Students are the heart of this program, confidently supported by dedicated, passionate and creative teachers and volunteers who provide opportunities for all students to excel. There are Festival Choirs in over 300 schools across South Australia, as well as Orchestras and Performance Troupes in metropolitan Adelaide. Primary students have performance opportunities as soloists, hosts or as part of The South Australian Public Primary Schools (SAPPS) Choir, our showpiece choir, which provides choral extension to auditioned students. Both primary and secondary students can audition to participate in the Orchestra or perform as a Guest Artist or in a Foyer Concert before the show. Auslan is promoted through signing choirs for Advance Australia Fair, while the look of the festival is created through a visual arts competition for primary school students to design the front cover of our songbook and thus the “look” of each festival.
The Primary Schools Music Festival (PSMF) remains at the forefront of Arts education. Our repertoire exposes students to a wide variety of genres. Each year new songs, as well as related curriculum resources, are made easily accessible for teachers, students and their families. World class professional development is provided each year with school-based choir teachers, accompanists and support staff regularly reporting that Choir conferences are the best and most enjoyable Professional Development they receive.
The Primary Schools Music Festival (PSMF) has a long tradition of supporting local and Australian composers with yearly commissions for new choral repertoire based on a particular curriculum area or theme. The Society also supports and showcases the work of outstanding professional Arts businesses in Adelaide, from staging, sound, vision and lighting companies to printers, piano tuners and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
The positive benefits of maintaining a culture of music, choirs and singing in schools has been proven through the increasing body of research in the neuroscience of Music. Singing unequivocally strengthens connections within the brain, inoculates against future disease, fosters social connection and teamwork, boosts literacy and numeracy, improves body posture, develops lung function, and assists in the development of emotional self-regulation.
We have a tool that connects each of us with our shared humanity. Your donation will be used to keep our choral program accessible in order to continue this iconic intergenerational experience where all South Australian public primary school students can perform together, becoming part of the enduring legacy of excellence in music.