Books take a bow on WA Symphony Orchestra stage

Students were immersed in the colourful world of children’s literature at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School on Monday, when a quintet of West Australian Symphony Orchestra musicians performed the Sound of Picture Books in the South West for the first time.

An initiative of The Literature Centre, with partners WASO and Yamaha Australia, the workshop brought three stories to life with art, music and drawing in action.

Two of the works, Parachute and Tree, illustrated by Danny Parker and Matt Ottley, were performed to the primary school-aged students, while Home and Away, by John Marsden and Matt Ottley, attracted students from high schools across the region.

The Literature Centre’s director Lesley Reece AM said the Bunbury performances were an exciting step.

“Ever since we took The Sound of Picture Books to Geraldton in 2015, we’ve been inundated with requests from regional centres to bring it to them,” she said.

“It’s so good to know that children of the Bunbury-Busselton region could enjoy the magic of these performances without having to travel all the way to Perth.”

Illustrator and composer Matt Ottley said it was rewarding to produce innovative work which engaged students in new ways.

“The performances provide a richer sensory experience, stimulating different parts of the brain and encouraging real lateral thinking,” he said.

Musical accompaniment to the books gives mood and emotional context unlike a book on its own, or even a picture book offering words and illustrations.”