Small ensembles excite schools

Three WASO ensembles; two String Quartets and a Wind Quintet, performed short concerts in 13 schools from Port Kennedy in the south to Alexander Heights in the north; City Beach in the west to Camillo in the east.

Each year, WASO brings small ensembles of our exceptional musicians into schools, enabling students and educators to experience their State Orchestra, often for the first time. The concerts include interesting information about the life of a professional musician, the instruments they have mastered and the music they play. A diverse range of repertoire and interactive experiences provide opportunities for students to engage with the musicians and to deepen their understanding of music and the instruments, with Q&As after the concerts giving students the chance to ask questions of the professional musicians.

“We all enjoyed your performance so much, it was amazingly engaging and interactive. I loved watching the students recognise a piece of music that was played, with their faces lighting up with recognition and enjoyment.” – Teacher, Alinjarra Primary School.

Our musicians enjoy the chance to play together with their colleagues in smaller groups, self-selecting the repertoire for each concert. They regularly wow students with excerpts from familiar movie scores such as Star Wars, Frozen and Harry Potter and sound effects like ‘light-sabres’.

Some of our favourite student feedback from the week was from students at City Beach Primary School, and encapsulates how valuable these musical experiences can be for young people:

“I really liked their music and I thought it was very relaxing.  The instruments they were using are very hard to play so I think they were very skilled.  I thought it was amazing that Marlene’s violin was over 300 years old and at least 100 people had played it.”

“It was really the best music I have ever heard.  Everyone including me enjoyed the music.  It was really funny and fun. In the imagination music I could see the big cake with the music.”

“I really enjoyed the performance and it would be absolutely amazing if you could come again. You played really well.  It was beautiful when Nick made those seagull sounds with his cello. It was so realistic I thought there was one in the room. Thank you for coming.”

“I really enjoyed listening to you playing your instruments and watching you all play. Thank you for telling us a bit about you. I really enjoyed the performance – it was really magical.”

Since the WASO in Schools program began in 2021, WASO has enabled over 6,700 students and educators to experience their State Orchestra in their school.

To submit an expression of interest to receive one of these free in-school experiences, schools must meet an ICSEA score of below 1000 for initial scheduling (however WASO may have space to accommodate schools above ICSEA score of 1000 if space permits).

For more information visit the WASO in Schools page of our website.