2022 Post Concert Write Up
13 November 2022 Sunday – the day LESI Multicultural Children’s Concert 2022 roared back into Logan Entertainment Centre with over 250 children performers, 600 live and 3000 online audiences. After 2 years of hiatus due to Covid19 virus disallowing large groups of people to gather, the multicultural concert finally hit back in town and was celebrated with such fanfare!
The day started with a massive scramble for the little ones - fresh off their beds, grabbing their instruments and accessories, all ready to do their best in the morning rehearsals at 7am. Parents were on top of their game, right on time and absolutely cooperative to make sure that the little ones have their best shot for the day.
The LESI crew of teachers had been working all month long before this big day - preparing the media works, checking and packing up the instruments, rehearsing their own performance items and at the same time, putting out encouraging words to the new comers and parents. Yes, it was a massive concert but it was also one that is focused on the children and for the family. It was all about being inclusive and no one should be left frightened or stressed out. This was going to be a celebration of hard work and all the beliefs that we have teach and lived by in LESI.
The children had prepared and practised for the concert since June and they have taken such pride in putting up their best show and selves.
The official event kicked started at just after mid-day where the generous sponsors and partners began arriving to set up a game area before the big show. CKON – one of the major sponsors popped in with a massive case of high-quality travel mug as the game prize while Relationship Australia (Queensland), Area 51, Chang Jiang Currency Exchange, Robam started piling up their goodies and gifts for the arriving guests.
The crowd began packing in merely minutes from then; children plotting their little game strategies to get the greatest number of signatures from the booths in order to win the CKON prize as soon as they could. It was a competition against time! Light sticks, stickers, goodie bags and lollies, and we had to remind the little ones that the best part of the day had only just begun!
Shortly after, we kicked off the media broadcast for the VIPs. The children squealed with delight as LESI Dragon Drummer- Mr Long welcomed the guests as the official mascot of LESI group of music schools. Experienced and humorous Mr Lewis Lee OAM with having Aunty Peggy – the Logan Elder addressed and opened the event. As a multicultural country, we have community leaders from many cultural groups speaking and sharing with us the beauty of living in a loving and diverse state of Queensland. We had representatives and speakers from the communities of the Thai, Indian, African, Chinese, Australian and even the multicultural team of the Queensland Police Service. It was a beautiful annual reunion of old friends from all cultures, traditions and races.
The official music concert promptly blasted off at 3pm with the opening item by the talented teaching staff of LESI music school. The concert had a major surprise and twist that garnered hearty laughter and massive applause from the audience. There was no host, emcee or speaker. The concert was going to be a film! With full attention on the screen, the audiences started to understand where they were heading – to the past! Following the main character of the film – Rachel who is also the Managing Director of the school, the audiences flew back in time and explored the different genre of music. Rachel teleported the audience into the era of the origin of Greek music then to the rural country towns and even to the best times of Rock and Roll music - Elvis Presley’s world!
The children performed the most signature pieces of every music genre, rocking the roofs down and blew the audiences away. The concert featured the best of the children with their instruments held up high and proud – the E-drums, the E-piano, the guitars, the trumpet, the violins and more!
As the audiences were moved from era to era, the Gold Coast Drumline, Seriously Dance group and the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Performance Group jumped in and took the show to an all high – showcasing the best of the children’s talents in dance, music, cultures, traditions and the arts.
The evening ended with a finale of 200 children on stage, beaming with pride, smiling broadly for the cameras and waving proudly to the paparazzi and mamarazzi on the audience floor. A full blast of bright sparks threw the entire crowd into a frenzy of excitement and loud cheers. The massive support for the children was touching and heartening. The love for music and the support of the parents to walk hand in hand with their child through the journey of music learning was loud and clear.
The night wasn’t just a celebration of the children, their cultures and their talents. It was clearly a night to celebrate a music journey – every child’s music learning journey. A journey that bears milestones of every growing child that will forever be cherished and celebrated.