From the
CLASSROOM to the
STAGE W
e are proud to have an impressive and long-standing tradition of music-making at Diocesan. Our choirs, orchestras and chamber groups are top-notch, and we regularly feature in the list of awards in regional and national competitions. But another genre in the Music Department is making great strides too – our contemporary music scene. With opportunities to develop skills in and out of the classroom, our students are becoming confident performers and songwriters who feature regularly in the national competitions. For most students it starts in the Year 8 music classroom. Each student learns a rock band instrument and works in a group to prepare a popular song for performance to the class. A focus on collaboration, cohesion and confidence underpins the musical skills that are developed throughout the unit. From Year 9, students can choose music as an option. Approximately half the students are songwriters or band members (many others are classical or instrumental musicians), and they can develop their composition and
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DIO TODAY
performance skills, as well as their musical knowledge in music classes right through to Year 13. Students have the opportunity to spend time in the custom-designed practice rooms in the Arts Centre (all our level two rooms are set up for bands to use) and our cutting-edge digital recording studio, which many use to produce music for national song writing competitions such as Play It Strange. Outside of classes we also have a thriving band programme – Jam Factory. Developed a few years ago due to the growing interest in bands, Jam Factory provides expert mentoring to bands to help them develop skills that prepare them for BandQuest and RockQuest competitions. In recent years we have had several students embark on careers in commercial music, proving that the experience they have at Dio not only enthuses them about music as a career, but also helps to develop the skills that make it achievable. Our technical specialist Sam Cunningham says: “Each year since the completion of Diocesan’s recording facility, more and more of our students
“With opportunities to develop skills in and out of the classroom, our students are becoming confident performers and songwriters.”
and bands are entering the studio to record their own compositions. With the help of a strong music programme, alongside great mentors, students are composing increasingly strong material and winning finalist spots in local performance and songwriting competitions. “When students enter the studio for the first time, there’s always a mix of excitement and nerves. Seeing all the fancy equipment and hearing the strange isolated acoustics is a novel experience for many. But as the microphones are turned up and the guitars plugged in, they quickly leap at the challenge to have their performances immortalised.
