By Grace Frost
STUDENTS from Plenty Valley Christian College, PVCC, took to the stage for the college’s winter recitals late last month, wowing parents, staff and attendees with their musical performances.
Eltham Community Centre played host to the two winter recitals, with primary students performing on May 26 and secondary students on May 31.
PVCC music coordinator Matthew Young teamed up with instrumental staff to organise the recitals, which included more than 60 students of all ages and skill levels who were given the opportunity to share pieces they had been practising during instrumental lessons at the college.
“Recitals are the most important aspect of instrumental lessons, because they actually give students something to work towards,” Mr Young said.
The showcase saw a wide range of compositions on piano, guitar, violin, flute, drums, vocals and various other instruments in solo, duet and group arrangements, including star performances by the senior band and school choir.
Mr Young, who previously taught instrumental lessons at the college for five years, became music coordinator this term and has quickly inspired a wave of new beginnings in the music department.
He said the addition of recitals at the college fed into the ‘tight-knit community spirit PVCC is well-known for’, and gave greater context and purpose to instrumental lessons.
Since the recitals, Mr Young said he had seen students harness a greater desire for performance, as well as a more fine-tuned understanding of where to improve.
He hoped future recitals – and the music program as a whole – would continue to provide a creative outlet to students at PVCC.
“Music is just such a part of life. It’s not necessarily the music department, but music in general, that is so important to our humanity,” he said.
“The music department just really creates a space where students can create and perform and discuss and communicate with that language.”
The recent winter recitals marked the second of their kind at the college, but not the last – with music staff and students eager for more performances and group ensembles at PVCC.
“The biggest thing that I’m excited about is that I’ve got a lot of joy to pass onto children for music,” he said.
“On a whole, we want a music department that is flourishing, and I think that means more time and more resources placed into the department,
“But mainly, just an immense amount of encouragement to the students to seek out instrumental lessons, to seek out more performance opportunities and […] encouraging kids to play together and come into the music department.”
