Ensembles Evening

Congratulations to all of the students who performed in the Ensembles Evening on Tuesday 1st November. This concert showcased the regrowth of the ensemble program since the pandemic and was the first time we have been able to hold this concert since 2019. For many students, this was the first time they have performed for an audience and they are to be commended for their efforts.

Thank you to Monica Gutierrez from Teepees & Events Coffs Harbour for the beautiful decorations. They certainly added to the atmosphere of the evening.

A special thank you also to the Friends of Performing Arts (FoPA) for all of their help and support with the planning and running of the evening. The event could not have run without you - our BBQ cookers and servers, raffle tickets and door sales, food and drink servers, set up, and pack up. Thank you parents and friends! 

All money raised from the evening will be going towards our Year 3 string program to purchase new instruments for our students to use.

Jazz Workshop at the Con

Last weekend, the Con held its first Jazz weekend. There were concerts and workshops held from Friday to Saturday, featuring some of our BDC music tutors - Georgie Chorley, Danny Stitt, Peter Skelton, Emiliano Beltzer and Pablo Blitzer. Many of our students attended the concerts and workshops and found it a wonderful experience.

CVAS Excursion

The proposed visit to CVAS in Term 3 unfortunately could not go forward as planned. We have now rescheduled this excursion to Tuesday 29th November (Week 8). All students who perform in the BDC Orchestra, Highly Strung, Jazz Band, Rock Band and Wind Ensemble are to attend this excursion and will be presenting a concert to the students at CVAS in their new Performance Centre. Parents have been sent information about this excursion and are asked to accept permission for their children to attend. This will be such an exciting opportunity for our ensembles to perform for another school and showcase their talents.

Lunchtime Concerts

In Week 5, some of our vocal students who learned from Cathryn Burgess sang at the lunchtime concert. The students ranged from Year 5 to 10 and sang beautifully.

Thank you also to the students from the Year 9 and 10 World Options Music class for performing at the Week 5 lunchtime concert. These students are gaining so much confidence in performing which is great to see.

Year 3 String Program

The students who are currently learning Violin and Cello with Ms Smith as part of the Year 3 string program will present a concert to parents and friends on Thursday 1st December from 5:30pm in the BDC Theatre. Students who have enjoyed the program are invited to continue learning in 2023. Ms Smith will be sending out forms regarding this soon.

Music Tutor Spotlight - Sharyn Messner

Sharyn Messner couldn’t be happier introducing students to the magic of music.

Sharyn began piano/organ lessons at a young age which soon led to studying practical and musical theory through the AMEB and AGM and she has been sharing her passion with students for the past 25 years. After taking a hiatus from teaching to raise her young family Sharyn was invited to teach at BDC in early 2021 and has helped many students on their musically creative path. Sharyn is a strong believer in teaching her students to fluently sight-read Music at the beginning, and although challenging, her students are given a skill they can use for life! 

Sharyn is proud to be the Co-Founder and Head of Music of Liberty Theatre Co & Liberty Youth Theatre, a new and rapidly growing Theatre Arts Training provider and Production Company specializing in Musical Theatre and All Things Related.

Liberty Theatre Co was only formed in February this year and has already produced 2 highly acclaimed musicals to an extremely professional standard along with Co-Founder and Artistic Director – Tim Gibbs. 

Sharyn’s passion for music and musical education comes through in her friendly and confidence-building teaching methods and she is excited to continue lessons to returning and new students through into 2023 and beyond.

Camp Creative with Tony Rowley

During the School Holidays from 9-13th January, Camp Creative will be held in Bellingen. This year's Camp Creative, one of the workshops will be run by our very own BDC music tutor, Mr Tony Rowley. He will be running a workshop on songwriting where students will learn to write their own song on their chosen instrument and have the opportunity to collaborate with others, share their songs and have them recorded. This course is suitable for aspiring musicians interested in songwriting or poetry.

Places are limited, so please book by visiting the following link:

https://campcreative.com.au/co...

See the following flyer for more information.

Community Choir - Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus

This year, as part of our Christmas Carols Evening, the Performing Arts department is planning on performing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. We will be having a number of students, staff, parents, and community members join both the ensemble and the choir. If you would like to be involved, we would love to hear from you. All of the details are in the letter here.

Upcoming Dates for your diary

* Tuesday 29th November - BDC Music Ensembles performance at CVAS

* Thursday 1st December - Year 3 Semester 2 Strings Concert from 5:30pm in Theatre

* Thursday 8th December - Primary Presentation Day

* Friday 9th December - Secondary Presentation Day

* Monday 12th December - BDC Christmas Service and Carols Evening

Rebecca Day
Head of Performing Arts