Dance Excellence

Students in Dance Excellence have had a fabulous start to the year learning their class competition routines with guest choreographers- 

• Year 7s -   Natalie Keevers (Lyrical) 
• Year 8's - Amanda Taylor (Jazz) 
• Year 9's - Kira Stray (Lyrical) 
• Year 10's - Anna Johnston (Jazz) 
• Year 11/12's - Mackenzie Jade (Contemporary) and Kira Stray (Jazz) 

Students are also working on their strength and conditioning with a focus on activities such as Tabata with Ms Skyring, HIIT with Miss Swanborough and Pilates with Ms Hall.  

For GC6 Cluster Day this term, dancers have the opportunity to travel as a team to Wet'n'Wild for team building, fitness and fun. 

Auditions for the Super Teams were held last week. This year we will also be having junior secondary super teams and these will be run by two of our senior Dance students- Zayarnee Bornholt and Indyana Loveday. Our guest choreographers for the senior super teams are the talented and highly sought after Nicole Wells and Heidi Jennings. 

Music Excellence

Music Excellence has seen a fantastic start to the year with a myriad of very special experiences for our students. Students are working hard on their first units of the year.  This term, the Junior space invites PBC alumni and a full-time independent musician Zac Hubbard, back into the classroom to offer mentorship, support and rich learning experiences for our students.

Candlelight Concert  

Year 8 and 9 Music Excellence students were treated to a candlelight concert in a 100 year old cathedral filled with candles and a stunning performance by a string quartet.  This was an inspiring night for our talented music students to be exposed to such a high calibre of performers and musical arrangements. 

Drum Masterclass 

It was such an amazing experience to get such a skilled musician to come in for a percussion masterclass. We got to explore quite an extensive range of topics, from brands and quality of drum kits to how to tune different types of drums. Dave Amphlett was such an inspiring person to be taught by, and the level of knowledge he possessed on the instrument was phenomenal. We were even allowed to have a jam on Dave’s kit! Overall, it was a terrific event and I’m so grateful to have been part of it.  
Anjali (Music Ex – Year 9) 

Composition Workshop 

Senior Music General students were provided the opportunity to learn from Senior Lecturer and Head of Jazz from Queensland Conservatorium of Music as part of their course. Dr Steven Newcomb shared insights into his creative process as a composer, unpacking his recently released contemporary piece ‘Pluto and the Sun’. Students gained valuable knowledge around sustaining a career in the music industry and were treated to a number of performance pieces as part of this rich learning experience.  

Palm Beach 100 Celebrations 

Over the weekend, we had 16 Music Excellence students performing at the Palm Beach Centenary Celebrations. The performers did an outstanding job! Congratulations to everyone and thank you to families for coming along and supporting this community event. 

Drama Excellencee

Talented PBC Alumni Remy Heremaia recently returned to The Arts, to share his expertise and knowledge as an Acting student at the prestigious Victorian College of Arts. Remy led intensive classes to both Drama and Drama Excellence students across all year levels.  The junior students revelled in the fun and spontaneity of his workshops.  Year 12 Drama were enlightened by Remy’s insight into their Dramatic Concepts; Year 9 & 10 Drama Excellence explored authenticity in performance; whilst Senior Drama Excellence focused on monologues. The students and staff adore Remy and are so proud of his achievements and humanity. 

Visual Arts Excellence

The 8 Art Excellence have started the year by learning about tone and flat lay still life drawing. Students are half way through their first artwork in the program and are already showing exceptional skills. The program is designed so that students explore painting, printmaking and ceramics in their first year.  

Year 9 Visual Arts Excellence students are working on a unit that explores materials, techniques, and processes that an artist may use when working.  The exploration is based on portraiture and so far, the experiments have considered types of contour drawing and realistic drawing.  Materials have included oil paints and coloured pencils on a variety of surfaces.  In the coming weeks, the class will put their hand to digital manipulation of portrait photos they have taken.  

Year 10 Visual Art Excellence students are currently in the process of creating a Body of Work that explores alternative perspectives of public places. This unit allows students the freedom to explore their personal aesthetic through their art-making. Throughout this unit, students are experimenting with a range of painting and drawing materials and techniques that will allow them to further develop their knowledge of building a resolved Body of Work.