Instrumental music
There is a long tradition of excellence in music making at the school which boasts one of the premier music programs in Victoria.
Lesson Logistics
Lessons occur weekly and are given in small groups, except for VCE Music students who receive individual tuition. Lessons are organised on a rotational basis so that each student is withdrawn from a different class each week. Students have access to the instrumental timetables online via Compass and are expected to check their lesson time each week. No lessons will be scheduled during lunch, before or after school.
It is the responsibility of the student to find out what classwork has been missed, and catch up on any missed work.
Practice and Lessons
In instrumental music lessons, students learn music reading skills, specific techniques as appropriate to their instrument, practice skills, occupational health and safety issues related to playing their instrument and a variety of skills in musical interpretation and general musicianship. Students are required to undertake regular daily practice as directed by their teacher. Parents are encouraged to support their child by providing a quiet regular practice space and encouraging them to establish regular practice routines. It is also important that the child’s instrument is in good working order, and serviced regularly.
Instrument re-enrolment
Once a student has a place within the Instrumental Music Program, that place remains theirs until they decide to withdraw from the program. Students already learning at University High School are asked to complete a re-enrolment form by the end of November to register their intent to continue with lessons the following year. Once re-enrolments are completed, new students are offered places based on the available spots on particular instruments.
Please note that students are only guaranteed a place in the program for the instrument that they are currently learning. Students wishing to change instruments or enrol in an additional instrument will need to follow the same process for new enrolments as outlined below.
New Students
Selecting an Instrument
Choosing an instrument can be a difficult decision. During year 6 orientation, students will see demonstrations on the instruments available. They will meet with some of the instrumental teachers and are given an opportunity to try the instruments. Students in year 8-12 are encouraged to come and discuss instrument options with the Instrumental Music team at the Performing Arts Office.
Instrument Purchasing and Hire
Whilst a limited number of orchestral instruments taught at UHS are available for hire through the school, we do encourage students to purchase their own instruments as it reduces costs for families in the long run. Most musical instruments, if kept in good order, retain their value (some even increase in value). The better the quality of instrument purchased initially, the better the value will be if you ever need to sell it.
New Instrumental Enrolments
As the number of places for any given instrument varies from year to year, students are asked to submit three preferences so that we can best accommodate as many students as possible within the program. Due to a range of factors, it is not always possible to offer students their first preference of instrument. New enrolments are processed at the beginning of each year, with our top priority being to ensure that as many students as possible are able to participate in the program. Our goal is to place students on their top preference, but this is not always possible (particularly for high-demand instruments).
After the new enrolments are processed, students will receive an offer for one of their preferences, which they are able to either accept or decline. Please note that in rare circumstances we may not be able to offer a student any of their preferences. This will be discussed with students to allow them to provide an additional preference and hopefully place them in the program.
As offers are accepted or declined, new places may become available on other instruments and students can be wait-listed on instruments where we have not been able to offer them their top preference. Whilst changes to offers and new places opening up are quite common, there is no guarantee that this will occur in all instances.
Students’ lessons will begin once they have accepted their place and the music charge is paid, or a payment plan is arranged through the general office.
Ensemble Program
A major component of the University High School Instrumental Music Program are ensembles. Alongside their instrumental lessons, students rehearse and perform in a wide variety of orchestral, choral, band and jazz ensembles, and gain skills from participating in shared music making. They engage in and learn significant musical and social skills, including: cooperation, leadership, discipline and responsibility. It is a requirement of all students who learn an instrument at UHS to participate in the ensemble program by being active performing members of at least one major ensemble at school. This involves their weekly attendance at rehearsals as well as performing with the ensemble. Students learning an instrument outside of school are encouraged to participate in the ensemble program as well, and can sign-up through the above enrolment process by registering for an Ensemble Only place. Students learning outside of school may be asked for some further information about their experience or hear them play in order to place them into the most appropriate ensemble, please note though that this is not an audition and we are able to place students of all levels in an ensemble.
The Ensembles
University High School offers a wide variety of music ensembles from orchestral and band, to choral and jazz. The number of students in each ensemble ranges from 4–80, and the levels range from beginner to advanced. The ensemble program is co-curricular with most of the groups rehearsing at recess, lunch time or after school. From year to year there may be some variation in the ensembles offered. Beginner students will commence ensemble rehearsals on their instrument in Semester 2.
All ensembles perform at the Mid-Year Concert in June, and at the End-of-Year Concert in October.
Ensembles include: Orchestra, Intermediate Strings, Training Strings, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Novice Band, Senior Choir, Cantabile, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Intermediate and Senior Guitar Ensembles, and Stage Band.
The instrumental music program
Based on an orchestral program with tuition in the following instruments:
| Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass. |
| Woodwind: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone. |
| Brass: trumpet, trombone, french horn, euphonium, tuba. |
| Percussion: all tuned and untuned orchestral percussion |
| Piano |
| Classical voice |
| Classical guitar |
Instrumental music teachers
Sixteen teachers attend the school each week for varying amounts of time. Many of our experienced teachers are themselves professional musicians and thus offer much expertise and inspiration to our students. Most of them conduct one or more of the ensembles.