After attending the recent Music at Midday concert by the RMC Band, Year 6 students at Canberra Girls Grammar School were tasked with writing a review of the performance.

Their music teacher, Wyana O’Keeffe, selected two reviews for publication by Canberra Daily: the first by Anna Gaillard, the second by Eliza Carpenter.

Review: Music at Midday, 8 August 2023

By Anna Gaillard, Year 6 student at Canberra Girls Grammar School

Recently, the CGGS Year 6 students went to the Music at Midday performance and I was fortunate enough to be one of them. From Advance Australia Fair to Time Warp, all the pieces were incredible and it showed how much the artists would have to practise to get to this point. Going into it I had low expectations but my mind was soon changed as they picked up their instruments. They had a huge vocabulary of songs and even had No Time to Die by Billie Elish to add some more interest to the younger viewers.

I enjoyed the whole experience but one of my favourite pieces was Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off. In the piece, the vocals were outstanding showing a huge range of pitch, and had a fun storyline between the boy and the girl. In the beginning, they had a fun role play that started the song off and made it seem like a fun musical by adding to the song. The tempo was incredible and bouncy with a smooth beat. This was definitely a highlight of the performance and had me humming the song for the rest of the day.

There was definitely another song that grabbed my attention and I think anyone who went will agree that The Girl From Ipanema was a huge part of this performance. They started off by acknowledging the artist who recently passed. They did an incredible job singing and performing the song which made me feel like I was listening to the audio recording. The tempo was jazzy yet sad as the lights dimmed to give it the effect. This was an incredible moment in this performance and I could tell everyone in the theatre smiled as they played the last note.

Another incredible piece that really grabbed my attention was Time Warp. It was the last piece and wrapped up the whole performance with a fun song that had everyone doing the iconic dance. The structure of the song made it all flow together and made me happy I wasn’t in maths. With a brassy texture, this song gave an old, but fun feel. By the end, I was in awe and my hands hurt for a while for clapping so hard. I know for a fact that whenever I hear this song in the future, I will remember this performance.

The Music at Midday was an outstanding experience and the next time they come back to Canberra Theatre I will definitely be going with my family. If you ever notice that they are performing, I definitely recommend getting a ticket and having the amazing experience I did.

Review: Music at Midday, 8 August 2023

By Eliza Carpenter, Year 6 student at Canberra Girls Grammar School

On Tuesday 8 August, the Band of the Royal Military College performed Music at Midday for a crowd of over five hundred people. Based in Canberra, the Military College Band, or RMC, are a band of the Australian Army who were founded in 1916. They are a ceremonial band, but they also perform fun concerts with a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. They often perform in parades and ceremonies at Duntroon.

Conducted by Major Matt O’Keeffe, the band delivered stunningly flawless performances of 12 different pieces. Each piece was unique, and there was no real theme, but every piece the band played complemented the next. The audience was on the edge of their seats, alive with the rousing music, and it was sad to have to leave at the end. 

One piece that stood out especially was the band’s performance of Danse Bacchanale by Camille Saint Saens from the opera, Samson and Delilah. This piece was fast paced and driving, with an eerie melody and a smooth, flowing rhythm. This piece felt very much like music one would dance a flamenco to. It was obvious that the audience was captivated by the RMC’s incredible performance of this moving, rhythmic dance.

The seventh piece that the band played was none other than No Time to Die by Billie Eilish. The youngest person ever to compose a Bond theme, Billie Eilish has created a dramatic and heavy piece that the band portrayed very well. Although the concert band is mainly made up of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments, they managed to capture the flowing feel of the piece. The low, slow music spun a nostalgic feel that was felt by all. The sad tunes from the woodwind sections mixed with the smooth, rich melodies sung by Corporal Angie Currington had the room echoing with sorrow and suspense. 

To finish off the already incredible concert, the RMC played their twelfth piece, the well-known song, Time Warp by O’Brien and Harley from the Rocky Horror Show. Musicians Corporal Angie Currington and Wesliam Tagaloa sang the catchy tune with gusto, complete with the fun dance moves, too! This piece was fortissimo with a driving tempo of 176 BPM. The audience loved this piece especially, with many of the crowd members joining in with the dance moves. It was clear that the band enjoyed playing this piece, too, and as the song progressed, the whole room was positively humming with energy. 

I personally thought this concert was well played, and really immersive and enjoyable. Although there was no theme to what they played, I really enjoyed the whole vibe of it, and the whole audience became more and more engrossed in the rousing music. The whole theatre came alive with the band’s music, and I couldn’t visibly see someone who didn’t enjoy performing.

As well as having good music, the conductors and the MC’s made the concert really funny and riveting. It wasn’t as if I was watching the performance, it was like I was in the performance. The RMC is next performing on Wednesday 6 December 12pm at the Canberra Theatre, and I highly recommend attending.