On Tuesday, the 29th of October, our school received a visit from the Police Band. The band consisted of 33 musicians and was conducted by Mr Champion. Our school Concert Band was delighted to have gotten this wonderful opportunity to further our musical prowess. Starting the day was the 30-minute practice session. We ran through a piece called March to the Headmaster’s Office. Mr Champion helped us perfect our varying dynamics, which enhanced our skills to define the melody. Following that was The Avengers, a theme song from the Avengers movie. We had only received this piece that morning, which was why we were so fortunate to have been able to get it ready in time for the Hornsby Heights Music Festival on Sunday. Unfortunately, we didn’t anticipate that the Police Band would also play The Avengers, so we had to change our performance piece to March to the Headmaster’s Office at the last minute.
The thunderous roar of the build-up blared out to the school as the Police Band started their performance of the Avengers. Everyone started cheering as a familiar movie theme song captivated their attention. Our school started murmuring to each other, wondering what would be the next legendary score. They next went on to the childhood television royalty. The medley of Bluey, Peppa Pig, Octonauts and Shaun the Sheep made us reminisce about our childhood. Nearly the entire school was singing along to the well-known tunes of these theme songs.
The Police Band then decided to introduce each instrument. From the delicate flute to the low trombone, every instrument was heard. We heard the song “Uptown Funk”, sung by one of the policewomen, which was a huge hit. To end their performance, the band performed Into the Unknown, a song from Frozen 2. The Concert Band joined them in the song March to the Headmaster’s Office, which we practised that morning. Everything went perfectly, especially with the help from the Police Band who guided us through the piece. This visit was a memorable experience which we would never forget. These dedicated musicians have worked tirelessly to achieve their place in the Police Band and it is definitely a position they deserve. Their skill, shown through their music, had engaged us and left us with a desire to learn to play one of these instruments.
Thank you to the Police Band for coming along and performing to NWPS.
By Karissa L