Participation in Instrumental Music is helping to shape character and personal excellence at Dilworth.
Last week, Auckland’s beautiful Holy Trinity Cathedral was filled with the sounds of the KBB Music Festival - the largest secondary-school instrumental music festival in New Zealand. Among more than 50 schools taking part, Dilworth School has a large contingent of students - in fact, almost a third of the school!
With 147 students across six ensembles - three Concert Bands and three Chamber Orchestras, our young men are playing everything from the wind and brass to string and percussion.
Having the opportunity to play at the KBB is an amazing growth experience for students, the ultimate goal to work towards each year. But there are some compelling reasons behind the effort Dilworth is putting into its Instrumental Music Programme, led by Rhys Kingaby, Dilworth’s Director of Instrumental Music.
Rhys says that what appears on stage as a polished performance is the result of a deliberate, long-term vision designed to turn potential and enthusiasm into mastery that can take years to develop.
He adds that the benefits to each student are far-reaching, well beyond the music.
“The opportunities we provide for our students at Dilworth not only develop them into proficient musicians, but also equip them with skills that carry over into every facet of their lives”.
Musical Foundations
At Dilworth, young men can take up an instrument from the day they start in Year 7 - music lessons are part of each young man’s scholarship. At the Junior Campus, instrumental music is compulsory as part of the curriculum. Every student receives two years of foundational tuition, an instrument, weekly lessons, and ensemble experience.
Rhys notes that, apart from enjoyment and the joy of playing, learning an instrument has proven benefits, including developing focus and discipline, and building brain capacity, coordination, patience, and teamwork.
And he notes that our students stick with it once they start at Senior Campus, even though they can opt out in their more senior years.
“The access to music tuition removes barriers to entry and can help spark a long-term passion. By the end of Year 8, broadly 80-90% of students choose to continue learning their instrument into Year 9 - an extraordinarily high retention rate”.
The results and benefits keep coming! Seven years ago, a piece of music might have challenged the Senior Concert Band; today, Dilworth’s Year 8 Concert Band can perform it. The programme has created a powerful feedback loop in which senior boys mentor younger peers, play alongside them in junior ensembles, and set a benchmark for what is possible.
Personal Mastery with Trinity College London
While students play together and shine at KBB, Dilworth musicians who want to take their individual learning further can then go on to prestigious Trinity College, London music exams.
Because Dilworth funds exam entries, top musicians have a unique opportunity to earn globally recognised qualifications. And this year, says Rhys, it is exciting to see a record 47 students aiming for Trinity College exams, which are evaluated by an international examiner.
The Benefits of Dilworth’s Instrumental Programme
From their first notes at the Junior Campus to KBB festival performances, and for some, Trinity College internationally accredited diplomas, Dilworth students are proving that the music programme’s structured support and high expectations are building extraordinary capability.
As our students have showcased their talent at every stage of their journeys at the KBB Festival this week, they have demonstrated not only their musical growth but also an exciting step change in the culture of personal excellence at Dilworth.
The KBB Festival
The KBB Music Festival is the highlight of the year for our players, the ultimate stretch for musical growth, because it gives students something to work towards, says Rhys. Performing in a professional venue like Holy Trinity Cathedral before judges and alongside other schools lifts the stakes, motivates students to practise hard and perform in front of others, and grows their confidence.
And this year, all the work and hours of practice led to some brilliant performances at the KBB Festival:
GOLD: Senior Chamber Orchestra. An impressive feat, given that they have only been running for three years. They were also on the Gala reserve list.
SILVER: Senior Concert Band. For the very first time, they were invited to perform at the Gala Concert - a very special honour.
SILVER: Dilworth String Orchestra
SILVER: Junior Concert Band (making it two years in a row)
BRONZE: Junior Chamber Orchestra
BRONZE: Symphonic Winds
Many congratulations to all our talented musicians and to the Director of Instrumental Music, Rhys Kingaby, the Director of Performing Arts, David Stent, and Chris Moore, Teacher – Performing Arts, Junior Campus