St Peter’s Girls’ Annual Piano Eisteddfod
On Thursday, 93 girls from Reception to Year 9 participated in our Annual St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Eisteddfod. This event is an opportunity for all students, no matter the level or experience in piano, to have the opportunity to perform and share their learning with their peers, receiving helpful feedback on their music making.
Events like this are particularly valuable because music education has consistently shown improvements in cognitive function across multiple executive functions. These findings are supported by numerous reliable and randomised studies.
Learning music engages the brain in a unique and comprehensive way. Playing the piano requires coordination of fine motor skills, auditory processing, and visual cues, all while maintaining rhythm and pitch. This multifaceted engagement promotes neuroplasticity, enhancing the brain’s capacity to adapt and grow.
Children who receive music education often perform better in areas such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. The benefits of music learning extend beyond academic performance, contributing to overall cognitive development and emotional well-being. Music learning fosters discipline, patience, and the ability to work collaboratively—skills that are invaluable in any context.
Congratulations to all our participants. We look forward to the Piano Recital on Thursday evening, June 19, where students who were recognised for their confident, musical and accurate performance have been selected to perform alongside special guest, Adelaide-based pianist, Jenny Su.
Jenny is a first-class Honours graduate of the Elder Conservatorium of Music. She is a two-time recipient of the Wilf Mader Memorial Medallion amongst other numerous awards and has won the Senior division of the Adelaide Eisteddfod for three consecutive years—2023, 2024, and 2025. She has twice been a national finalist in the Young Virtuoso Competition.
Jenny is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Elder Conservatorium, where she studies with Lucinda Collins. We look forward to hearing Jenny’s performance as well as hearing a little about her music journey thus far.
We are also excited to have Year 10 student Samantha Li, perform one of her compositions that she is preparing for her Stage 2 Music studies assessment.
