In the same way that God is the creator, he made us as creative beings. The Creative Arts are a wonderful gift from God and a way for students to express faith and creativity. From classical music to modern dance, our students learn to express themselves through creative media and glorify God through expression and deeper thinking.
Our comprehensive classroom, ensemble, instrumental and vocal tutoring programs give students opportunities to unlock their gifts, work towards short-term goals, practise self-discipline, work collaboratively and develop performance skills.
We also recognise that music significantly supports cognitive development, including the areas of literacy and numeracy.
Years 2-6
The Junior School Choir allows interested students to develop their musical skills and vocal talents. The Junior School Choir enjoys opportunities to perform at school events and for our local community. This group rehearses each week during one lunch break with Mrs Catherine O’Doherty, Head of Junior School.
Years 7-12
Calderwood Voices is a vocal group that enjoys opportunities to enhance their learning from the Junior School Choir or to join a vocal group for the first time. As students progress in their schooling, they may choose to complement their vocal gifting through the music elective offered from Year 9. This group rehearses each week during one lunch break with Mrs Catherine O’Doherty.
Year 4
Our Year 4 students, as part of our music curriculum, learn trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute or percussion. Each week, within the school day, specialised tutors visit our school and work alongside our teachers, to provide lessons on the instruments. The students enjoy working towards group performances that are held throughout the year.
Years 5-8
The Calderwood Concert Band aims to develop students' instrumental and musical ability as they practise and perform music that brings honour and glory to God.
Years 7-9
This small ensemble allows students to develop their skills and love of music with guitars, drums, keyboard and vocals. The band enjoys selecting and preparing rock and pop songs for small performance opportunities throughout the year. This band complements skills learnt in mandatory Stage 4 Music and is open to all students regardless of experience.
Years 7-12
The Calderwood Stage Band allows students to challenge themselves by performing a range of jazz, funk, blues and latin repertoire. This ensemble features a rhythm section that includes piano, bass, electric guitar, drums, percussion and a horns section of trumpets, trombones and saxophones.
To complement the experienced and gifted Calderwood music staff, we boast more than five experienced external peripatetic providers, who work to:
Instruments in our program include, but are not limited to:
This program is available to our families at an additional cost.
Catherine's singing journey started when she completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong. Vocal studies with respected singing teacher Neil Easton began her love of all things operatic, and she successfully auditioned for Opera Australia’s Little Mermaid Youth Chorus. Catherine then attended the Opera School at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, obtaining a Diploma in Operatic Art. While completing her studies, she performed with Opera Australia’s chorus in productions such as Madama Butterfly, Turandot, The Gondoliers, and as a minor principal in Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Catherine also qualified as both a secondary music and primary educator. She has worked as a primary teacher for over 25 years. During this time, Catherine actively maintained her love of voice through involvement in various choirs, including the Sydney University Graduate Choir and, more recently, the local chamber choir, Con Voci. Catherine returned to her hometown of Wollongong in 2019 as Deputy Principal and Head of Junior School at Calderwood Christian School.
Bram discovered his passion for music while drumming in various rock, funk, and school bands throughout his high school years. After completing Year 12, he embarked on Youthwork’s Christian Gap Year program, Year 13, where he earned a Diploma of Christian Studies. Pursuing a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music) at the University of Wollongong proved invaluable in honing his music theory, production, and performance skills. A standout moment during his tenure at UOW was crafting a solo, live-looping performance for his capstone project, which featured over 20 different percussion instruments. Concurrently, Bram served as a youth pastor at his church, nurturing his passion for working with young people and seeing them grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus. Upon obtaining a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from Excelsia College, he commenced his role as a secondary Music teacher at Calderwood in 2021. Outside the classroom, Bram enjoys writing, recording, and performing with his band, Seraph Music. The group make melodies for the Lord and love serving at youth group events, festivals and camps each year.
We’re a growing school for a new and growing community.
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