Te Whare Puoro is back in action!

Team Puoro/Music is back in action for 2024 and Te Whare Puoro is already loud!

Everything extra-curricular is starting back up this week so I wanted to let you know about all the opportunities available for our Springs-Waiōrea students. Every student in the school has been emailed about all of these opportunities with the links for applications so they should check their Spam folder if they can’t find the emails from wrightc@wsc.school.nz. Any questions, email us or pop into the department.

We have also posted the links for all the information below on our new Puoro/Music Instagram page! Follow us for updates, rehearsal reminders, performances and other opportunities: @wscw_puoromusic

Department opening times:

Before school – practice rooms are closed except for lessons but the foyer is open from 8:30am.
Interval – closed. You can come if you have booked a time with a teacher to chat or have an instrument lesson.
Lunchtime – open for booked practices only (details below). Check in with the supervisor in the first ten minutes.
After school – open for booked practices on Mondays only (details below).

Tira Puoro/Music Groups

We have four music groups that run at lunchtimes that are open to anyone (no auditions). They all happen in Te Whare Puoro (Music department) in Puoro 3 (the big room). Anyone is welcome to join, and we are also happy for you to try out a group for a couple of weeks before committing.

Tuesday Lunch – Choir
Wednesday Lunch – Musical Theatre Ensemble
Thursday Whānau and Lunch – Chamber Group (orchestra)
Friday Lunch – Jazz Band

Practice Room Bookings

All students have been emailed a link to a Google Form to sign up for practice rooms. This form explains the rules and expectations. Once they sign this form, students are able to book lunchtime practice rooms for the current week.

Mondays after school there is a new booking slot! Andrew Isdale, one of our itinerants and a very talented musician, is supervising afterschool band sessions until 4:30pm. He can help with performance skills, songwriting, instrument skills, recording and more.

Free Instrument and Singing Lessons

The Government pays for some group instrument/vocal lessons to help students gain their NCEA performance credits. Anyone can apply for lessons but there is a priority order:

1. NCEA and Y11 music students to support their NCEA standards.
2. Students playing that instrument in one of our music groups.
3. Y10 Music students, then Y9.
4. Everyone else.

These are small group lessons – we cannot offer individual lessons but we can help find you an outside teacher if you would like individual lessons outside of school. We also have a limited number of woodwind, brass and string instruments students can borrow for the year to support their playing.

If you wish to apply, the link has been emailed to all Springs-Waiōrea students, and is on the Google Classroom for all current Music students.

Finally, if you have any instruments at home that still play but are sadly being left to hide under dust, or are in your way, we could always help find them a home and put them to use.

We are looking forward to another hectic, loud and musical year with the most talented musicians in the country!

Ngā mihi,
Team Puoro
Carmel, Victoria and Margaret