08 Oct 2011
Stuarts Point Public School Marimba and J-Pipe band played on National radio at the Ray Hadley Promotion Day at Eungai's Unkya Reserve.
The students were thrilled to be included in the Continuous Call Team's Saturday radio show and four of their songs were broadcast over the afternoon. Ray Hadley made the kids feel really welcome and chatted with them and Miss Worling, the principal, about the school and the children's heritage in the local area.
It was quite an effort to get all the marimbas and J-Pipes to the reserve and to find a time when all the students could perform, as many had sporting commitments during the day.
Eighteen students are involved in the marimba group, with three players on each instrument. Marimbas are based on a type of African xylophone and were introduced to Australia by Jon Madin, who also creates other "Wacky" instruments, runs music workshops and has a website- www.marimbamusic.com.au. The J-Pipes are made from irrigation pipe formed into a J shape and are carried by the performer and hit with a wooden stick.
The band is led by Miss Tonya Worling, the school's teaching principal, who introduced the instruments to the school. The marimbas are set up in the school's music room so that students are free to practise during their school breaks.
All the J-Pipes and two of the marimbas were built at the school last year by students and parents with the help and guidance of Adrian Madin (Jon's brother), a marimba specialist from the Coffs area.
Marimbas feature at the Schools Spectacular and last year two Stuarts Point students travelled to Sydney to perform in the State Small School's Marimba Ensemble at the Entertainment Centre. This group is led by Danny Spillane, the principal of Kentucky Public School in the New England region.