Excellence in Music
Instrumental Music Program
At Beenleigh High School we offer tuition on brass, woodwind, percussion and string instruments from year 7-12 as part of the world class Education Queensland Instrumental Music Program.
Students receive a 30 minutes lessons with a qualified teacher (currently Mr. Elton Farmer B.Mus. Dip Ed. U.Q) each week and also can borrow an instrument if required for no cost. The lessons rotate each week to ensure minimal disruption to students' normal classes. Students who learnt an instrument in a State Primary School can also continue their learning at Beenleigh High School. The Instrumental Music curriculum from level 1-10 is fully implemented (version 2.1) and students are assessed according to the assessment standards. When students reach the appropriate standard, they are required to join an instrumental ensemble as they are also assessed on their ensemble skills. Student receive an Instrumental Music grade on their official school report each semester.
Please see below for a detailed list of instruments taught:
Brass: Trumpet, Trombone, French horn, Euphonium, Tenor Horn, Tuba
Woodwind: Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone (alto, tenor, baritone), Bass Clarinet, Oboe, Basoon.
Percussion: Include tuned & un-tuned instruments: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Tambourine, Drumset and more.
Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass.
A.M.E.B Excellence Program
As a special extension to the Music and Instrumental Music Programs, the A.M.E.B. program is open to students wishing to extended & accelerate their musical knowledge and skill level. A.M.E.B. or Australian Music Examination Boards examinations are fully external exams based on a curriculum agreed upon by Universities around Australia. The examiners are usually ex-Qld Symphony Orchestra players or professional musicians. The curriculum has 8 levels with a Preliminary Grade also available for beginners.
Students prepare pieces and technical work based on set lists and also are assessed on their aural (listening) skills. After completing the exam, students are given a written report, grading and a special certificate. Successful candidates to our A.M.E.B. program receive a 30 minute lesson each week (in addition to other instrumental lessons). In addition to this the exam fees, books and accompanist are covered by Beenleigh High School free of charge to the student. Currently Mr. Elton Farmer prepares our students for their A.M.E.B. exams with most students studying for approximately 1 year to be able to sit for their examination.