Music
Music forms an important part of the life of the child at the Convent from the day she arrives in Grade 1 till her last day of Junior School; apart from being great fun, it is an integral part of our assemblies, Masses and school syllabus.
Because all children can learn to sing, our program is voice-based, and children progress from sol-fa to sight-singing using staff notation as they progress up the school. Rounds are used a great deal to develop vocal independence and an appreciation of harmony, and the lower grades learn about the instruments of the orchestra and participate in exercises designed to increase their musical appreciation. The upper grades sing songs from different countries and listen to their folk or native music so that they are more able to think and hear ‘out of the box’ and enjoy what other cultures have to offer.
As poetry is the companion of music, children in Grades 1 and 2 learn suitable poems by rote; as the girls progress, the poems become more challenging, and are read individually. This forms a good springboard from which to enter soloists in the NIAA Speech and Drama Festival, in which our girls do very well.
Choir is a voluntary afternoon activity, to which everyone is invited. The first term of each year sees choirs from Grades 3-7enter the annual Eisteddfod, at which they excel and the second and third involve our senior choirs in the Combined Choirs concerts. We also plan outings to several old-age homes, and at the end of each year the infants (Grade 1-3) and others (4-7) alternate in putting on a Christmas production, usually a musical.