SENIOR SCHOOL
Music tour: Singapore
It was a cold, dark but thankfully dry
morning on July 9, when 34 students and
three staff from Guildford Grammar School
descended upon Perth International Airport.
Our Destination: Singapore
Our Mission: To bring a truly
Australian musical experience
to another country.
Twenty-eight members of the Guildford
Grammar School ‘Jarockaphonic’ ensemble,
six members of the ‘Boodjar Bidi Dance
Troupe’ and three lucky staff members
dutifully boarded the Qantas flight and were
off into the wild blue yonder.
We had been invited to perform in the
‘Euphonious’ concert event, an evening at
the Singapore Conservatory that featured
two groups from Australia and two groups
from Singapore. We were also to partner
with Edgefield Secondary School, meaning
that our touring party of 34 grew to a
performing group of well over 70.
As a part of the tour, our students
participated in workshops and cultural
exchange programs with the students
of Edgefield Secondary School as well as
performing at the Euphonious Concert
and at an Old Guildfordians’ Reunion.
The performances were an overwhelming
success, with the large group – as well
as the smaller groups of the Senior Rock
Band, Boodjar Bidi Dancers and G-Funk –
performing brilliantly at every opportunity.
The Boodjar Bidi boys were even fortunate
enough to be chosen as the opening act for
the ‘Euphonious’ event – therefore opening
an international show in front of an audience
of around 2000 people.
Of particular note was the Old
Guildfordians’ function, where the students
provided a corporate show, dance and
background music. This was a rare
opportunity for the students to see what life
is like in a corporate band.
The tour also gave the students the
opportunity to partake in some of the
more tourist-orientated activities for which
Singapore is justifiably famous. As a part of
the tour we visited The Gardens by the Bay,
Universal Studios, Sentosa Island, Little India,
Chinatown, Orchard Road, Changhi Prison
memorial and many, many other places. The
boys learned martial arts, traditional arts and
crafts and even tried their hand at ancient
Malay gambling games – all under the
watchful eyes of the staff, of course!
The tour group was constantly congratulated
on their wonderful behaviour and polite,
mature attitudes. If the success of a tour can
be measured in any physical form, it must
be that every student came back with 5kg
of luggage more than that with which they
departed.
Thank you in particular to the Senior School
students and to Mr Edmonds and Mr Beck
for their help throughout the tour. See you
all on the next one!
Mr Kieran Hurley
Head of Music
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