Teacher information site
Latest updates: 22 May 2024
Due to selling out, extra tickets have now been added to both performances:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/compass-music-festival-coffs-harbour-tickets-884619830727
All students must arrive at the venue ready to be directed to rehearsal spaces at 9:30 am.
Welcome
Arts education is an important platform for students to thrive, express, create, collaborate, learn and excel.
It is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming you and your students to the third Compass Music Festival - Coffs Harbour in 2024.
This Google site is a one-stop space for all information, details and expectations for the festival.
The Compass Music Festival is an instrumental and vocal music festival for public schools both primary and secondary from across the North Coast and beyond.
Compass provides an opportunity for regional and rural students to perform in a local festival, enhancing local opportunities for NSW public school students to create music and express themselves.
Opportunities exist for inclusion in combined ensembles including:
combined secondary school choir (Years 7 to 12)
combined primary school choir (Years 3 to 6)
combined recorder ensemble (Years 3 to 12)
combined primary school string ensemble (Years 3 to 6)
Compass is built on repertoire from:
Festival of Choral Music 2024 (combined primary choir)
Festival of Instrumental Music 2024 (combined recorder and string ensembles)
In Concert 2024 (combined secondary choir)
All of the combined ensembles will perform a combined opening and finale item as part of a massed choir.
Both primary and secondary schools are involved in separate and combined festival choirs, recorder ensembles and string ensembles. A further extension is available through a wind orchestra, featured secondary choir, recorder consort or string ensemble. The Arts Unit provides substantial support and opportunities to build teacher capacity in large-scale arts program management through online professional learning for participating teachers, as well as local rehearsals in the lead-up to the festival.
The Festival aims to:
encourage the development and teaching of music programs at a school level
provide an opportunity for students and teachers to work towards a quality performance in a professional venue
presenting an original, entertaining and professional event, providing a positive and memorable experience for teachers and students.
Enquiries
Please contact Sarah Armour - Arts Coordination Officer should you have any further questions or concerns:
E: sarah.k.armour@det.nsw.edu.au
P: 0429 965 197
Important information
Festival date
Monday 3 June 2024 (Term 2 Week 6)
Schools participating in the Compass Music Festival will come together to rehearse throughout the day and perform at one of two evening concerts.
Performance 1: 5:00pm
Performance 2: 7:00pm
Participating schools have been advised which performance they are part of. This information can be locatd on the 'Combined Ensemble Allocation' tab.
Venue
Wiigulga Sports Complex
Solitary Islands Way, Woolgoolga NSW 2456
Tickets
$12.00 tickets will be on sale at 9:00am on Friday 10 May 2024.
Cost
A participation fee of $20.00 per student will be payable early Term 2.
Each participating student and teacher will receive a Compass Music Festival t-shirt to wear at the performance.
Local teacher professional development workshops
Teacher PL workshops to support the teaching of the repertoire for Compass were held at locations across the North Coast during Term 1 Week 4. This included:
Compass recorder workshop: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Compass primary choir workshop: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
The dates and locations are as follows:
Monday 19 February 2024 - Southern Cross School of Distance Education
Tuesday 20 February 2024 - Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium
Attendaning at least one of these workshops is strongly encouraged but is not mandatory for your school to participate in the Festival. The workshops are open to all public school teachers so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues even if they are not participating in Compass this year.
School participation form
Applications to participate in the Compass Music Festival have now closed.
This music festival is open to all schools with no restrictions on the number of students involved, however, students may only perform in one combined ensemble.
Featured ensemble opportunity
Applications for featured items at the Compass Music Festival – Coffs Harbour have now closed.
In 2024 performance opportunities are available for NSW Public School students to perform outstanding individual instrumental and vocal items at Compass Music Festival – Coffs Harbour. Solos, duets, or small ensembles are encouraged to apply. Pieces will be selected based on providing high quality and variety to the concert.
Applicants will be required to be available for a sound check on Sunday 2 June and the evening performance on Monday 3 June 2024.
Staffing
Students will, at all times, be under the duty of care of their teacher/s throughout the festival. Principals must sign off on all staff, aides and parent volunteers attending the festival to ensure they meet Department guidelines for WWCC and mandatory training.
Festival tshirt
Festival t-shirt
Each participating student and teacher will receive a Compass Music Festival t-shirt to wear at the performance.
For the performance, students will also be required to wear black long pants, tracksuit pants, tights and black shoes.
Participating schools have been emailed a unique link to confirm shirt sizes. Please submit your shirt orders by Friday 8 March 2024.
Other student opportunities at the festival
Comperes
Schools are now able to nominate pairs of students for the role of Compere at Compass Music Festival.
The Compass Music Festival is looking for confident and enthusiastic public speaking students from Years 5 to 12 to act as comperes for the performance.
Students taking up a position as compere should not be a performer in the festival and must have publicity consent. Comperes' will be required to attend the festival during the day to rehearse before the evening show.
Comperes' will be required to wear their school uniform for the show.
Students should prepare the attached script and submit their audition using the below form.
VET Entertainment students
An opportunity is available for selected students in Years 11 and 12 studying VET Entertainment to complete a work placement as a crew member of the production team for the Festival.
VET Crew would be required to attend the sound check on Sunday 2 June and rehearsals and performance on Monday 3 June 2024
Please email Sarah Armour - sarah.k.armour@det.nsw.edu.au if you have students you wish to nominate for a work placement.
COVID-19
The Compass Music Festival is committed to offering a COVID safe event in 2024.
The festival committee works in conjunction with the Department of Education and supported by The Arts Unit to ensure that the operation of this program is contingent on the COVID-19 advice provided by the department in consultation with NSW Health.
Additional resources
You might like to explore the following 3 Creative Teacher resources developed by The Arts Unit to assist in your preparations for the festival.
Select to go to festival forms
Third-party content attributions
No third-party attributions.
Compass Music Festival - Far South Coast
artsunit.nsw.edu.au/local-arts-programs/compass-music-festival-far-south-coast
The Arts Unit
artsunit.nsw.edu.au