2024 has been a stunning year for students at Jazz Workshop Australia, with phenomenal success in HSC music and auditions. For international readers, HSC is hte Higher School Certificate, the final examination for high school students in the Australian state of New South Wales.
HSC Music
At least 15 of our Year 12 students have scored the highest level of Band 6 in HSC music. They’ve been recognised in the official Distinguished Achievers’ list (click here to see the list of 2024 HSC high achievers). One student, Thomas Hildebrandt (drums, vibraphone, marimba) was top 5 in the state in the demanding Music Extension course! Most of the students took the Music 2 and Music Extension courses while one took Music 1.
Of the successful HSC students from JWA, all of them played in either jazz combo or big band. Of the fifteen, twelve were members of jazz combos, mostly for at least several years. It really does seem to give an edge, not just in performance but across the board, in musicology, composition, and aural skills too.
Auditions
This was also another wonderfully successful year for JWA students auditioning for university music. 15 of our students were Offred places at the Sydney Conservatorium of music and one got into Berklee in the USA. Every one of our Year 12s who played in jazz combo got into either the Sydney Conservatorium or Berklee. Again, it really does seem to provide a powerful edge.
Other success & achievements
Success in HSC music and auditions is exciting, important, and tremendous. But so too are the couple of hundred students at JWA who are enjoying music, improving constantly, and just getting a lot out of music and from being part of our amazing, creative community here. There are adults who have taken up music after a long layoff, or are exploring jazz for the first time. There are very young children, 7 and 8 years old, just starting out on their jazz journey as improvising musicians in combos and lessons. There are young people winning lucrative private school scholarships, and others playing their first professional gigs this year.
All of these things are exciting too and we celebrate all these successes.
One of the very best things about all these high achievers in HSC music and auditions is that they weren’t all superstars when they first came to us. They were keen students who learnt to play jazz and got good over time through hard work, good teaching, and sustained effort. JWA isn’t an “only accept the best and then take credit” kind of place. JWA’s not just about “rising stars”: everybody gets an opportunity and everybody’s welcome.
Do you want to learn jazz?
Click a link to:
find out about joining a jazz combo
find out about private jazz music lessons
find out about the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra, our resident big band for school age students.
