IN their crisp white pants and shirts, musicians from the Royal Australian Navy Band in Sydney wowed Orange students with polished marches and performances yesterday.
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Music director and officer in charge Lieutenant Matt Klohs said the performance at Orange High School was part of a community and education outreach regional tour.
“We perform all around Australia and around the world,” Lieutenant Klohs said.
“We represent the navy on land.
“It’s about getting out of the city and into the country areas.”
Lieutenant Klohs said the band demonstrated a range of musical genres for the students, including a march.
“It’s about showing the student musicians lots of different styles of music,” he said.
The students also had a 45-minute clinic with band members so they could work on their skills and techniques.
Orange Anglican Grammar School flautist Charlotte Balcomb was among the students to take part in the workshop and performance and said she was impressed by the band’s display.
“I came along because I thought it would be a really good experience for me,” Charlotte said.
“I’ve only been playing [the flute] for two years, and I’m quite new to it, so I thought it would help with the learning of it.
“I’ve learnt a whole lot of stuff like the ranges of the volume like forte, and I learnt what people my age can be playing, how hard it gets and the difficulty of the piece.”
Orange High School music teacher Chris Mickle co-ordinated the band visit and also invited high school and primary school music students from across Orange to take part.
“It’s terrific to get them together and to play together,” Mrs Mickle said.
“I think it’s about building up skills and learning a new piece and playing with professionals.”
tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au