Stanthorpe State School’s instrumental music students have been on an exciting excursion to Brisbane where they took in the sights and sounds of the city.
And for those who are members of the elite Southern Downs Big Band, this was a wonderful opportunity to add to their performance repertoire as they played up a storm to a very large and appreciative audience in the bustling Queen Street Mall.
In the company of five dedicated teachers, including instrumental music teacher Bruce Eddiehausen and Terri McMeniman, and 10 very supportive parents, the Stanthorpe school’s instrumental music students delighted in the chance to visit the city where they thoroughly enjoyed all facets of the ‘Jazzin’ Up The Mall’ experience, as well as some additional rewards for their hard work all year, with visits to the art gallery, the beautiful grounds of the University of Queensland, an exhilarating ride on the City Cat and some great fun ten pin bowling, playing Laser Skirmish and doing a little arcade gaming.
‘Jazzin’ Up The Mall’ was a huge musical event which took place in the heart of the Queen Street Mall, sponsored by Allans Music.
Contributing significantly to the quality of this event were the young stars of the Southern Downs Big Band including Hayley Sands, Jade Thompson, Michelle Mueller, Edmund Creevey, Mia Lozenzo, Georgia Imms and Sophie Whittaker who performed so brilliantly on the day.
Inspired by experienced jazz bands, including a number of secondary school bands, the wonderful Southern Downs Big Band, together with the Stanthorpe State School’s student soloists, received incredible support from the lunchtime crowd that had gathered to hear them play and found the entire experience absolutely thrilling.
The Southern Downs Big Band is an elite music band assembled by students from schools across the Southern Downs including Inglewood, Killarney, Warwick, Yangan, Wheatvale, Maryvale and Stanthorpe.
The students who make up this impressive band were invited to join once they had completed Book One of the instrumental music program.
The completion of this learning milestone is a significant achievement in itself and requires a lot of hard work, diligent practice and continual improvement to accomplish.
Adding to students’ responsibilities as a member of the Southern Downs Big Band, additional practice and many rehearsals are required to achieve the fantastic musical results for which the Southern Downs Big Band is so well known.
And as if things couldn’t get any better, the excitement of this excursion was enhanced even further by Stanthorpe State School students’ win of the Warwick Cluster Band Championship. This fiercely contested competition sees music students from across the Granite Belt vying for the title through a points challenge.
This year, the combined points earned by students saw Stanthorpe State School’s instrumental music students come out on top.
