Rangi Ruru Music

🎶 🎉Another great Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival has just finished for the Jazz Band this year!

🎤🎸Over four days the band entertained large and appreciative audiences at Fairhall School, Oxley's Bar and Kitchen in Picton, the Marlborough District Library, Woodbourne Tavern and the beautiful Summerset Retirement Village in Springlands. In addition there was a competition performance and workshop, masterclasses, listening to other bands, and culminating with a great Gala Concert on the final night. 🎷🥁There was so much learning, growth and development from all of the young musicians taking part during our time away, which is the most valuable aspect of Southern Jam.

💙 💛At the Summerset Retirement Village we were welcomed by Rangi alumna Keren Mitchell (nee Gardner) who was a boarder at Rangi in the late 1950's. And she brought along her amazing school hat with the names of her friends and classmates all sewn on, complete with tassels in the clan colours on the top - which you can see in the photos.

🎺 🎹 Congratulations to the band on being awarded a Silver Award and to the three students who were selected for the All Stars Band - Anya Fang (keys), and Abby Fleming and Serena Min (trumpets). Finally this will not have happened without our incredible Jazz Band Director Lana Law and the support from the students' individual instrumental and vocal tutors.

👏Our grateful thanks also to the incredible organisers for all the hard mahi over any months to make this event happen, and for the sponsors including Pure Events Marlborough, the Marlborough District Council and KBB Music.
Rangi Ruru Girls' School

🎷🎺 The Jazz Band has had a great start to the Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival in Blenheim with two gigs today - at Fairhall School and in Picton.
👏 Huge thanks to Lana Law for her expertise direction of the band.
🎸🎤 We are really looking forward to our gig tomorrow at the Blenheim Public Library and our competition and masterclass on Friday afternoon followed by Woodbourne Tavern on Friday evening! Rangi Ruru Girls' School 💙 💛

🎶 🌟 Best wishes to Year 13 student and cellist Elise Tian, who this week leaves NZ to travel to Aspen, Colorado, for the prestigious Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS). Founded in 1949, AMFS is regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the world, noted for its concert programming and musical training of young musicians aged 26 years and below, with some of the current classical world superstars ranking amongst alumni of this school.
🎻 Elise is looking forward to further developing her musicianship in an international environment alongside peers with similar interests through learning from world leading performers and teachers. She will undertake extensive solo work with two private lessons each week and studio classes with some of the top US cello teachers, along with chamber music workshops and performances. In addition she will have the opportunity to attend orchestral and solo concerts by some of the world's top performing artists, including pianist Yuja Wang, and violinist Augustin Hadelich. We look forward to hearing more about this amazing opportunity on Elise's return in late August. 💙 💛 Rangi Ruru Girls' School

🌟 One of the highlights of a busy Term 2 was our Soundwaves Concert on Wednesday July 1st, featuring the Jazz Band, Rock Bands, Percussion Ensembles, Year 11 Music class band, and Rangi Players.
🎺🎸🎷🎻This was a concert full of a diverse range of music enjoyed by a large and appreciative audience of whanau and friends. It was a true celebration of the many talents and musical interests of students from all year levels across the school.
👏 Congratulations to all performers - the hard mahi to prepare for this evening was certainly worth it, and it was such a great way to end the term. 💙 💛

🌟 Rising Stars
Great Hall Lunchtime Concert
Tuesday July 21, 1.10pm
🎻 Hayley Jiang - Violin
🎻 Natalija Sekicki - Violin

Feeling very excited about our next Rising Stars concert this coming Tuesday.
This will feature two super talented young violinists, Rangi Ruru Girls' School student Hayley Jiang, and Natalija Sekicki with their accompanists Tim Emerson and Nadja Sekicki.
🎶 They will be performing works by Mozart, Greig, Manuel de Falla and Prokofiev. A splendid programme filled with beauty, passion and melody.
Please come along to experience and support these wonderful young musicians.
https://www.artscentre.org.nz/whats-on/hayley-jiang-and-natalija-sekicki-violin-recital/
Ruru Girls' School 💙 💛

🎺 👏 Congratulations to trumpet player Abby Fleming, who this week is in Wellington rehearsing with the 2026 New Zealand Youth Symphonic Winds. The winter programme is a jam-packed week of masterclasses, rehearsals, and learning from the Royal NZ Airforce Band.
If you are in Wellington this week you can hear the group:
🎵 Friday 17 July – 4pm @ Wellington College
🎵 Saturday 18 July – 10am @ Te Papa
🌟 Ka pai, and best wishes Abby 💙 💛 Rangi Ruru Girls' School

Congratulations Lucy 🎶🎤🎉

Christchurch singer songwriter Lucy Ward is working hard to spread a message of hope When guests at Christchurch’s Crowne Plaza hotel are served by helpful staff member Lucy Ward, they may get a glimpse of the creative flair that emanates from the hospitality worker.

🎶 📖 Senior NCEA music classes along with Music Scholars recently attended an online workshop relating to Performance Anxiety, run by Mark Bain, from Tasmania, through his company Performance Under Pressure.
🎹 🎺 This was an excellent opportunity for students to be made aware that being ‘nervous’ before a performance is quite normal, and how to reframe this feeling and use it to enhance a performing experience. Students learnt about why nervousness happens, what this looks like, and some strategies to help cope with this. We wish to provide ongoing individual and group support with this through classes, co-curricular music groups and possibly further workshops later in the year. 💙 💛 Rangi Ruru Girls' School

🎉👏 Congratulations to the following Year 7 and 8 students on their selection for the Christchurch Schools' Music Festival Representative Groups.
This year we have seven students representing Rangi in these groups, reflecting the high quality of some of our younger musicians. Students will start rehearsing during Term 3 and will perform every night at the Music Festival in early November, which will include all of our Year 7 students on one of those evenings.

🎤Senior Representative Choir - Sophia Payne (Year 8)

🎶🥁Concert Band - Elsa D**g (flute - Year 7), Emily Li (percussion - Year 7), Jasmine Wang (flute- Year 8), Emma Zhou (flute - Year 7)

🎻🎵Symphony Orchestra - Emma Xing (cello - Year 8), Angela Zhao (violin - Year 8) Rangi Ruru Girls' School 💙 💛