The performing girl
Performing arts are not essential to live, but are essential to thrive as they help develop emotional intelligence and cognitive and executive brain functions. Research shows that students engaged in instrumental and choral music programs are more likely to do better academically than their peers.
The Glennie Performing Arts program starts in the Junior Years where dance, visual arts and music lessons are taught from Kindergarten. Our comprehensive curriculum and immersion program are designed to ensure that students thrive. Our programs provide many entry levels of engagement, while also tailoring pathways for extension.
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso.
“Research shows that students engaged in instrumental and choral music programs are more likely to do better academically than their peers.”
Choral Program
Our Prep to Year 12 Choral program gives all students an opportunity to be involved in the Co-curricular Arts programs at Glennie. From our youngest musicians to our oldest, all students have access to non-auditioned choirs that rehearse weekly and perform at key school events. Our choirs focus on engagement and enjoyment in the arts and choral singing. For students looking to extend their choral experience, auditioned vocal ensembles are offered from Years 4 to 12. The auditioned vocal ensembles focus on highly developed choral skills and choral blend. At Glennie, we believe that choral programs are integral to developing musicians and encourage all students to join a choir as part of their co-curricular engagement.
- G Minor Choir (Prep to Year 3)
- G Major Choir (Years 4 to 6)
- G Major Arpeggios (Auditioned Vocal Ensemble for Students in Years 4 to 6)
- Middle Years Choir (Years 7 to 9)
- Glennie Singers (Auditioned Vocal Ensemble for Students in Years 7 to 9)
- Senior Years Choir (Years 10 to 12)
- Choral Group (Auditioned Vocal Ensemble for Students in Years 10 to 12)
- Belles Voix (Auditioned Small Contemporary Vocal Ensemble)
Instrumental Program
Learning to play an instrument is linked with higher levels of academic achievement because it promotes muscle memory and executive function training. This is why the instrumental programs at Glennie start at the beginning in our Junior Years. Every Glennie student will have the opportunity to play a string, wind or brass instrument through our comprehensive Junior Years Instrumental Immersion programs and will be nurtured in the pathway they choose through to Year 12 and beyond.
Strings Pathway
In Year 2, all students engage in the Strings Immersion program which includes weekly small group lessons on their chosen string instrument (violin, viola, cello or double bass). Students wishing to continue on their instrument beyond Year 2 are invited to join the Introductory String Ensemble and are also offered paired lessons on their instrument through the continued immersion program for Year 3. From Year 4, students are able to engage in individual lessons on their instrument in the extra curricular music program. Once students choose to stick with a string instrument, a list of suitable ensembles are on offer, including:
- Junior Years String Ensemble
- Junior Years Quartet
- Senior Years String Orchestra
- Senior Years Symphony Orchestra
- Youth Chamber String Ensemble
- Chamber String Ensemble
- Senior Years String Quartet
Band Pathway
In Year 4, all students will learn a woodwind (clarinet, flute, saxophone), brass (trumpet, trombone, tuba, euphonium), or rhythm (bass guitar, concert percussion) instrument. Lessons are taught weekly in small groups. Students excelling in this foundation program will be invited to play in the Introductory Concert Band which develops their rhythm and intonation processing to prepare for larger ensemble playing. In Year 5, students may elect to continue on their instrument and will receive paired lessons for the year. They may also choose to enrol in extra-curricular music lessons. Students learning in the Band Pathway will have the opportunity to join the following ensembles:
- Junior Years Concert Band
- Junior Years Jazz Band
- Senior Years Youth Band
- Senior Years Concert Band
- Senior Years Symphony Orchestra
- Senior Years Big Band
- Senior Years Jazz Ensemble
Dance Classes and Troupes
Dance allows students to connect physical movement with expression. The Glennie dance program provides all students from Kindy to Year 12 with an opportunity to engage in dance for enjoyment or the development of technical skills required for troupe. Approximately 30 weekly dance classes are held at Glennie after school as part of our extra-curricular program. Classes are taught on campus after hours by our team of tutors. Students in this program are able to also participate in grading days and performances.
Genres for dance classes include:
- Tap
- Contemporary
- Hip-Hop
- Jazz
- Ballet
- Point Classes
- Dance Collective
Dancers are also able to audition for the following dance troupes which compete and perform throughout the year:
- Junior Years Dance Troupe
- Middle Years Dance Troupe
- Senior Years Dance Troupe
Results and success
The Glennie Performing Arts program achieves excellent results every year.
In 2022, the Glennie School placed 21 times at the Toowoomba Eisteddfod. Glennie was also the only Darling Downs school to place in all of the A Grade sections, including Secondary A Grade sections for concert bands, big bands, string ensembles and choirs, as well as placing highly in the competition dance troupe sections. Glennie also placed in the open sections for concert band and big bands.
Annually, we celebrate extension of performance in choreography for dance, and composition for music, and award the following prestigious awards at our Junior and Secondary Arts Awards:
- The Harley Mead Award for Excellence in Composition
- The Performing Arts Association for Excellence in Choreography
- The Performing Arts Association Awards for Contribution to the Arts (award to a Junior Years Student, one Middle Years Student and a Senior Years Student)
In 2022, students from the Glennie School competed at state level as part of the State Honours Ensemble Programs five times across the year. In recent years, students in the Music and Music Extension curriculum programs have also achieved the top maximum mark for the subject, receiving 100 per cent as their confirmed QCAA subject result. Every year, students from the Glennie School have been accepted into prestigious tertiary institutions for the study of music and musical theatre.
