Silence between the notes

By Miss Ellena Papas, Dean of Co-curriculum ‘The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.’ —Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In Japanese aesthetics, there is the most beautiful concept, known so simply, as ‘ma’. Translated to ‘negative space’, ‘ma’ is that space between the walls of a building, the white between the lines of a drawing, the silence between the sounds in music. It is not form, yet form cannot exist without ‘ma’; it is almost a philosophical statement—what is darkness, but the absence of light? It is what the person in the building, the person admiring the picture or the person listening to music experiences, and without it, there would be chaos. In music, silence can take us on an emotional journey in almost any direction. We can find the building of incredible tension, the utter heartbreak of indescribable beauty, a sense of anticipation or the shock of surprise; the possibilities are endless, and…

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What can games teach us about educational practice?

Mr Brendon Thomas, Director of Technologies Video games have been the topic of debate for years. From their association with behavioural addiction to their influence on social engagement, the popularity of gaming among young people is to say the least, contentious. However, removing ourselves from the pros and cons of actual gaming, it can be productive to explore how some of the non-digital techniques—for example, storytelling and character development—are employed by developers to engage players, both young and old. Perhaps an understanding the efficacies of these techniques can be used in the classroom, to better engage students and inspire learning? By analysing the extraordinary immersive appeal of games we can potentially expand on our pedagogical views for how to creatively engage students in thinking and learning. We know that a well-designed game, like a great novel, has the power to captivate a mind, young or old, immersing players in a quest that compels them to solve…

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The Power of the Ensemble

Mr Paul Holley OAM, Acting Director of Instrumental Music, spoke to students about the ensemble's ability to provide skills of collaboration, discipline, commitment and resilience, while building a community of like-minded learners.

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Bake to the Future

Ms Sarah Frew, Associate Dean (Academic Care), reflects on working slowly in a fast-paced world—the choice to ‘slow’ in the face of agendas that endlessly call for agility and innovation.

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Thinking to Learn

Ms Alison Dare, Director of Humanities, explores the relational nature of learning and why it is important for the space between teacher and student to be predominantly a conversational one. 

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