Magazine 2017

The Mozart Centre, where the Music Department is housed, is a vibrant place filled with beautiful sounds and happiness. This year has once again been full of highlights. ○ PCFM 2017 The second annual Parklands College Festival of Music was hosted on Saturday 25th March. The schools that attended this event included: Edgemead High School, Herschel Preparatory, Inkwenkwezi Secondary School, Melkbosstrand High School, Melkbos Private School, Parklands College, Settlers High School, Somerset College, Wynberg Junior Girls’ and Western Province Preparatory. Not only was this event a musical collaboration between these schools, but also with the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. We were privileged to experience the talented Craig Nicholas from the CTYO Conducting Studio as our Festival Conductor. Marvin Weavers, the Youth Education and Development manager for CTPO, also gave an inspirational message to the young musicians of tomorrow, on the day. The highlight of the event was the combined choir and orchestra item performed at the end of the concert. All proceeds of ticket sales were donated to the CTPO Foundation. Thank you to all who supported our PCFM Festival. We look forward to seeing this event grow and flourish in the future. ○ Majors and Minors 2017 On Thursday the 4th of May the Parklands College Music Departments hosted their annual Majors and Minors in May cross Faculty music concert. The concert was a celebration of music, showcasing all the musical ensembles Parklands College has to offer. The ensembles ranged from the Junior Preparatory all the way through to the Secondary Faculty featuring all the Choirs, Orchestras, Jazz, Rock and Marimba Bands. The highlight of the evening was the combined item at the end, where all the musicians joined on stage to perform Viva la Vida . The crowd gave the musicians a standing ovation and we thank all the learners, educators and parents who participated and supported the event.  ○ Jazz Band Tour The Jazz Band set off on a five-day tour across the Cape Winelands from 25th - 29th April. Performing five concerts, the band had a wonderfully successful trip and came back with broad smiles and many fond memories. Their first performance was a joint concert in Somerset West with the Somerset College Music Department. Somerset College kicked off the concert show-casing a number of ensembles who then handed over to the Parklands College Jazz Band. The next day the band visited Somerset House Junior School and performed two concerts for their Junior Primary and Senior Primary schools respectively. The concerts were both fun- filled, with the enthusiastic junior school learners fully engaged in the music. That afternoon the band visited the educational outdoor animal sanctuary, Monkey Town, to learn about exotic and endangered animals in South Africa. The third day saw the band travel to Franschhoek to perform a lunchtime concert at the Backsberg Wine Estate. Many parents, staff and friends came to support and enjoyed a pleasant lunch with the band providing background entertainment. After lunch, the band travelled to the Spice Route to enjoy the scenic view and leisurely browsed many shops and food stalls. On the fourth day the band travelled to Stellenbosch to perform at the Stellenbosch Conservatoire in the prestigious Endler Hall. Stellenbosch University also treated the band to a personal tour of the Music Department. That afternoon the band cooled off at the Blue Rock Water Park with fufi slides, canoes, stand up paddleboards and rock jumping. Packing up the next day, the band travelled back to Cape Town after having completed a very successful tour. Thank you to Mr Paul Mayers and Mr Dean Flanagan for accompanying the learners, as well as Mrs Anjulie Nock for her organisation. The Jazz Band consists of Bella Inglese, Lindsay Friday, Frank Smuts, Louis Bosch, Hendrik Smuts, Ilse Thomas, Michael Oliveira, Juaneque Human, Sofia Suliman and Libo Mavume. ○ New initiative: Performance Class Our colourful music department created a special platform to showcase the diverse talents that we have among our learners. There was a need for a more intimate, safe space for the learners to perform without the intimidation of a huge crowd. This was the start of our Performance classes known as the Open Mic events. These classes are held every third Thursday during the second break. We have hosted diverse performances from classical orchestral instruments, to jazz guitars and lighter pop music. The first performance class kicked off with Cecilia van der Walt singing Stormy Weather and also included an original composition by Thomas Dassé. Cayley Hefer sang House of the Rising Sun and Gregory Bosch concluded on the classical guitar. The following Open Mic events included piano, voice, guitar, duets, flute, cello and electric guitar. FESTIVAL OF MUSIC ○ MAJORS AND MINORS IN MAY ○ JAZZ BAND PER- FORMANCE CLASS ○ FET MUSIC EVENINGS ○ OUTINGS ○ STIRLING HIGH SCHOOL VISIT ○ TRINITY EXAMINATIONS ○ MARIMBA FESTIVAL MUSIC WORKSHOPS 128 Parklands College, Twentieth Edition, 2017