Cobham School students enjoy three days of playing music

Students at Cobham School were treated to a three day music residency in November. The Gisborne International Music Competition Trust (GIMC) delivered the programme to all of the students at the small Gisborne school.

Mark la Roche (Principal Timpanist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and GIMC Manager) and Cathy Irons (Violinist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
) worked with the students, helping them to prepare two different projects per class, one of which emphasised specific musical skills and the other, student-led creativity.

The junior class presented a thunderstorm soundscape, led by students from the senior class, and created spiders from recycled bottles and containers for their performance of 'incy wincy spider'.

The middle class learned to play an Irish jig on ukuleles and devised a rhythmic soundscape based on atua Māori (Māori gods), which they had been learning about this year.

The senior class performed a drum piece on plastic chairs and devised an original rap on Martin Luther King’s “I had a Dream” speech.

All the classes combined to present Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music.

At the end of the programme the children performed in a concert for whānau and invited guests.

Mark la Roche said the feedback from both teachers and students was extremely positive.

“It was especially gratifying to hear that as a direct result of what the students achieved through the residency, principal Teresa Scott, has appointed a music teacher to work with Cobham School students one day a week.”

He added that GIMC is extremely grateful for the contribution made towards the music residency at Cobham School by The Sunrise Foundation.

“The benefit for students was seen in behavioural improvements observed by teachers and in the enjoyment in exercising their own creative voice. The students were challenged to learn new skills and each experienced the positive feeling of having accomplished a quality performance.”

Glenda Stokes, Sunrise Executive Officer, attended the concert and saw for herself the enjoyment the students got out of the performance.

“It was a real joy to see the kids so engaged and happy when they were performing their concert. The pride they felt was obvious on their faces and I was amazed at how much they learnt in three days.”