Jigsaw Semester 1 2012 - International Grammar School

IGS overseas band tour
By far the biggest project this year and
perhaps in recent memory was the
spreading of our musical talents in late
February ‘across the ditch’ to another
land, the ‘Land of the Long White
Cloud’, New Zealand. After six months
of intensive preparation, planning and
many, many rehearsals, 55 of our
students and seven staff gathered at
the airport early on the morning of
Saturday 25 February to begin the
inaugural Music Tour to New Zealand’s
South Island.
In an action-packed adventure over
nine days, the IGS musical delegation
played to audiences of all ages in
venues unknown. In the true spirit of
IGS, we were global citizens,
appreciating another culture, the Kiwi
accent and the landscape—while
managing to contribute to those in
need by raising $1,700 for the
Christchurch Earthquake appeal along
the way.
Alison Housley, Head of Music
Music teacher Kirrili Williams
reports …
Flying in to Christchurch and departing
immediately for Ashburton, the group
spent the first day viewing a seal
colony and penguins in their natural
habitat aboard a ‘go anywhere, any
incline’ 8-wheel vehicle called an Argo.
Alternating our sightseeing and general
education with performances and
workshops made for a very enriching
itinerary.
After arriving in Dunedin and playing
two concerts at different schools, band
and orchestra members participated in
a workshop with students from Otago
Boys High School. In Invercargill, we
joined with members of the James
2
Hargest Senior College Concert Band
and Choir, shared their repertoire and
enjoyed the experience of a combined
rehearsal. One of the highlights of this
experience was having members of
the Christchurch Symphony facilitating
tutorials and presenting a beautifully
executed performance as a wind
quintet in the evening concert. Our
fundraising efforts at this concert easily
doubled our initial fund and we made
headline in The Southland Times the
next morning.
“We chatted with the
Governor-General, telling
her about our fundraising
efforts…”
Wednesday saw us floating down
Milford Sound, marvelling at the
beautiful landscape, cliffs and
waterfalls, followed by more ‘Scenery
Emergency Situations’ on the bus to
Queenstown in which students
frantically woke others from their
napping to take photographs and
marvel at the snow-capped mountains
and turquoise lakes.
At lunch in the picturesque outdoor
mall in Queenstown we chatted with
our Governor General, Her Excellency
Quentin Bryce, telling her about our
fundraising efforts before moving on to
Queenstown Primary school for our
next performance. Later, after several
exhilarating attempts at breaking the
luge record, our evening meal was in
the Skyline Restaurant at the top of
Bob’s Peak, to which we travelled by
gondola. The choir gave an impromptu
performance in the restaurant after
dinner, much to the delight of the other
diners, before the boys in the group