Members of Gunnedah Conservatorium are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 9 November at 6pm.
Meeting will include:
Annual Financial Report
Election of office bearers.
For information on the committee roles and responsibilities please contact director@gunnedahconservatorium.com or call the office on 6742 3998.
AMEB exams schedule
Vocal: Thursday 8 October @ Town Hall
Clarinet: Friday 9 October @ Town Hall
Piano: Tuesday 20 October @ The Civic
Students should have received their Notice of Exam via email from AMEB (NSW) nonreply@nesa.nsw.edu.au If you have not received the notice, or have any questions please contact Rebecca Ryan director@gunnedahconservatorium.com 6742 3998
AMEB Trial Exam: Saturday September 12
Time 9am-12noon
We had good attendance for the AMEB workshop at the end of August and it was great to see students learning in a collaborative environment.
This Saturday 12 September we move to phase 2 with students participating in a trial exam scenario to give them a similiar experience to the exams.
Students who have enrolled in this program will have received an email from the Gunnedah Conservatorium advising them of their trial exam time. If you have any questions, please call the office on 6742 3998.
Now is the time: Practice and then practice some more
Exam students should have a structured approach to their weekly home practice and if necessary, increase the amount of work they are doing at home over the coming weeks.
It has been great to see parents coming to lessons and checking in with teachers regarding their child's progress towards exams. If you have not already, parents and carers of exam students are encouraged to attend part of their child’s lesson to familiarise themselves with what their child has to prepare for the exam and what they should be practicing. If you are attending your child's lesson please aim for the beginning of the lesson so as to not impact on lesson time of other students. For students who have lessons at school during the day, please contact the office and leave a message and we will arrange for the teacher to call you back.
Scale Practice Made Easy!
Scale Helper will assist students in their scale practice and encourages scale practie in a fun and interactive way. Scale Helper is Voice Activated and a fantastic tool. It can be accessed through Amazon Echo or any Alexa-enabled device.
Just ask Scale Helper for a scale or arpeggio, set the speed, range and practise along with Alexa.
Learn more at https://ameb.edu.au/alexa
Throughout the six weeks we had great feedback from participants regarding the course structure and content.
All participants successfully completed the course.
If you are interested in future professional learning opportunities with Gunnedah Conservatorium make sure you follow our Facebook page and watch this newsletter. Teachers can also ask to be added to the Music + Education email list which is used to publicise opportunities for educators - by sending an email to enquiries@gunnedahconservatorium.com
RIVMEO MODEL COMMNICATION NUMBER TWO
Recently we told you that the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums has helped in the formation of RIVMEO – a Roundtable representing the huge NSW music community.
The Roundtable includes organisations in the band, vocal and orchestral communities, music educators and their students, school and tertiary music education, major arts institutions and instrument repairers. It represents the biggest coalition of the music sector ever assembled in NSW and encompasses metropolitan and regional areas.
The main aim of the Roundtable is to work collaboratively with each other and the government to find a way that we can all return to singing, playing and learning music together, safely.
Here is an update from the facilitator of the Roundtable, Stephen O’Doherty.
There’s positive news. We have secured a meeting next week with the NSW Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard, and Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant.
As well as representing the concerns of so many people about the effect of the current guidelines and restrictions on music, we will be exploring ways that we, as a music community, can play our part in the great public health challenge facing us all, while also returning to the musical activities that sustain the wellbeing of so many people of all ages in NSW.
The Roundtable is very grateful to have this opportunity, especially given the unimaginable load carried by these public officials in this pandemic.
The voice of our music community is being heard. We understand that the importance of music to community health and wellbeing is well understood and taken seriously in government circles.
Some professional arts companies and venues have been able to gain accreditation for COVID plans, and the Roundtable is drawing on their expertise.
Some community bands have also been able to resume within the guidelines. These are hopeful signs.
However, the lack of uniform application across different regions and local government areas is among the many issues on RIVMEO’s agenda.
The task in front of us is not to be underestimated, but we must believe there is a pathway to a better future.
Roundtable of Instrumental, Vocal and Music Education Organisations
- members and participants
We proudly re-launched our 2020 Concert series on Saturday September 5, with Bruce Mathiske performing at the Gunnedah Town Hall.
Thank you to all those friends of the Conservatorium who attended the evening. With more than 50 people in attendance it was lovely to see the local community out and about, as well as some of our Conservatorium students and their families.
Bruce showcased his solo guitar virtuosity. Didgeridoo and a loop pedal were also incorporated and sometimes it felt and sounded as though there where multiple guitarists at work. His performance was entertaining, providing a wonderful insight into his methods and life story as well as how he approaches his chosen instrument, the guitar, to allow him to create his own orchestra.
Gunnedah Conservatorium student Dominic Goodwin-Hauck also took to the stage with Bruce with a beautiful rendition of La Vie En Rose which was essentially improvised.
In addition to the concert, Bruce led a workshop for St Mary's College students on Friday which was extremely well-received by the student body. He also worked with Dominic Goodwin-Hauck during the afternoon at the Conservatorium.
Gunnedah Conservatorium's concert series is made possible through funding form the NSW Government through the Regional Conservatoriums Grant program and the support of Gunnedah Shire Council.
To view our photos from the evening please click here
CANCELLED Gunnedah Conservatorium Workshop Event: 6pm Thursday 10 September 2020, Gunnedah Town Hall
ATTN: Educators, Teachers, Principals and Service Providers - please share with staff and colleagues
With continuing uncertainty for events for the rest of the year, it was decided at the GECHO meeting on Tuesday to cancel the Teddy Bear’s Picnic event scheduled for Thursday 29 Oct 2020.
This means that the professional learning session planned for Thursday 10 September has also been cancelled.
The songs may be revived for events in 2021.
STUDENT ABSENCES: If your child is going to be away from their scheduled lesson or you need to request a change to their lesson it is important that you contact the Gunnedah Conservatorium office and not the teacher direct.
While many families have the direct number of their child’s teacher and it seems as though this would be the most direct way to advise of a student absence, many of our teachers have other work and family commitments outside of their employment and it is not fair on them to be receiving messages and requests during the evening or while on the clock at their other job.
You can call 6742 3998 (please leave a message if the call goes to voice mail) text 0488 868 785 or email admin@gunnedahconservatorium.com
We will pass the message on to the teacher, see if a make-up can be arranged (if appropriate) and see if we can accommodate your request.