MLC School has both a national and international reputation for music excellence and the whole school is involved in some form of music making. MLC School's music program was recognised with two national awards for embracing innovation and excellence. The Australian Music Centre and APRA National Award was received for the most distinguished contribution to the advancement of Australian music in education. The TOAN National Award, presented by The Orchestras of Australia Network, was for the best school orchestral program. Both these awards are testimony to MLC School‘s extended commitment to musical excellence; a program which has enriched the musical lives of our students and established MLC as a leader in Australian music education. In 2007 the Director of Music, Mrs Karen Carey received a National Award for Career Excellence from the then Federal Minister for Education, Science ad Training, The Hon Julie Bishop MP. In 2008 MLC will continue to bring their program of music excellence to the wider community with events such as
Whole School ProgramOur instrumental program begins in Year 1 with strings and then broadens to incorporate woodwind, brass and percussion. MLC offers a variety of ensembles for the enhancement of the students’ instrumental studies. These groups cater for all levels of performance and provide valuable opportunities for social interaction between students.
Concerts and PerformanceA full school musical performance is presented in the Sydney Opera House biennially. This concert is a showcase of the remarkable talents of individual performers and well as the entire school. A Music Awards Concert showcasing soloists and ensembles is held at the end of each year at the Sydney Town Hall to award the musical achievement of the girls throughout the year. A special guest presenter such as Margaret Throsby or Nigel Butterly always joins us at this prestigious event. In 2008, KIRAVANU was the latest of MLC School’s ambitious music projects – a full school children’s opera. MLC has an extensive history of commissioning, performing and recording innovative works by Australian composers such as Matthew Hindson and James Humberstone and Paul Stanhope. Integrated collaborative units of teaching materials are being developed, along with the opera, to provide infants and primary classroom teachers with activities and resources to support the teaching and learning of Kiravanu. Kiravanu is an uniquely accessible opera written for children and performed by children. It was premiered at the outdoor Sydney Showground venue which was deliberately chosen to make this opera experience suitable for all the family and for student groups. Infants aged children were captivated by the fanciful story and magical music. Kiravanu’s theme of the environmental responsibility of generations to come makes it particularly relevant to all primary aged students. Click here for more information. Most of MLC's gala concerts are professional recorded and available on DVD.
EnsemblesMLC School offers a variety of ensembles for the enhancement of the students' instrumental studies. These groups cater for all levels of performance and provide valuable opportunities for social interaction between students. Current ensembles include:
CompositionDue to the high level of performance opportunity already available in orchestra and ensemble work at MLC, time in the Music classroom has been largely able to focus on composition and musicology. In the early 1990s the then promising Australian composer, Matthew Hindson took a position as Composer-in-residence at MLC. He was joined by Paul Stanhope, Damien Barbelar and James Humberstone so that when the NSWHSC began moving its focus towards an equal weighting for composition, MLC was well under way in a policy of employing well-known or emerging Australian composers. With these composers working part-time, MLC has encouraged and supported them to continue composing, while as teachers they have imparted to their students strategies for composition and musicology in the context of the students’ own compositions. Our students’ compositions are played by our orchestras and form a part of the teaching process where a student can be active in the orchestral interpretation of their own composition, hearing the piece come to life. These partnerships between composer and student have produced some remarkable compositions, and some brilliant commissions and premieres at our concerts. Former student, Rachel New, was winner of the National Youth Composing Competition for her composition March of the Cabelliera, which was subsequently published in England. Technomatic, another of her published works, has been performed by the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.
Private music tuitionPrivate music tuition is available to every student at MLC School. Lessons are conducted by fully qualified, professional musicians, in over twenty instruments. Private tuition is also offered in voice, musicianship and composition. MLC has a supply of instruments available for hire. Click here for 'Learning an Instrument' details.
On Tour
As ambassadors for Australian music and Australian music education MLC students, who ranged in age and musical ability across Years 7-11, together with staff have the opportunity to tour biennally. As young Australians performing the very best of our contemporary classical music, they produced music of excellence, music that is innovative, inspiring, emotional and even humorous. MLC students have been fortunate to performed in some of Europe's finest venues, touring:
National Award for a Career of ExcellenceMLC School Music Director, Mrs Karen Carey's outstanding professional career and contribution to music education has been recognised in a national award. The Federal Minister for Education Science and Training, The Hon Julie Bishop MP, announced Karen’s National Award for Excellence at the recent awards ceremony for the Australian Society for Music Education and the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme. Karen was appointed Director of Music at MLC School in 1989 and has, over the period of her leadership, seen the school’s music department become a multi award winning exemplar of music education, both state and nationally, winning awards from the Australian Music Centre (AMC), the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), the Fellowship of Australian Composers, ASME (NSW) and Orchestras Australia. In 2006 the MLC music program was selected as a model of exemplary practice for the National School Music Review. At MLC, Karen has developed an outstanding music program that is integrated and sequenced from K-12, where the links between classroom, choral and instrumental teaching are constantly being drawn together. Parents are involved in the students’ music program and are invited into the creative classroom as participants in order to better understand the importance, enjoyment and value of music education
The school music program also extends to the wider community, including other school students and school teachers. ‘Australian Music Days’ and composition workshops are held every year offering innovative resources to other school students. Teacher inservices are provided in composition, particularly using technology. Currently there are three composers on the music staff at MLC. Performance has been a major focus for many years. Under her direction MLC girls have prepared challenging performances of opera and music theatre, as well as a variety of choral, chamber and symphonic repertoire. Karen has organised and led several international music tours all of which have been highly acclaimed for their high standard of performance and for the presentation of Australian music in venues including St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. In September she will lead a tour of MLC musicians through Europe culminating in a performance in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
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