Ensembles

Ensembles are the pinnacles of your music program at school. They are the place where you learn to apply your musical training in practical situations, learn to work as a team, play music with your friends, and have performance and social opportunities. While ensembles are a compulsory part of the program for any student studying an instrument, they are also available to students to opt in if they are interested and at the appropriate skill level.

Whilst there may occasionally be clashes with your rehearsal due to sport and other commitments, you are expected to manage these clashes. Talk with your ensemble director and work out a compromise. Simply not turning up is NOT an option. Absences without notification are treated as missed classes, and standard school consequences apply.

Instrumental lessons

You instrumental lessons will operate on a rotational basis. That is, your lesson will occur at a different time each week. Whilst this initially seems quite difficult to manage, students who set up a good organisational system using their diary, technology, or whatever works for you (not simply ‘remembering’!) find they have less trouble.

You will need to inform your class teacher at the beginning of your class (where possible) of your lesson time. You need to leave 5-10 minutes before your lesson and go to Student Services where you will be officially ‘signed in’ to your instrumental lesson. Failure to do this may see you marked absent from school. At the end of your lesson simply return directly to class as quickly as you can. Your music journal (issued by your instrumental teacher) serves as proof you have been at your lesson. Make sure you remember to bring this to every lesson!

Your instrumental teacher will provide your lesson time. Timetables can be found in the music room, or outside room 7. If you are unsure see Mr Talbot or your instrumental teacher.

It is your responsibility to chase up missed classwork. Get a buddy in your class to collect handouts and homework, and if in doubt speak to your teacher as soon as possible after the class. Claiming ignorance the following week is not acceptable, and you will not get special privileges from your class teachers. If your lesson consistently interrupts one subject or is causing problems with your ability to complete your work, talk to your instrumental teacher first. If you cannot get a resolution then come and speak to Mr Talbot. Your teachers will do their best to help you out, but they cannot do this if you remain silent!

Performances

We have an exciting range of performance and learning opportunities for ASHS students. Performance dates are given to students at the start of the school year, and parents and students are encouraged to enter these in their diaries as soon as possible. 

Many performances are part of assessment schedules and therefore non-attendance carries the same penalty as not handing in an assignment. Students should also consider, as with a sporting team, that their absence impacts the overall ensemble’s ability to do its best. Please notify Mr Talbot or your ensemble director as soon as possible if you have a potential clash with a scheduled performance.

Specialist music

Specialist (class) music is compulsory for all instrumental/vocal students. If you are getting a lesson on an instrument at school, you need to be enrolled in this subject. Pop Band is not an alternative to this, but it is an available option for you just like woodwork or cooking. You can do both!

In this class we learn and reinforce the theoretical elements of music and the class will prepare you for upper school music study should this be of interest to you. It is a rigorous course, as with any other academic subject at school, is aligned with the WA Curriculum, and will contain multiple assessment tasks.

Music Specialist contains a compulsory choir element. Singing is an essential part of any musical learning journey. It is an excellent way of teaching musicianship and aural skills. All classes will contain a ‘choir’ rehearsal and performance opportunities will exist for these massed ensembles. Repertoire will be varied and interesting, and you will not be expected to sing solo or in small ensembles in front of an audience, though opportunities to do so will be offered to those capable and interested.

Connect

The music department at ASHS and IMSS use Connect as their primary method of communication. Parents and students are encouraged to use Connect as ensemble directors, instrumental teachers, and classroom teachers will regularly post about rehearsals, performances, music, assessments, and other relevant information. This will be the easiest way for you as a parent to know what’s going on in music.

Leaving the music program

If you are having issues that are making you think you’d like to cancel your instrumental scholarship, there are processes that must be completed for this to happen.

1.     Have you spoken to your instrumental teacher about your problem? Is it to do with schoolwork, the timetable, fitting in practice, or maybe issues with other members of your lesson? If so, you should be trying to get a resolution through your teacher.

2.     If you cannot get a resolution through this method, or if the problem is related to your relationship to your teacher, you should contact either me or HOLA The Arts Mr Dave Marshal to arrange a meeting with yourself, one or both of us, and your parent/guardian.

3.     If no satisfactory resolution can be found and you choose to leave the program, you must now complete a form, which will be provided to you. This form informs every stakeholder formally of your decision.

I encourage parents/guardians to contact me at school on 9841 0934 if you have any questions.

IMSS Program