Excellence & Awards

VCE Season of Excellence

Top performers take to the stage

Darcy Smith, Top Class Theatre Studies 2018 performer

Students from VCE and VCE VET Dance, VCE and VCE VET Music and VCE Drama and Theatre Studies took to the stage last month in events celebrating the VCE Season of Excellence 2018. This included Top Class Dance and Top Class Music at the Melbourne Recital Centre, and Top Class Drama and Theatre Studies at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.

The VCE Season of Excellence is a five-month arts festival showcasing some of Victoria's most talented visual and performing arts students.

At Top Class Dance, students from VCE and VCE VET Dance performed in a range of styles, including contemporary, Broadway, tap, jazz and lyrical. 'Demonstrating physical skill', 'establishing a deep connection with the audience' and 'engaging audience members of all ages with relevant performance backgrounds or no experience at all', were among the stated intentions of the performers.

Top Class Music celebrates performances of classical and contemporary music by students in jazz, classical, rock and a cappella styles. The concert featured works by Brahms, Shostakovich, the Alabama Shakes and more. Original works by students were also performed, including one for voice and ukulele.

The VCE Season of Excellence is a great opportunity for current and future students to be inspired and gain insight into preparing for their VCE studies.

We spoke to Top Class Theatre Studies student, Darcy Smith of Footscray City College, about his experience being on stage at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, as part of the 2018 Season.

What does it mean for you to be involved with Top Class?

Being involved in Top Class is a massive honour; being able to share the experience with so many talented young people is an awesome feeling. For me, Top Class is an event where the tremendous amount of effort put in by students across the state over the year is recognised and showcased. I am excited to have been chosen to be a part of Top Class 2018 and it was an experience I'll never forget.

What inspired you to pursue drama/theatre?

My parents have always been involved with the performing arts, so from a young age I was constantly taken to theatre shows and I was even allowed to be involved behind the scenes, working with techs, assisting front-of-house staff or just sitting backstage. I was always surrounded by theatre. Being able to watch countless plays, musicals and circus acts showed me the sheer joy you can experience when going to the theatre. All the incredible performers I got to see and meet, as well the fantastic experiences I had, encouraged me to be a part of this tremendous scene and I've never looked back. For me there's nothing quite like that sweet adrenaline rush when you step on stage and are given the chance to bring a story to life.

Why do you feel it's important to promote the performing arts to young people?

Young people should be encouraged to be involved in the performing arts because it's a unique form of expression that students can become immersed in. At school, students are usually restrained to their books and computer screens and aren't able to experience one of the core aspects of modern life: art. I also think that being a part of the performing arts helps young people grow more confident and develop a variety of skills, as well as have fun.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

After finishing Year 12, I'm hoping to audition for universities to study and train in musical theatre. Following that, my dream is to be able to perform on stages across the country and work in professional environments so that I can experience everything the world of theatre has to offer. I would also love to pursue my hobby of barbershop music and one day form a group to busk and perform around Melbourne.

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Student creativity on display as Top Screen 2018 launches

Top Screen is part of the VCE Season of Excellence annual arts festival showcasing outstanding senior secondary student work from Victorian schools. Featuring creations from VCE Media students in film, animation and motion design, Top Screen runs until Wednesday 9 May at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

The official launch took place on Thursday 8 March at ACMI, with a viewing of work from 14 top-performing VCE Media students. Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Hollie Fifer, was the guest of honour and helped to officially launch the event alongside VCAA Chair, Chris Wardlaw, and ACMI Education Manager, Christine Evely.

Hollie's film, The Opposition, won the Grand Prize at the International Oceanian Film Festival (FIFO Tahiti) 2017, and was screened at the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2017. In her speech, Hollie recognised the hard work and intrinsic creativity of the young filmmakers present.

'You have been through a creative process like no other – it was yours,' she said. '[It was] your inspiration, your expression, your knowledge and perseverance that created the film that you now share with all of us.'

Self-confessed film enthusiast and VCAA Chair, Chris Wardlaw, welcomed the launch of Top Screen and spoke of the importance of the VCE Season of Excellence as an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning for VCE students.

'For many years now students, indeed all of us, have continued to be inspired by the ideas and creativity of the exhibitions, screenings and concerts that make up the VCE Season of Excellence. Students of all ages can see first-hand the value of creative study in the VCE curriculum and where it can take them', said Chris.

Top Screen is accompanied by education sessions and panel discussions to help audiences gain a deeper insight into the filmmaking process and the assessment requirements of VCE Media.

School groups have the opportunity to view the filmmakers' Production Design Plans (PDPs) after all 'Screening + PDP Viewing' sessions. 'Screening + Meet the Filmmakers' sessions allow current students to hear from the Top Screen filmmakers, and 'Screening + Beyond Top Screen' offers insights from industry professionals and previous Top Screen filmmakers into how to forge a pathway in the media industry. For more information on the 2018 VCE Season of Excellence, visit the VCAA website.

Hollie Fifer with Top Screen 2018 students

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From global to personal, Top Designs 2018

Andrew Kroger and Grace Wilson with Daniela Scaramuzzino
and Kerry Williams from Deans Art

Top Designs 2018 features folios and work from some of Victoria's finest VCE students of Media, Product Design and Technology, Systems Engineering, Visual Communication Design and VCE VET Creative and Digital Media. Theatre Studies has been included in the exhibition for the first time this year, with five student design interpretations of characters from Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol and Into The Woods featuring in Top Designs 2018.

More than 500 people gathered at Melbourne Museum on Friday 16 March to launch the exhibition, which will be on display until Sunday 15 July 2018.

VCAA CEO, Dr David Howes, addressed those gathered for the launch, 'We are here this evening to celebrate the innovative talents of young people and pay tribute to the work of their teachers, who exemplify the highest standards of their profession. Congratulations to the 79 exhibitors whose hard work and creativity are on display in Top Designs.'

Top Designs is part of the 2018 VCE Season of Excellence, a five-month annual arts festival showcasing outstanding senior secondary student work from Victorian schools. The 2018 exhibition was opened by Melbourne-based designer Leah Heiss, whose work includes designing the world's first self-fit modular hearing aid.

The annual Top Designs Deans Art prizes celebrate outstanding design in a variety of categories and were awarded as part of the opening event.

Awareness of global sustainability led Holly Robertson (Ballarat High School) to design a garment using special eco-dying and machine cording processes. This caught the attention of judges and was awarded for Sustainable Practice.

Inspired by her environment and using new techniques, Grace Wilson (Ringwood Secondary College) created brand identity and product designs that use pressed flowers, eucalypt leaves and bark, and won the Research and Development prize.

Ingrid Crossing's (St Catherine's School) costume design illustrates the oppression experienced by members of the totalitarian society described in Orwell's Animal Farm (1945). For her costumes constructed from crutches, foam, cardboard, acrylic paint, hessian, cotton and plastic, Ingrid was awarded the Deans Art prize for Innovative Use of Resources.

The prize for Original Thought went to Victor Moore (Billanook College) for his stop-motion animation work The Keeper. Influenced by Wes Anderson's futuristic visual aesthetics, The Keeper tells the story of a world slowly suffocating from its own energy production.

Andrew Kroger (Scotch College) won the prize for Community Values for his eye-controlled wheelchair. Designed using cheap and ubiquitous components, the eye-controlled wheelchair can be reconstructed by anyone with some knowledge of electronics. Andrew researched and analysed the electrical signals generated by the eye and integrated these with motor-control software to control the movements of the wheelchair.

Top Designs is open until Sunday 15 July. The exhibition is accompanied by education programs and forums with design and technology professionals. For more information, visit the Melbourne Museum website.

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Top Arts 2018 showcases works by top-performing 2017 VCE students

Alexandra Syme, Suburban landscape 2017 –
Woodleigh School, Langwarrin South

Top Arts 2018 opened to a crowd of more than 300 people on Thursday 22 March 2018. An annual favourite on the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) exhibition calendar, Top Arts showcases the exceptional work of students who have completed Art or Studio Arts as part of their VCE in 2017.

The exhibition, curated and administered by the NGV in partnership with the VCAA, comprises works selected from applicants across Victoria. Works encompass a range of media, including photography, film, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, digital and mixed media. Students from each education sector – government, Catholic and independent – are represented.

The exhibition also includes the opportunity to view selected developmental folios and to hear from current exhibitors about their inspiration, ideas and practices.

VCAA CEO, Dr David Howes, said the exhibition demonstrates the strength of the Victorian curriculum and student achievement in the arts.

'It's fantastic to see such exceptional and diverse work from students from across Victoria in Top Arts 2018. This outstanding exhibition allows us to see first-hand the extraordinary creativity expressed and developed through their VCE studies.

'Everyone who attends the exhibition will be inspired both by the ideas and creativity on display and the very hard work that clearly lies behind each and every work.'

Top Arts 2018 is hosted at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia in Federation Square and is open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm until Sunday 15 July. Entry is free.

For more information, visit the Top Arts 2018 webpage on the NGV website. To find out more about the Season, visit the VCE Season of Excellence webpage.

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Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship

Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarships for Performance announced

Top performers take to the stage

L to R: Eliza Bennetts O’Connor and Ally Cho

Ally Cho and Eliza Bennetts O'Connor are the 2018 winners of the Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for Performance. Ally and Eliza were awarded their scholarships at Top Class Music on Tuesday 6 March at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

'Top Class Music showcases performances from students who received outstanding results in their October performance examinations for VCE Music Investigation, VCE Music Performance and VCE VET Music Industry', said Helen Champion, VCAA Performing Arts Curriculum Manager. 'Across the three concerts, the audience was treated to performances of works ranging from the baroque to contemporary art music, works in jazz and rock/pop styles and original works created by student performers. The performances demonstrate the skills required by the examination criteria for each study at the highest level.'

Ally Cho performed the lyrical Introduction and virtuosic Tarantella for violin by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate to a sold-out crowd at VCAA's Top Class Music. Ally's performance of the Introduction displayed outstanding control of a restrained tempo and dynamic palette, which created a dazzling contrast to the energetic dance-rhythms of the Tarantella. Accompanied on stage at the Melbourne Recital Centre by Julie Haskell on piano, Ally is committed 'to play and make music alongside great musicians and spread my enthusiasm and passion to the next generations'.

Being awarded a Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for Performance will help Ally to achieve her education goals. 'After my bachelor's degree, I plan to go overseas to expand my knowledge of music', Ally said of winning the award. 'After I complete my studies, I am very keen to become an orchestral and chamber musician.'

Vocalist Eliza Bennetts O'Connor is a member of VOYCE, Victorian Opera's Youth Chorus Ensemble, and while studying the VCE won the Zonta Award for Most Outstanding/Promising Female Musician. Already a regular performer in musical theatre, opera and solo recitals, Eliza's captivating performance of the 'Vilja song' from The Merry Widow at Top Class Music exhibited all the vocal, stylistic and performance qualities that had impressed the selection panel and the VCE Music Investigation assessors. The wealthy and socially astute widow, Hanna, entertains guests at a garden party with the song of the Vilja or forest nymph in the operetta by Franz Lehar. Much loved by lyric coloratura sopranos such as Dame Joan Sutherland and Sumi Jo, Eliza performed the 'Vilja song' in all its sparkling glory, accompanied by Anne Lewitzka on piano.

'I've been learning classical singing since I was five years old and I LOVE it!' said Eliza. 'I expect that I will continue my tertiary studies through to postgraduate level and then probably travel overseas for further extension studies. Having the privilege of receiving a Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for Performance will help me to accomplish my singing dreams.'

The scholarship was established by the family of the late Margaret Schofield in recognition of her outstanding achievements as a musician and her lifelong commitment to music education. It is available to government school students who achieve high study scores in VCE Music Style and Composition, VCE Music Investigation, VCE Music Performance and/or VCE VET Music and demonstrate commitment to pursuing a career in music performance.

The scholarship is coordinated by the VCAA and in 2018 it provided recipients with $7000 to assist in their pursuit of tertiary studies in music. The winner of the Composition scholarship, Alexander Owens, was announced at the Top Class Sound concert on Friday 23 February. Read more about Alexander's unique compositions in the March 2018 VCAA Bulletin.

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Plain English Speaking Award

Plain English Speaking Award – registrations open

Luke Macaronas (left) with 2017 PESA State finalists

The Plain English Speaking Award (PESA) is 'more than public speaking – it is an opportunity for you to tear down walls, rebuild worlds and find your own story'. That's how Luke Macaronas, 2016 Victorian PESA winner and 2017 International Public Speaking Competition winner, describes his experience being part of PESA.

Registrations for the PESA 2018 regional finals are now open. With 23 regional finals around the state, from Kew to Warragul, Shepparton to Mount Eliza, and Warrnambool to Northcote, there is sure to be a final near your school.

PESA celebrates the perspectives of students aged 15–18 by allowing them to delve into issues they are passionate about in a six-minute prepared speech and three-minute impromptu speech. It is a unique opportunity for self-expression, and for students to develop their research and critical thinking skills.

Students who are passionate about issues and who have a talent for the spoken word, storytelling and alternative writing styles are especially encouraged to register. PESA focuses on developing and exercising students' speechwriting, research and oratory skills.

Fergus Dale (Caulfield Grammar School), the 2017 Victorian state final winner, used the PESA platform to speak about political and social attitudes to the bush, drawing on his experience and perspective as a regional Australian. Fergus boldly called for a 'shift within the public consciousness, to stop seeing regional Australia as merely an add-on to our populous urban areas, and to start seeing it as a solution to the problems that plague our cities'.

Places fill up fast, so all schools are encouraged to apply early. Schools may nominate two students to compete. The national winner will receive a fully funded trip to London to compete in the International Public Speaking Competition in 2019.

The 23 regional finals are held from Monday 28 May to Friday 8 June 2018. Applicants must be aged between 15 and 18 years on 1 January 2018. Entries close Friday 11 May 2018.

A PESA poster will arrive in schools in the coming weeks. For more information or to download the PESA poster, visit the PESA webpage.

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