Playing to a full house, the St Patrick’s group members displayed their musical talent by performing a number of hit songs– a traditional gospel song Oh Mary Don’t You Weep, Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, Safe and Sound by Capital Cities, Riptide by Vance Joy, ‘Super Trouper’ by ABBA and Unchain My Heart by Joe Cocker.
The nine students – Kate Erby, Kaylah Robards, Lulu Hart, Charlotte Connell, Lochlain Farrell, Oliver McIvor, Lachlan Fitzgerald, Tom Davies and Jeremiah Hart – were led by Office Administrator, Bronwyn Sartori, who is also an accomplished ukulele player. The students were also accompanied by a Hunter School of the Performing Arts student, John Wallace on the bass ukulele (Ubass).
One audience member on the day, Cathy Dent, wrote a stellar review of the school’s performance:
“Wow, wow, wow!!! Just left the performance of our ukulele group at the festival. I was so impressed! Congratulations Bron! What a beautiful, polished and excellent group. They brought me to tears, I was so incredibly proud! They played wonderfully and sang so well. It was so worth the effort of awkwardly hopping up 3 flights of stairs! Thanks for the time and effort you’ve put into them, it was genuinely fantastic!!”
Students have been rehearsing for the festival since the beginning of Term 2 and meeting every Tuesday to practice their songs.
The ukulele program has been taught at St Patrick’s since 2010 and is offered to all students in Years 5 and 6 as part of the school’s music curriculum.
The ukulele is an instrument that is portable and affordable – and it provides students with the opportunity to learn valuable musical skills. It is an instrument that promotes and encourages listening, self-expression and the chance to perform in a group situation. It also gives students, particularly those with a creative or musical gift, the opportunity to express and enjoy their talent.
“Since the ukulele performance group began several years ago, we have unearthed some wonderful talent among our students,” said Peter Green, principal at St Patrick’s.
“It has been very rewarding to see some of them grow from being reluctant performers into musicians who are very comfortable on stage in front of large audiences.
Photography By KVIR Live Photography.
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