Last week in the Junior School, Year 6 students were fortunate enough to spend time working closely with the widely acclaimed Australian Choral Composer, Paul Jarman. As part of our 120th anniversary celebrations, Paul was invited to Barbreck to work on creating and composing a Junior School song.

Paul is a composer, multi–instrumentalist and choir master. He has written over 100 commissioned works for ensembles, festivals and events which have been performed around the world in venues such as the White House, the opening of the World Rugby Cup and at the London Olympics. Paul has been commissioned to write about some of the most inspiring people of our time including Jessica Watson, Helen Keller, Ernest Shackleton, Mary MacKillop and many others.

Last year at our Junior School Music concert, the entire Junior School sang a piece by Paul Jarman called Follow Your Dreams. This song celebrated the life and achievements of Jesse Martin, a young Australian sailor from Melbourne who sailed unassisted around the world. The Barbreck students remembered this piece and were very excited to hear the news of Paul’s visit.

Students in Year 6 spent several days working closely with Paul, reflecting, writing and discussing the things that make St Catherine’s a special place to them. The sessions were productive and creatively exciting as both students and composer strived to touch upon the things that make our School unique. Students wrote about friendships, trust and supporting those around you, having the courage to be yourself, being women of the future, positivity and so much more. It was interesting to note that the blue ribbon element of our School uniform, and all that it represents to a St Catherine’s girl, featured strongly in the students writing and discussions.

The girls were highly engaged in the experience and made a special connection with our resident composer. We cannot wait to share the end result with the wider School community. This collaborative piece will be premiered later in the year.