As the month comes to a close, it's time to celebrate some of the achievements of our young musicians this May.
It's been a pleasure to start this role in the most musical month of the year, and our series of Friday lunchtime concerts ended with a bang as we were entertained by the John McGlashan Big Band - led by itinerant music teacher Mr Ross Kane. A rather enthusiastic Arts Coordinator was pleased to get the invite as well!
And there's a good reason I've been brimming with it as I watch our students get amongst not just the creative side of music but the organisation and event planning side too.
Earlier in the month, our head Arts Prefect Emilio Ghosh-Novero, in collaboration with Grace Hill (Columba) organised our very first student-led music showcase for friends and family in the Edgar Learning Centre, creating a platform for young musicians from John McGlashan, Columba and Otago Boys.
It was impressive to see these young leaders have a real knack for encouraging cross-school participation and even better to see a great turnout of students and parents alike filling the space. Ka Pai Emelio & Grace!
The showcase also provided an awesome way for the boys to cut their teeth ahead of their performances at the RockQuest Regional Heats, and it was great to see all our bands take the chance to warm up their chops in the home venue. Tone Time, Soul Side, 24 Hour Service and Sogg had all entered - 15 John McGlashan students altogether.
The following night at Taieri College, it was clear the extra prep had paid off as all the bands had managed to hone their performances and play competently to their peers on the large stage - which is a huge step up from the practice room!
Our boys definitely stood out - Tone Time might have been the youngest band on stage, bringing a sunny pop vibe for their first time this year. Sogg brought their signature punk noise and high energy performance - probably the heaviest sound of the heat stylistically, while 24 Hour Service nailed their kiwi reggae vibes - vocalist Harper Milne really belted it out!
Not to be outdone, Soul Side came together in what might have been their tightest performance of 'Green Caffeine' yet - the consistent effort they've been putting in the practice room is certainly paying off, and as a result they've now been selected for the RockQuest Regional Finals.
All the RockQuest performances are available to watch on the JMC Music Department YouTube Channel - check out the video gallery at the bottom of this article!
Soul Side will be playing at the RockQuest Regional Final onJune 15, 2024 - 7:00 PM at the Mayfair Theatre. Get the date in your calendar and come cheer our boys on as they push their music to the next level!