Jazz at The Gov with our Musician in Residence: Adam Page

This week we have been blessed to have local musician Adam Page join us at Wilderness. Adam has worked with our music students across all realms of Music, including composition, improvisation and solo and ensemble performance.

The week began with the annual Music Assembly, in which Adam blew the students away with his infectious energy, and the highlight was certainly when he selected Year 11 student Jess Craig’s name and created a looping spectacular just using the words of her name.

On Wednesday evening, we once again were given the opportunity to perform at The Governor Hindmarsh for our annual ‘Jazz At The Gov’ concert, and it was a resounding success. Adam featured with all of the ensembles on the night, with highlight performances from the Sax Quartet and their insanely fast version of The Brecker Brothers ‘Some Skunk Funk’ and the Jazz Choir’s inspired version of Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk'—which in true ‘tropeano-style’ featured as many songs as possible in the space of five minutes! Complete with Adam looping all the sounds he could muster, it brought the house to its feet. Ending the night was Big Band 1 with a huge set of music and a massive tenor sax solo from our musical guest.

The enormity of what these students achieved in the lead up to this event, and during the course of this week, is nothing short of inspirational, displaying the highest level of resilience from our young musicians. Battling illness, never-ending absenteeism during rehearsals and an influenza outbreak affecting us all school-wide, the sheer fact these girls were on the stage was a miracle. To present music of this calibre was a testament to the Music staff and students who strive every day to be the best that they can be.

I would also like to thank Adam, whose energy and mentorship made the week special for every Music student.

Artist in Residence

This week, the Art Department launched its annual Artist in Residence Program, with Art students engaging in stimulating discussions and activities planned by their teachers in conjunction with Hamish Fleming. The Adelaide-based painter worked directly with Years 2 and 6-11 Art students this week.

Hamish introduced himself and his work to Year 2 Art students through an artist talk, which focused on the history of still life and its importance.

Year 6 Art students were introduced to his work through a discussion of realism in painting, specifically the importance of the relationship between light and colour as the foundation of realism in Hamish’s work.

He focused on how his work blends classical and contemporary concepts, leading Year 7 students through an analysis of a still life from the Dutch Golden Age, before students undertook their own analysis of Hamish’s artwork in the Art Centre gallery.

Similarly, Year 8 Art students analysed one of Hamish’s still life paintings following a discussion about still life and its lasting relevance.

The Year 9s also explored the elements in Hamish’s work that contribute to developing realism in painting, before analysing two works of art relevant to their current painting studies.

With our Year 10 students, Hamish shared his educational background and the beginning of his career in the creative industries. He led students in a painting workshop, where they painted a self-portrait using the limited Zorn colour palette. Similarly, Hamish shared his current work in progress with Year 11 students, engaging them in a discussion and sharing aspects of the creative process with students as they work through their own this semester.

Included in the residency program is an exhibition of the artist’s body of work, displayed in our Art Centre Gallery. The works are used as a teaching resource for students, enriching their Art learning and fostering an appreciation for the contemporary arts practice.

This exhibition will remain in the Gallery for viewing until Friday 17 June. We are looking forward to Hamish returning next semester to conclude the program in Week 7 of Term 3.

Brooke Porter
Head of Art