Rob Weule, Creative & Performing Arts Coordinator
Six months in the planning. Countless phone calls, emails, texts and negotiations. Hours upon hours of rehearsal, both at home and at school. Leads and reeds prepared, instruments tuned, cases packed. Mr Booth (our amazing coach driver) briefed, and the parent team assembled. Back at school, lessons written, class covers planned, and staff prepared.
On the Road
Monday Morning:
First day of Band Tour 2025.
Forty-nine excited travellers hit the road.
Five days later:
Nine gigs under our belts.
Over 3,000 students entertained.
A tour party forever changed.
And just like that… it was over.
The tour was done:
A week of gigs.
A week of travel.
A week of living together.
A week of laughter and joy.
A week of teamwork, care and resilience.
But the tour doesn’t just last a week. It lasts a lifetime—a lifetime of memories, friendships and musical connections.
Coming Home
When we got home, we were exhausted.
We were emotional.
We missed our own beds, our toothbrushes, and air that wasn’t scented with coach freshener.
The hot shower awaited.
The home-cooked meal called.
But we were changed forever.
One Band. One Sound. One God.
Thank You
So many people contribute to making an event like this happen. A massive thank you to:
- Our Parent Team: Cat, Stephen, Rachel and Nicole
- Colleagues who covered classes back at school
- Families who supported us from home
- Behind-the-scenes helpers: Caz, Es, Tina, Andrew and Ruth
- The encouragement of school leadership
- Every touring musician—including our teacher-players.
A Word of Encouragement
On the final night, Jodie Paul (our peripatetic music teacher and band member) shared these words with us:
Over the last four days, I have joyously noticed many small acts of kindness and serving, but I would like to highlight the unity you’ve developed as a group. It has been wonderful to see high schoolers, primary students and adults—boys and girls, friends and strangers—performing, serving and laughing together as one.
Jodie went on to reflect on a passage from 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, which speaks of unity among followers of Jesus. She reminded us that these verses apply beautifully to playing in a band and paraphrased them as follows:
Just as a band, though one, has many instruments, but all its many players form one team,
So it is with Kuyper Concert Band.
For we were all encouraged by teachers, parents and friends to learn music,
Whether old or young, Queenslanders or New South Welshmen, Panthers fans or Knights supporters,
And we were given the same pieces of music to play.
If the flute should say, “Because I am not a saxophone, I do not belong to the band,”
It would not, for that reason, stop being part of the band.
And if the triangle should say, “Because I am not a trumpet, I do not belong to the band,”
It would not stop being part of the band.
If the whole band were clarinets, where would the rhythm be?
If the whole band were timpanis, where would the sweetness be?
If the whole band were trombones (pause for effect), where would the SENSE be?
But in fact, God has placed each one of us on this band tour just as He wanted us to be.
If we were all individuals doing our own thing, not listening to each other and working together,
Where would the band be?
As it is, there are many wonderful musicians and support crew here on Band Tour 2025,
But one Kuyper Concert Band team—in the words of Mr Weule,
“One Sound. One Band. One God.”
