Music

We provide an opportunity for students to experience performing in a variety of instrumental ensembles.

Each ensemble rehearses during the lunch break for 30 minutes weekly. Holiday workshops and after school practices are organised to extend and develop the students’ repertoire.

The current ensembles being offered at St Francis de Sales are:

• Senior Vocal Ensemble, Musaic, caters for students in Years 7-12. Many different musical genres are covered by this group who regularly perform at College and public events.
• Festival Choir is primarily for students in Years 6-7. This ensemble performs in the Catholic Schools’ Music Festival, which involves many Catholic Schools from around South Australia. The Festival is held annually in the Festival Theatre. The repertoire is a set program of works developed in consultation with the Director of the Catholic Schools Music Festival.
• Piccolo Voci is our choir for students from Reception to Year 6. This choir provides an opportunity for students to engage in choral practices that will develop and support their interest in music participation. Piccolo Voci regularly performs at College events and concerts throughout the year.
• Mixed Bag is an ensemble, which like the name suggests, is an opportunity for a mixed group of instrumentalists to develop their playing skills in a group environment. The current Mixed Bag repertoire includes songs from modern pop music to old time classic rock songs.
• de Groove is our College’s premier Jazz Band which features musicians from our more senior years. de Groove have appeared and represented the College at the high profile Generations in Jazz Festival held in Mt Gambier for a number of years, a great highlight on our music calendar.
• Our senior pop/rock ensemble, Heart n Soul is a group of accomplished instrumentalists and vocalists who can regularly be seen performing at various College events playing songs from a number of different decades.
• Rock Band enables students who wish to develop contemporary music skills to play in an ensemble that focuses on modern and popular music.
• Guitar Band offers specialist guitar instrumental students the opportunity to acquire experience in group performance whilst developing their individual craft.
• Ukelele Band is an opportunity for any music student to gain specialised instruction in the playing of a Ukelele while enjoying the benefits that group performance can bring.

Students from Reception to Year 12 are offered instrumental tuition. Our comprehensive program employs experienced teachers from Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills. Instrumental lessons are held in the instrumental studios, which are located in the Music Centre. We offer tuition in the following areas: 

• Brass - Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn etc
• Percussion
• Drums
• Keyboard and piano
• Strings - Violin, Cello, Double Bass, Viola
• Voice - Classical, Stage Musicals, Modern
• Woodwind - Clarinet, Saxophone, Flute etc
• Guitar – Rock, Classical, Jazz, Folk etc
• Bass guitar – Jazz, Rock, Funk, Modern etc

Tuition is offered on a one-on-one basis or, where suitable, group tuition may be available. Lessons take place during school hours and the cost of the lessons is paid directly to the instrumental teacher.

Instrument hire is the responsibility of the parent. Details of hire are available from the College. The College does have a selection of instruments available for hire.

Parents are expected to provide the appropriate instrument and students are required to practise regularly to maintain their commitment to their musical development. Instrumental music reports are provided at the end of each semester to support the students’ learning and to encourage communication with students, parents and the instrumental teacher.

To find out more information about the program, download the following:

If you would like your child to learn an instrument, please complete and submit the below form: