Mega music challenge success

Students from Horsham, Stawell, Nhill and Ballarat Phoenix colleges have pooled their talents for a day of music making.

Horsham College music teacher Nick Shirrefs said the schools’ year seven and eight students had combined forces for a Mega Music Day for several years.

“The year-seven students are very much in the early stages of learning their chosen instrument and for some it can be quite daunting, faced with music far more difficult than they have attempted previously,” he said. “By the time they return in year eight they are much more capable of playing all the music, and frequently assist the year sevens.

“It’s always an eye-opening experience for the year-eight students, who can reflect on how far they have advanced in a year.”

Mr Shirrefs said seeing students learn typical orchestral instruments such as the flute, clarinet and trumpet was gratifying for an instrumental teacher.

“Throughout the past decade or so they have become less popular than typical rock instruments such as drums and guitar,” he said.

“It does give us a faint glimmer of hope that they aren’t going to totally die out!”

The Mega Music Day culminated in a brief concert at Horsham College.

“The students performed music they worked through during the day, possibly for the first time,” Mr Shirrefs said.

“Every year is a resounding success and this year has been no different.”