School Band Program
For many years the Leichhardt Public School Band Program has earned a strong reputation for its excellent ensembles, winning gold at various eisteddfords and competitions.
All bands are conducted by fully qualified music tutors.
Band members enjoy playing exciting and challenging music representing a wide range of styles. Gaining confidence in performance is an essential part of the learning.
The band program aims to foster a love and understanding of music, develop skills in ensemble playing and reading music notation, and facilitates the building of friendships with other musicians from a broad cross-section of the school and community.
The many performance opportunities available ensure that students are able to perform to a very high standard each year.
The school has a Junior Band, Concert Band and Wind Ensemble . The band is open to students in Years 3 – 6. However, younger students may join after consultation with the Band Master and Music Committee. Band members are asked to pay a tuition fee and instrument hiring fee each term. For more information about the band program, including band fees and practice times, contact the school.
School Orchestra
At the beginning of Term 2, 2011 our first orchestra was established. The creation of the school orchestra saw the crossover of the string and band programs and has added another dimension to the school’s music program. Each year musicians from the string and band programs are invited to audition for a place in the orchestra.
Orchestra Performances
String program
In 2005 Leichhardt Public School added an extra dimension to its music and band programs with the introduction of a String program.
The program is available to all students and now consists of three ensembles. The ensembles meet every Thursday and Friday morning for tuition in violin, viola, cello and double bass. This tuition is provided by some of our talented parents and private tutors who are all professional musicians. The ensembles perform at special school functions including the school’s Musicale and Grandparents Day.
Jazz ensemble
This ensemble was formed in 2016 and gives students the opportunity to specialise in the performance of jazz. Places are available for students who play saxophone, trumpet and trombone to a high standard, as well as a rhythm section comprising guitar, piano, bass and drums. Membership is by audition.
Choir program
We have three performing choir groups for students in Years K to 6. These are our:
- Year K-2 Choir who perform at different school events across the year
- Year 3-4 Choir who perform in the Primary Choral Festival at the Sydney Opera House
- Year 5-6 Choir who perform in the Festival at the Sydney Opera House
Each year our choir, band and string groups perform at a combined Music evening in December which showcases students’ talents.
Outside our choir program our K-2 students engage in grade Singing for the development of music concepts such as rhythm, pitch and dynamics.
History of the Leichhardt Public School Music program
The music program at Leichhardt Public School is well known and widely respected throughout the community and has been running in its current form since 1992. However, we were quite surprised whilst cataloguing pictures for our archive to find a photo of an LPS String Group from 1922. We thought the program was a modern phenomena but the love of instrumental music obviously runs deep through the school’s veins!
A brief history of the music program at Leichhardt Public School can be found here.
