Live music is back in swing for students and their families at St Andrew’s Anglican College.
As music at St Andrew’s did at the start of the pandemic with its viral online video of Feeling Good, the Peregian Springs based school continues to set the bar for how to lead in the music education and performance space both outside and during a pandemic.
Music students were able to perform their first live concert, ‘Sounds of Swing’ on Saturday 22 August since COVID restrictions began, with a fantastic afternoon of Jazz and Swing in a miniature festival-style open-air event on the lawn.
However as is the theme for 2020, planning and organising the event didn’t come without it’s challenges.
After months of approaching the event with trepidation, Jazz Orchestra director Mr Andrew Eunson was determined to make the event happen.
“The whole COVID-19 Pandemic has really made me think about the things that are important in life – both in the education space but also for humanity,” Mr Eunson said.
“Music is so important – it really does tie people together and break down barriers. The pandemic is a massive barrier to life at the moment.
“Yes, this event took so much time and effort to organise but community connectedness is a major priority for our College and within our community, as is performing music for live audiences.”
The popular annual event, which is typically held inside the College’s Learning Hub with a ‘Live Jazz Club’ feel, was moved outside to enable a larger space for social distancing requirements and many other considerations including limiting the number of patrons to comply with current restrictions to keep the community safe.
“Sounds of Swing is was an event that has given the Jazz students at St Andrew’s a major goal to prepare for, amongst all that has been going on in the world. It also forms part of a crucial part of the music education journey – an opportunity to present to a live audience,” Mr Eunson said.
“As the event has drawn closer, we have had to be wary of the social climate and appetite both here in Queensland but also more broadly in our Southern States. We held off until the first week of August to make a call to move ahead and as we have approached with trepidation, there have been so many things to consider to ensure the event served the intended purpose for all stakeholders whilst also mitigating as much risk as possible.”
To enable the possible experience for both audience and performers, Mr Eunson and his team decided to get creative with the set-up. They created ‘Socially Distant & Safe Circles’ for the event, painting over 50 circles for patrons to have as their household circle. Each circle with appropriate space as well as being an appropriate socially distance from the next circle.
A livestream was also set up for friends, grandparents and the extended community, which was hugely popular with over 250 live views on the day.
St Andrew’s has a large Jazz program with three stage bands operating in the school, with students as young as Year 4 beginning in the Jazz Ensemble progressing to the Jazz Orchestra, made up of 31 musicians from Years 7 to 12, who play an advanced repertoire in multiple styles including contemporary, rock, fusion, funk, swing, ballad etc. The ensemble features both male and female vocals as well as a number of instrumental soloists.
“You will struggle to find a student band of this calibre anywhere in the state – particularly in the middle of a pandemic – a credit to the extensive online program that was in place,” Mr Eunson said.
Some highlights from the afternoon included Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, Michael Bublé’s Feeling Good, The Pink Panther (with a twist), Joe Cocker’s You Are So Beautiful, Radiohead’s Optimistic, Bobby Darrin’s Mack The Knife and many more.
The evening culminated in a performance by a massive 62 piece Big Band.
“As Music operates in a vertical capacity (i.e. groups with students in varying year levels), there is a training and mentorship component that is a critical aspect of the program,“ Mr Eunson said.
It was also an opportunity to recognise Samuel Rieger (Class of 2019 and Jazz Orchestra member and returning alumni) for his TJ Ryan Medal, which recognises him as one of Queensland’s top students in 2019 and included a $10,000 tertiary scholarship.
Now studying at Sunshine Coast University, Samuel was also College Captain, graduating with the top OP 1 score and was a member of multiple music groups at the College.
The Queensland government only awards up to 10 TJ Ryan medals each year to support exemplary Queensland students who demonstrate academic excellence as well as outstanding leadership in their school and community.
