On June 9, the Australian International School held a mini-music concert for the first time since the Covid-19 restrictions were put in place.

The concert started at 6 pm and was also available on Zoom — an online live-streaming platform  — so that people from other countries could enjoy the concert as well. 

The event started with the concorders, which were followed by: chamber singers from grades 9 to 12, the Grade 6 choir, a trumpet duet, a saxophone ensemble, and a soul band. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of school events were canceled or delayed. 

Even though some essential events were held, they were mostly done virtually. 

Therefore, opportunities to promote school spirit and encourage students to cooperate with each other have been limited.  

However, with the current loosening of restrictions, schools and communities have started holding events and concerts again. 

To perform, students need to join one of several different music groups: concordis, chamber singers, choir, trumpet duet, saxophone ensemble, or soul band.

Students usually get an invitation from a music department teacher and start practicing with other students.

Groups of students from different grades and playing different instruments come together to create various jazzy sounds. 

The saxophone ensemble practices every Friday at lunch time, and the soul band gets together every Friday after school. 

In the saxophone ensemble, there are three different types of saxophones: baritone, tenor, and alto. 

The quartet consists of one baritone player, one tenor player, and two alto saxophone players.   

The saxophone ensemble played two songs: “Pavane” by Gabriel Faure and “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. 

The soul band consists of various instruments: three bass, one piano, two drums, four saxophones, two trumpets, one trombone, and four singers. 

They also practiced two songs: “Nowhere to Hide, Nowhere to Run” by Martha and the Vandellas and “Lady Madonna” by Lennon and McCartney.

In Lady Madonna, there are spaces where the musicians can improvise a solo. 

Harmonizing each other’s instruments was difficult and also took a long time to achieve as there are various instruments. 

Moreover, the songs were a little difficult for me at first as the songs had five or six sharps or flats each. 

However, everyone put a lot of effort into creating one great piece with one voice. 

Even though Grade 10 students were taking their mock exams — after which students can go home for two weeks — they still stayed at school for the soul band practice. 

After the band practice, four saxophone players had to stay even longer to practice their songs for the ensemble. 

They checked everything from start to finish, and also learned how to communicate through simple movement. 

The saxophone ensemble was particularly challenging as there was no teacher to guide the four Grade 10 students. 

On the day of the concert, the students involved had to miss part of their school classes to attend rehearsal. 

Families and friends came to watch the performances as well. 

Although there were some small mistakes, the saxophone ensemble completed their part of the concert successfully. 

The soul band brought the concert to an end, at which time all the singers and performances came together on the stage, which added to the excitement in the theater. 

The audience and musicians both enjoyed the concert, which was a meaningful experience for everyone involved. 

Yujin Son 
Year 10 
Australian International School