St John The Baptist Freshwater
Evergreen Music is thrilled to be coordinating the extra-curricular music program at St John The Baptist, Freshwater!
OUR PROGRAM
We’ve experienced first-hand (as educators and as students ourselves) how much a vibrant school music program compliments the development of young musicians as individuals.
Our Evergreen philosophy is to…
learn to play music
learn to love music
…and be a musician for life!
Not every school has the capacity to run a full string orchestra or symphonic wind band, nor does every child want to be restricted to playing those instruments. It’s a shame when kids start their musical journey being thrust into a band program playing an instrument that they’re not excited or passionate about. While this may serve the school band program in the short term, it doesn’t serve the individual in the long term. This results in many young instrumentalists quitting after 2 or 3 (or less) years of playing, as they don’t see themselves as ‘musicians’ outside of the school band context.
Another scenario we see is when a school has musically talented and passionate individual musicians who, because of their chosen instrument or their musical learning style can’t participate in the school band program.
Our solution to this dilemma… the Evergreen ‘Mixed Ensemble!’
Our Evergreen ‘Mixed Ensemble’ program encourages anyone and everyone who is committed to learning an instrument to join, and yes… the voice is an instrument!
YOUR ROLE AS A MIXED ENSEMBLE MEMBER
The Mixed Ensemble nurtures the musical journey of the individual, allowing them to play an instrument they are passionate about and enjoy playing with their peers. While every instrument is different, they are equally important and play a special part in the ensemble.
Mixed ensemble members are required to:
- attend their set weekly mixed ensemble rehearsal each week. Rehearsals are always fun and engaging and cover a range of musical styles and repertoire.
- have weekly private tuition on their chosen instrument. This will give them the skills to function autonomously in the dynamic ensemble environment. If you don’t already have an instrumental tutor, Evergreen is a great place to start! Please note it is the parents responsibility to organise their child's private tuition prior to the commencement of mixed ensemble.
- practice at home to solidify progress. As a guide, we recommend a minimum of 4 at home practices in addition to their weekly mixed ensemble rehearsal.
CHOOSING / SOURCING AN INSTRUMENT
The first and most important thing to know about learning any instrument, is that it takes time and commitment. You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘music is a universal language’ … we agree!... but if you’ve ever tried to learn a new language you’ll know how many hours of study, repetition, and immersion it takes to read, speak and understand it fluently as though it was always a part of you!
Of course there are people who pick up musical concepts and playing techniques faster or ‘more naturally’ than others, but we are firm believers that with a good teacher and commitment to regular practice, you can put your hand to any instrument you like.
WEEKLY REHEARSAL TIMES at St John The Baptist
Junior Mixed Ensemble is open to musicians in years 3 & 4.
Rehearsal is on Wednesday mornings in the music classroom from 7.30am – 8.30am.
Senior Mixed Ensemble is open to musicians in years 5 & 6.
Rehearsal is on Thursday mornings in the music classroom from 7.30am – 8.30am.
*pending number of enrolments/members across the two ensembles, there is a possibility that they will commence as a combined ensemble rehearsing on Wednesday mornings.
Throughout the school year there will also be performance opportunities for each ensemble as performing and sharing music with others is also a big part of our educational philosophy.
FEES
Fees for the music program are billed per term.
- weekly rehearsals (Mixed Ensemble)
- access to Evergreen Learning portal for rehearsal notes and resources
- performance opportunities across the school year
2024 Fees
MIXED ENSEMBLE
Per-Term Enrolment - $220.00 *Term 1 is half this amount as it starts Week 5