Eisteddfod 2019

Over the past couple of weeks our students have participated in the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod in both individual and group performances. They have been involved in music, drama and verse speaking categories. Congratulations to all NCS students who participated. There were many firsts, seconds and highly commendeds amongst the results. The following are some of the reports from our instrumental, vocal and drama performances.

Instrumental Eisteddfod

by Mrs Lawrence

It was my great pleasure to attend the instrumental eisteddfod this year with about 35 NCS students from the primary and secondary school.

Our students were lovely audience members and, as usual, their responsible conduct was a great representation of our school.

It was fantastic to see performances from many other schools in the region with the adjudicator having particularly encouraging things to say about our students. We performed on the day with mixed results. Some performances were outstanding, and others knew that they had performed better in rehearsal (as they were impacted by nerves on the day). There is a great deal to be learnt from every public performance, and each experience helps us to learn and grow.

I am proud of all of our students, especially our secondary small ensemble students who demonstrated great maturity by largely organising and rehearsing themselves independently.

We were pleased to be awarded one first, three seconds, and two highly commended awards. All students received marks above 78/100 - Well done!

Thank you to the parents who attended as part of the audience on the day.

Our Trip to the Eisteddfod By Charley B, Chloe C, Maddie C (Year 5 & 6)

On Thursday 30 May, Primary and Secondary Concert Bands went to the Instrumental Eisteddfod. We went on two separate trips on the NCS school bus. There were a lot of performances, trios, duets and more. We were second to perform with the percussion. When all the percussion performances were done for primary, the next section was about to start and we were all a little nervous but we got it all done. The songs we played were La Cucaracha and Alien Crossfire. The people in our band had so much fun. The highlight of the day was being able to perform at the eisteddfod for the first time. It was fun, nerve-racking, exciting, joyful and a good experience. We got to spend time with our friends, listen to other school bands and hear duets, trios and quartets. It was helpful to hear our adjudicators' feedback and see what we can improve on. It was very special and a privilege for the three of us to play with the secondary band. We are all looking forward to next year.

NCS Drama at the Eisteddfod

by Mrs Ellery

Last Wednesday a group of fifty students from Stage 2 and Stage 5 Drama performed at the Eisteddfod. Four different groups from Years 3 and 4 have been rehearsing at lunchtimes for over a term. Their High School Directors have been so impressed with the way they have learned their lines and rehearsed together. Congratulations are due to our directors who have, with patience and maturity, handled these young talents and encouraged them.

The teachers accompanying them were so proud of how they performed - on and off the stage! And a big thanks to our parents who turned up to watch and support. A special shout out to those who then stayed on to watch the Stage 5 group - having an audience makes such a difference. The adjudicator was lovely and was very impressed with the level of performance from all of the groups.

Singing at the Eisteddfod

by Mrs Ellery

Last Thursday our Primary Choir and our Secondary Ensemble attended the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod. For the first time the choral section was held at the Nowra City Church. Our Primary Choir performed 'Five Eyes' and 'Shadows of Africa', a challenging song from the upcoming Primary Musical 'Jungle Drums'. They were part of a very competitive section with twelve schools competing. We were thrilled to achieve a third place.

Our Secondary Vocal Ensemble performed two terrific songs: 'Once Upon a December' and 'Strange Birds' and were rewarded for their hard work with a second place. We would like to congratulate both our groups, not only on their achievements, but also on the way they conducted themselves and represented the school so admirably.

A very special thank you to our accompanists: Mr Harrison in Secondary and Mrs Poulden in Primary.