Years 9 and 10 music classes comprise course book activities from notation, music language, musical research, and song composition. Guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums and vocals are the primary instruments taught.
Guest performers as well as practical performances make up this single term course.
The Senior NCEA course focuses on group and solo performances as well as song composition. The Rock Quest group competition event is great for students wanting to show off their performance and song skills.
Successes
The GBHS senior band NRG started in 2005 playing in the club and pub scene providing experience and exposure to many aspiring musicians. A parent support group keeps the boys focused and safe.
NRG have continued to play at the Gisborne Cosmopolitan club, other clubs and private functions in the region. The November and December 2009 gigs will feature new GBHS students as guest performers, providing them with valuable experience and insights to the entertainment scene.
GBHS senior band entered the Rock Quest competition and made the semi-finals. The band recorded their song Enjoy it to CD and expect to hear on the radio soon.
Things tried
The Yr10 music this year focused on writing and playing original compositions as opposed to theory and course book exercises. A little more tweaking and I think we are on the right track. Some very good compositions were created.
The Gisborne High School’s idol proved successful and for music students behind the scenes displayed the huge effort and experience required to pull the event off.
GBHS Variety Concert and Gisborne High Schools Idol
Each year Gisborne Boys’ High School runs a variety concert in conjunction with the PTA. However the concert this year took on a new form this year as Gisborne Girls’High School did not want to commit to the event. In addition to the girls not wanting to be involved it was decided to turn the second half into a talent competition similar to those seen on television in recent years. Some amazing talent was uncovered, and augurs well for the future.
The first half of the show opened with Turanga Tane – Turanga Wahine once again showing their hugely polished skills to a receptive audience. The hall was packed, and people were turned away at the door; there was simply not enough room. No door sales was a wise decision. Following acts were bands both past and present from GBHS and a new initiative was a musical item of students singing with staff members. This was warmly received by the crowd, and shows that there is undiscovered talent among the GBHS staff too! The supremely talented Boys’ High choir finished off the first half proceedings doing what they do so well…. sing brilliantly. All the hours of rehearsal are really paying dividends for the boys as was also seen the following month in their concert at the War Memorial Theatre.
The second half of the show was devoted to the Idol contest final. Three judges, had sorted from the initial 24 students who had auditioned from the local schools, ending up with the final six.
Congratulations to all you six finalists; Seth Niwa Apelu, Chance Beckett-Ria, Suzannah Lupman, Aryan Coleman, Chloe Davies and Harata Gordon.