Welcome back to Term 2 and what a great start to the term we had with the ANZAC Service held on the first Monday of term at the college. A massive thank you to Kael Scott for playing The Last Post and The Rouse on trumpet and Jaela Hibbard for leading the singing of the National Anthem. Both students did a remarkable job.

New Music Tutors

This term, we also welcome two new music tutors to our instrumental team at the college. Sabine Element will be teaching our violin students on Fridays and Carmen Corser will be teaching our cello students on Mondays. There are limited spaces for lessons with both Carmen and Sabine, so if you are interested in learning violin or cello, please complete an online enrolment form on the College website asap to ensure a position is available: https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/college-life/performing-arts

Carmen Corser

Sabine Element

Scholarship Auditions

We had quite a significant number of students apply for Scholarships across Music, Drama and Dance for 2024. Short-listed students completed auditions in Week 1 and the panel was impressed with the level of talent across all candidates. Congratulations to all who applied and students will be notified shortly of the outcome.

Kindergarten Dance Class

We are excited to announce a Kindergarten Dance Academy at BDC. The Kindy Dance Academy program started last Monday (Week 2) and lessons will run every Monday afternoon starting from 3:15pm and finishing at 4:15pm in the BDC Dance Studio. Our Dance Teacher Hannah Johnson will run the program with the assistance of a secondary dance academy student. This term secondary dance academy student Ella Chowdhury will be assisting. The Kindy Dance Academy also aims to provide mentorship and teaching experience for our older dance students. The aim of the program is to follow the model of our established primary and secondary dance academies. Students will develop skills across a number of different dance styles and will represent Bishop Druitt College at key events within our community and beyond.

There are still a few places left in this program. If you wish to secure your child a place in the program please contact  hjohnson@bdc.nsw.edu.au

Didjeribone Performance for Years 7 and 8

On Wednesday 10th May, all students in Years 7 and 8 will attend a performance in the Branson Centre, called Didjeribone. The performance will be from 9:15 - 10:30am and will be looking at Aboriginal music and ancestral stories expressed through music and in particular, the didgeridoo. The interactive performance will explore a range of techniques and also the incorporation of technology such as loop pedals. This performance is free of charge for students.

Quad Jams

This term we are excited to introduce Quad Jams. These will be held 3 times per time on a Friday at lunchtime in the Greenroom. This will be an opportunity for our bands and solo students to perform at lunch for students in the Greenroom. If you are interested in performing at a Quad Jam later this term, please let Mrs Caesar know so she can schedule your performance.

BDC 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner

The BDC 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner will be held on Friday 19th May in the Branson Centre. Our Secondary Jazz Band featuring Camble Scott, Izzy Dal Pozzo, Cooper Lane, Digby Greenaway and Frank Lane will be providing the pre-dinner entertainment. During the evening, music tutors Danny Stitt, Georgie Chorley and Pete Skelton will be playing as part of the band Hip Mama which also feature Ollie McGill from The Cat Empire. It is going to be an amazing evening of music so please come along and support our Performing Arts students and staff. Tickets can be purchased via Trybooking.

https://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au/events/30th-anniversary-gala-dinner

Boom Clash Rockstar competition

Boom Clash Rockstar is a competition open to bands of all genres that consist of students ranging from 14-22. Bands are to play a minimum of 3 songs (max 15 minutes total playing time) and will be judged by industry professionals. If students are interested and would like to enter the competition, please see Mrs Day in the music department for details. Entries close May 14th.

Friends of Performing Arts - Next Meeting

The next scheduled Friends of Performing Arts (FoPA) meeting will be held on Wednesday 10th May from 8am in the Music Department. The main focus for the meeting will be to plan our first Performing Arts Awards Evening including sponsorships for the event. We will also discuss funds raised so far and where that went, other items on the fundraising list, 2024 Musical plan and other various upcoming Performing Arts events. New members are welcome to attend. If you are unable to make the meeting but would like to be involved in the planning or assistance with any Performing Arts events, including those listed above that will be discussed at the meeting, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Rachel Caesar rcaesar@bdc.nsw.edu.au

Eisteddfod

We have quite a few events for all Performing Arts students this term. The main focus for many of our groups is the Coffs Harbour Eisteddfod. Parents will be notified shortly with details in Parent Lounge regarding their children's participation in the Eisteddfod.

Orchestra Camp

We are excited to announce that we will be holding a camp for our BDC Orchestra later this term. The camp will be held at the Coffs Coast Adventure Centre for 2 days and 1 night and will be a wonderful opportunity for our Orchestra students to collaborate and work on their performance pieces. Details will be sent to parents and students soon.

School of Rock

The Coffs Harbour Music Society have been preparing for their latest musical, School of Rock. Many BDC students, staff and alumni are involved in this production. The show will be held at the Jetty Memorial Theatre from Friday 12th May - Sunday 4th June and tickets can be purchased through the Jetty Theatre website. 

https://www.jettytheatre.com/school-of-rock-the-musical/

Coffs Harbour Music Society

The Coffs Harbour Music Society concert series starts on Friday 19th May with the Acacia Quartet. The performance will be held at CHEC Lecture Theatre D from 7:30pm with a free masterclass held earlier that day from 1-3pm for string players.

Tickets and the entire concert series can be located on the Coffs Harbour Music Society Website:

https://coffsmusicsociety.com.au/

There are also some flyers with all of the concerts and masterclasses in the music foyer.

Upcoming Events for your Diary:

Rebecca Day
Head of Performing Arts