We Will Rock You.... Hopefully!!

So fresh after my amazing 2018 of being back into Musical Theatre, I auditioned for the first show of the Showbiz season We Will Rock You! I luckily scored a role in the vocal backing again which is ace! Finishing Les Mis was actually really hard, I had major after show sadness! The crazy thing about being in shows ( which I had Forgotten) is that you spend this intensive amount of time with the group of people you are working with and then the show finishes and you don't see them every day! It's a really strange feeling!! Whilst I was excited to get back into home life with my awesome Beer's it was really sad to leave the wonder of Les Mis behind.
So, just before Christmas, we went into music calls and initially I felt like I maybe should have sat this one out ( am I emotionally ready for another show). As soon as I heard the amazing score and the electric cast I new I had made the right decision. Doing Vocal backing is quite different than being on stage, you are really an off stage performer who is a back up singer. The work load for this is much easier so schedule wise it is a good way to start the year! We are now a month away from opening night so things are about to get crazy busy!
I know that not only do I get to be a performer again it really is the best Personal Development as a music teacher that I can get.

Splurge guns and Gangsters!!!!!

We must have been mad when we had the idea of visiting scenes from Bugsy Malone!!! We were mad, it was awesome and it was a banger of a year end!!!

The passion projects are now in its second year! Although, the Performing Arts have been participating in the end of year arts focus since it started its life as the Arts Kete. This year we collapsed the timetable for years 7 - 10 during the last six weeks of Term 4. Students were able to choose their passion to embark on. Options for students ranged from community events to wearable arts. Sports events to science and food. There was something for everyone and of course this year we offered Musical Theatre once again. As we were now accomodating two extra year groups we had a whopping 60 kids sign up which meant we could have four specialist teachers. Joanne clark taking the role of Director, me as musical director and choreography, Sarah Richardson as choreographer and vocal director and Luke Taylor as our resident dialect coach. We were also blessed to have two of our awesome teacher aides Judy and Joanne who also have theatre experience.
It was a huge challenge having to muster up the energy at the end of a crazy busy year to put on this wee musical. Having full days on this project meant that we could get so much more done in a session. Last year we were in two hour slots and this certainly didn't help the creative flow.
As the excited theatre kid faces appeared at the whare we knew that it was going to be a great time. Seeing how much the students were engaged and excited certainly helped my energy levels. If the students were bringing it then I certainly had to.
We all met as one big group to start off our sessions. Here we did a physical warm up and then we discussed our objectives for the day! After that we would work in groups on different parts of the show!
This year we had two wonderful people work on our set and props. Mike and Nick worked on our concept ideas and designed us an amazing stage and of course the unforgettable splurge guns!!

Having the set and props definitely lifted the professional level from the students. This was now getting real and after 5 weeks and a bit we were ready!
We did two performances on our show case day. The first was to our primary school next door, expecting a few classes they were so excited to see our show that the whole school came! They were such a fantastic audience and the performers were feeding off their laughter and their applause! Next up was our students biggest challenge....... their peers. During the day all of the passion project groups had displays that parents could look at, we were the finale of our day with our show! Nerves were high ( including mine as I was on the sound desk again, no pressure ha ha )
Our kids always enjoy the music and drama we provide them to watch but this was for sure the quietest audience we have ever had! I mean that in a good way, plenty of laughter and applause but the audience were so engaged you could feel it!
Our hearts bursting with pride, we finally finished this mad, crazy year!! The show was a success, everyone was exhausted, apart from Mrs Clark who was already in the midst of planning next years show!! HA Ha ha!
Blessed to work with wonderful students and inspiring staff, we had for sure earned our summer!
2018 OUT ( MIC DROP)

As if it were a dream!

So it is already 2019 and I am still pinching myself that I ended 2018 with this amazing show. It was probably the most intense 4 months I have ever had. Not going to lie, the workload of being in this show and working my day job was so hard. Tiredness I could cope with but the most difficult thing is keeping your voice healthy as there is no way you can go on vocal rest when you are a teacher. This was a particularly demanding show and I did take my voice for granted, loosing it during the dress rehearsal week was a a nightmare!!!!!! I learnt a pretty hard lesson during this time. I realised that there are lots of things I could have done to look after my voice better and I had not been doing that. If I want to continue to do shows and teach I need to make sure that I am putting in the work with my vocal health.
This has been a huge year of growth for me. Professionally I have been in two of my bucket list shows, still can't believe it. Even at 38 years old my confidence has grown and my belief in myself as a singer and as an actor has been boosted. I can see this growth in my teaching. My expectations of my students is higher as my own performance experiences have changed and developed.
I feel so lucky that I get to do what I love in and out of the classroom and I am excited for the next year of performance adventures!

Musical Theatre mayhem!!!

It's been a manic term........ In year 8 and 9 we have focused on Musical Theatre as a genre for Term 1. This was a collaborative project between myself, Joanne (HOD Drama) and our two part time PA teachers Luke and Sarah. We all had one goal and that was to get all of our juniors on the stage performing. Cue dramatic sound........
We spent a lot of time initially researching musical theatre and putting this new genre into context. Many students had no idea what musical theatre was, some only thought of good old High school musical and some students already had a vast knowledge and were already fans of Hamilton and Mean Girls. We had ALOT of differentiation..... Some students were so keen to perform and as soon as we headed into the practical element were on their way. Others had a passion for sets and props and began designing. Some students were a little reluctant and preferred to research the genre further and produce detailed slide shows. We had a vast array of work happening and even those students that still were not sold on performing on stage they understood the genre and could explain features and give examples. FANTASTIC. In our final showcase each class presented their work, this was a class performance from each ( and yes everyone in the class stood on stage and did something!!! Even the nervous kids stood at the back and sang or danced their heart out) RESULT!! we had some fantastic solo and small ensamble performances, some fab research and some gorgeous set pieces.
There are many things we will take from this project and change and tweak. There were certainly things that didn't work. But, most importantly there were lots of things that did work! Everyone enjoyed themselves and in the end every student involved stood on a stage and performed and left the term with new knowledge on the wonderful genre of Musical Theatre.

2017......... What a year!!

So, I didn't make a single blog post in 2017!! That's not to say that I spent the year with nothing to write. It is in fact the exact opposite! The last school year I can only describe as a whirlwind!! It had many, many highs and also some really challenging times! During the summer break of 2016/17 the music department had a huge overhaul. This included huge renovations but also we became "Whare toi Whakaari" the home of the arts. Having my drama comrade with me sharing spaces was both new and challenging but also totally awesome! Making spaces work that haven't been used to their potential for tens of years was exciting to see. What was immediately surprising was seeing how the students reacted to the new interior! New carpets and a bright paint job makes a difference. I could see how the attitudes to the spaces changed. The delight of new cushions ( even though a colleague made a comment that they wouldn't be there by the end of the year!!) They were there!!!!!! In good condition having been carried around as comforters ( yes it is a high school) sat on for floor jam sessions and placed around our new window seats! Who would have thought those things made such a difference???? They do! Having a creative space to work that looks inviting and homely really has brought out the best of all of us this year!!
I will mention a few highlights or my 2017 summary will be 50 pages long. One of my biggest proudest moments this year was my Musical Theatre showcase. This was the first time we have done an NCEA only music performance night. I had studied this genre a lot with my year 13's this year and they loved it! It was their idea to do a full "Musicals" showcase and it was magical! I was bursting with pride seeing the display of professionalism and talent! We buzzed for days after and it is definitely something I want to do each year! We also had another fantastic year at the Shakespeare festival and our international evening was wonderful again!

So now we wait for the start of the 2018 year! Its going to be another biggie with school rebuild in full swing! It is going to be a hard year for teachers and students changing classes and going into new buildings! Despite the stress I know that the rewards will be huge! #hornbypride

A new vision!

As Hornby High school moves into the realms of the big rebuild we are starting to look at the vision of the school. Our board of trustees presented their ideas of our vision after school on Monday, along with afternoon tea which always goes down well with the Hornby crew.
Learn, Create, Share is where we want to take our students, being creative in whatever they do
 ( creativity is not exclusive to the Arts but to be creative in all subjects.) The toughest part of that equation is the sharing part. I find my wonderful musos learn and create in their comfort zones well and work hard. The scary part is the sharing. The performing and giving their all on stage! Now, we have become better at this and I have seen the confidence levels grow in my musicians. We are still not quite at the point though where my students will do this freely without me nagging them! ( with the exception of Jacob and Siaosi if they happen to read this) How do I get them to this point.......  I am not sure. I can do all the encouraging in the world but there still has to be more! Project based learning is an avenue we are beginning to look at and I have started thinking about this for 2017. Cross - curricular projects which engage our students and connect our subjects! Is this the answer??? I don't know but as a teacher in the 21st century I want to give it a go, I'm excited to try it and am keen to get it started!!! More to come on this subject......... :)

Last week of term is upon us.....

So, the week is not over yet but I thought I would reflect on the terms madness early!! This penultimate term always seems to fly by. This time it has actually flown and as usual its a mad dash panic to get everyone through the last assessments. My highlights of the term have been getting back into Kapa Haka, I missed it so much and have really enjoyed learning again and being part of the special kapa whanau. We have a performance in the holidays so can't wait for that! Secondly my wonderful Voices with Soul. Such an amazing group of young singers and just generally awesome humans!! We had so much fun at the Voices festival again, they always make me proud and we received two awards for "pop performance" and "emotional plan". It was lovely to do a song dedicated to Krystal. She would have loved singing her beloved Justin Bieber! Great highlights and just a few reminders of why I love this job!! So, 3 days to go, one performance gig, two assemblies and some sad staff farewells, then relax............

Malo!! Its Tongan language week!

One of the many things I love about New Zealand is the vibrant and exciting array of multiculturalism. I am lucky that at Hornby High we have many different cultures. As a musician I love to learn about traditional song and dance. I love that the Pacific Islands are represented by different forms of music and dance and also food! This week is Tongan language week. We are lucky to have a wonderful community of Tongan families and I have many Tongan students in my music classes. This week we had senior assembly, this was an awesome opportunity to showcase students performing a traditional Tongan song. I am always proud of my students when they get up and perform, especially in assemblies as it is not easy! It was an awesome performance celebrating the music and language of Tonga!