On Thursday 14 October, Vivaldi Strings embarked on an inaugural service project, ‘Hearts in Harmony’, and visited Red Hill Special School (RHSS). Mr Zorzetto and our students have been working together with the staff from RHSS to find ways to maximise positive interactions and have invested time thinking about how to tailor their musical performance to enhance connection with the RHSS students and how they might respond in return.
They performed a selection of music that drew inspiration from the natural world—the moon, rainbows, thunderstorms, and bird song—all designed to highlight how we sense music and instantly create a deep connection with our audience. It was a great opportunity for our students to connect with a new and appreciative audience, and for us to give back to our wider community.
The students, carers, and teachers at RHSS were extremely excited to greet us, and many responded to our music in different, positive ways. Ms Robinson, the music teacher from RHSS, remarked that we had truly enriched their week, not only with the opportunity to experience lots of beautiful music but also the prompts for many other class-based activities.
At the end of the performance, Mr Zorzetto presented a gift to Ms Robinson of hand-drawn and decorated cardboard ‘yellow brick’ posters that Vivaldi strings students worked on during rehearsals. A picture of a violin, viola, cello or bass and a personal message about what inspires us to play music was on each. All involved hope that this will start a wonderfully rich relationship between our two schools that will continue to develop in the years to come.
A big congratulations to the students in Vivaldi Strings and their conductor Mr Zorzetto. A big thank you to Ms Robinson and all the RHSS staff for their coordination and to Mr Patterson who accompanied the excursion and documented the visit by taking photos. All involved hope that this will be the start of a wonderful, rich relationship between our two schools that will continue to develop in the years to come.
