吃瓜不打烊

14 August 2017

 Singers from , Chadstone, recently came first in a national singing competition. Performing Arts teacher, Rose Butera, explains the journey which saw the singers win their local and state heats before singing their way to national victory. 

Recently, our school choir from St Mary Magdalen’s competed in the TFT Sports and Events Glee Competition, held on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

In May the Victorian preliminary finals were held in Ringwood, with children competing in the large primary team sections. All of the students performed well and waited anxiously for the results. We were successful (placing first) and made it through to the Victorian State Championship held later in June. After receiving such wonderful results, we went back to training and began working towards achieving our goal in the state finals.

In June, we travelled back to Ringwood to compete in the Victorian state championships. It was a great morning and the performance was delivered to an exceptionally high standard. The results were announced later that day and, while the wait was long, it was definitely worth it. Our choir received first place and was invited to compete at the National Championships in Queensland. We were so excited to receive this opportunity to compete among some of the best teams in Australia.

Students from Grades 3–6 make up our choir and a number of these students represented our school in this National Championship. Students worked on the song ‘Flashlight’ by Jessie J and this was inspired by the movie ‘Pitch Perfect’.

As the new Performing Arts teacher at St Mary Magdalen’s, I wanted to extend our performance opportunities to all the students in a competition, one that allows for many learning experiences on and off the stage. Students were able to form new friendships and bonds, throughout the journey. After taking part in the National Championships over the weekend, St Mary Magdalen’s were successful in their section, representing Victoria and coming first in their section. For us it was a dream come true.

I am so proud of all the hard work and dedication these girls have displayed to achieve their goal. I am grateful to our principal Dr Healy, Miss Jessie Fries, the St Mary Magdalen’s staff and the students’ families for their encouragement and continued support. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported our school on this journey. It was an amazing achievement in our very first year and we look forward to the future.