislative Assembly. Both ensembles performed to a high standard and were welcomingly invited back to perform next year.
In Visual Art, we held a very successful exhibition of student work alongside the TAS Department’s Seen ’23. Students continue to work towards completing their bodies of work for assessment. A big thank you to Mr Fatupaito for all of his hard work in preparing for the exhibition.
Rachel Rasmussen –
Head of Creative and Performing Arts