STILL MAKING MUSIC
PIMLICO State High School has been proactive in ensuring their instrumental music and vocal students keep making music during COVID-19 restrictions with their Live Streaming Concert Series.
Director of Music Ashley Baxter said Pimlico State High began the concerts as a way to distract people from the ongoing COVID-19 coverage filling their newsfeeds.
“These concerts have proved a hit with audiences and now take on the role of providing performances for our students who have lost opportunities due to the pandemic,” he said.
“Our first online concert featured Orpheus Chamber Strings and that performance has been viewed almost 8000 times on our Facebook Page.
“The concert series was interrupted for almost a term as schools were closed to all but children of essential workers, and this also left our school music ensembles without opportunities to perform.”
The first project was for a massed ensemble and choir performance of Abide with Me for Anzac Day. Students proudly recorded themselves in their music uniforms from the comfort of their own home.
Mr Baxter said the video was such a success that it was picked up and played on Channel 7’s Sunrise morning show.
“Once students returned to school, we set about providing opportunities for our students to perform,” he said.
“We have students competing in the Gunnedah Online Eisteddfod this week and we resumed our Live Streaming Concert Series a couple of weeks ago with Pimlico Big Band.”
The school’s next stream is on Friday, June 19 at 7pm which sees their chamber ensembles from the disciplines of brass, woodwind and strings take to the stage for their first ever “Streamraiser”.
Mr Baxter said it would be headlined by their brass ensemble Blue Brass and promised another amazing concert experience. “The ‘Streamraiser’ concept has been developed by the Starlight Foundation who throughout the month of June are asking people to host a live stream,” he said.
“This stream could be of a video game, a concert or even just doing something you love.
“What’s best is there is a whole community getting involved using the #Streamraiser, ‘going live to brighten the lives of sick kids’.”
You can donate now at: https:// tiltify.com/@pimlicostatehighschool/pimlicochamber
• Tune into the livestream this Friday at 7pm here: https:// www.facebook.com/pimlicoshs