The beginning of the year is always busy in the Music and Performing Arts Department, with several exciting events already having taken place, and many more fast approaching.
We began the term with a Music Recruitment Evening where families of the college could join us to learn more about the Instrumental Music Program at Parade. Our Honours Band performed with Mr Emmet Brazil conducting and showcasing the fantastic learning of our junior musicians. It won’t be long until our new recruits are part of our beginning bands. Many thanks to all the students and music staff who joined us to make it a successful evening.
The VCE Music Performance class performed along with the Concert Band at our Term 1 College Assembly. The VCE class performed an arrangement of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkly and during the assembly we also announced our Music Captain for 2026, Orlando Saltalamacchia (Year 12 Treacy 05).
The VCE Music Class also performed as part of the college Open Day. Our students performed both ensemble works and solo items to visiting students and families. A special thanks to all music staff for preparing these performances and assisting on the day.
Each year it is exciting to welcome an influx of new Year 7s into music classes and electives. We want to extend an open invitation to Year 7s to join the College Flexi Band, which rehearses each Monday at lunch in the Music department. It is a friendly environment for students to make new friends and extend themselves on their instrument beyond their classroom studies. It may be the instrument they learn at Parade, or the one they learn externally outside of school. We look forward to welcoming students over the coming term!
Instrumental Music enrolments for Semester One will soon close. Thank you to all families who have enrolled their child in lessons. Students who enrol in lessons from March 2026 in will now be placed on the Semester Two enrolment list and contacted soon. If you do not have lessons at school but play an instrument and would like to join a college band, please email us at music@parade.vic.edu.au; we would love to have you join our department.
Guitar and bass lessons at our Preston Campus will continue for 2026. These instrumental lessons will be conducted by our guitar teacher, Mr Jim Tsiambazis, during school time. Any interested students can email music@parade.vic.edu.au for more information.
This coming week we also conduct our Music Scholarship Auditions for 2026. Students who are auditioning for Instrumental Music Scholarships have been contacted and the results will be released in the coming weeks. We thank you for your support throughout this process and are impressed by the number of applicants and standard of applications received this year.
Rehearsals are now in full swing for the upcoming production of Beauty and The Beast with Santa Maria College in May. A big thank you to all staff and students involved in rehearsals – it is inspiring to see everyone’s dedication and hard work. I particularly want to thank Anthony Mercadante, our Production Coordinator, who has worked tirelessly bussing our students from Parade to Santa Maria for rehearsals each Monday and Wednesday. Any students who are interested in participating as crew should keep an eye on the student bulletin in the coming weeks on how to apply. Tickets for the show will become available in Term 2.
As the term progresses, we wish our students and families all the best for the upcoming weeks. As always please do not hesitate to contact the Music department via music@parade.vic.edu.au with any questions.
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