You can feel the pride and passion exude from Janelle Fletcher as she reflects on her thirty-year career as a Music Tutor at Toowoomba Grammar School.
“It’s a long time to stay in any job,” she admitted.
“But working with the boys, seeing how important it is to have music in their lives and to develop not only as musicians but as people, that’s what’s kept me here.”
Janelle believes staff in an all-boys’ school have a real understanding of boys.
“It’s been very positive for me to see the changing face in education with boys over the years and how we connect with, engage and inspire boys to learn across the board; it’s a good thing,” said Janelle.
Janelle has played an integral role in the development of the Music Program at TGS. Watching it grow from one room with less than 50 boys involved in the co-curricular program, to the opening of the Junior School in 1997 and dedicated music facilities across the entire School. Janelle contributed to the program’s growth from a few small Senior School choirs to instrumental lessons, then the involvement of all Junior School students and the implementation of performances, competitions and musicals.
“It’s an extraordinary achievement and has been inspiring to be part of the development of such an impressive music program,” Janelle beamed.
“My role has evolved over that time too; starting out teaching piano to being involved in all aspects of the program.”
Janelle credits the success of the TGS Music Program to the dedication of staff and the calibre of educators in the music department. She said TGS seeks out the best candidates and finds the right people for the job.
“I’ve worked in a lot of schools but the support of the TGS staff and Executive has been extraordinary,” said Janelle.
“The School really nurtures the performing arts; the cliché the we’re just a sporting school is certainly not true, as anyone involved in the Arts here would know.”
Her continued connection with former students is testament to her love of her job and the passion she evokes in her tutees.
Just a few weeks ago she recognised a young man in the shops and said “Geoffrey Raymond, boarder from Gundy.” His response, “Miss Fletcher, piano teacher from TGS.” Janelle had not seen him since his last music lesson in 1994!
“That type of reconnection is a wonderful reflection on the TGS music department,” said Janelle.
“We’re not just tutors, we’re heavily involved in pastoral care as well. The boys often talk to us about life in general and we’re there to help them find their way.”
Janelle’s career is diverse. Along with her lessons at TGS, she is a Director on the Board of the Empire Theatre and the Chair of the Empire Theatre Foundation, responsible for awarding thousands of dollars in bursaries to promising performers.
She shrugged off the responsibility of the role and stated, “I invest as much time into teaching a Prep student to love music as I do into keeping the Empire Theatre operational during a pandemic.”
She has too many highlights from her career to list them all but said to see former students Andrew Stone and Alex Miller reach the pinnacle of their careers has been very satisfying. Andrew Stone (TGS Old Boy 1997-2001) is the General Manager of Chugg Music, the Record Label and Management division of Chugg Entertainment, while Alex Miller (TGS Old Boy 2007-2011) is the Associate Principal, French Horn with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
But what she finds equally rewarding is receiving photos of TGS Old Boys playing music from music sheets with Janelle’s notations on them, dating back to the nineties; or messages from them saying that they still enjoy playing music today.
“Now I teach the children of my former students,” smiled Janelle.
“And I have no plans to finish any time soon, I love it too much.”
Latest Blog
DNF (Did Not Finish)
- Dan CrookHead of Library and Information Services I was talking books with a friend the other day; an avid reader, she had been looking for some light reads in new genre for the holidays, and so had sought out the wisdom of the internet. After watching a few BookToks (Tiktok book recommendations) she’d settled on some titles and begun to read. However after investing a good amount of her time and getting half way through the first and most highly recommended book, she asked herself, and then…
TGS Boarding - A Safe, Welcoming and Joyous Community
“From a boarding perspective, enabling young boys to flourish is only achieved within a community that is safe, welcoming, and joyous. These three aspects are at the core of my boarding philosophy and are closely aligned with my fundamental values as a boarding Head of House – acceptance, resilience, and fun,” explains Mr Henry White, Head of Corfe House. Corfe House serves as the entry point for Toowoomba Grammar School’s youngest boarders (Years 5 to 7) and the skills, relationships, and…
Transitioning to Year 7 at TGS
Can you remember your first day in secondary school? It can be a time of mixed feelings - very exciting, but also quite daunting and challenging. Irrespective of whether your son is joining us from the TGS Junior School, or if they are just starting at Toowoomba Grammar School, it can appear to be the start of a long journey. It is a rite of passage in many respects but with this comes increased emotions in response to transition. The boys have a lot to digest with a new, possibly larger campus…
The Boarding Journey
Every parent will have a unique journey with their son whilst he is boarding at Toowoomba Grammar School. I’m Kym Wright, mother of Clancy, who is in Year 12 and this is my journey…. From my very first experience with Toowoomba Grammar School Boarding ten years ago, I had a good feeling straight away that TGS would be the perfect fit for my son. I was picking up my nephew for lunch. He had started boarding at TGS just six weeks prior. It was pouring rain and there were boys enthusiastically…
Building Self-Confidence and Resilience in Year 7s
As your child enters the new and unknown world of secondary school, it is a very important time to nurture the confidence and self-esteem of your son. Adolescence can also be a time of bewildering physical changes and strong emotions, opinions and increasing independence. Nurturing their confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness will go a long way to helping them to have the self-belief to tackle difficult new academic challenges, to developing new friendships and social skills, and…
Introducing our new Head of Year 7 - Jodi Blades
My family moved from Brisbane to Toowoomba when I was ten years of age. I’ve lived here for most of my life, other than to study and begin my teaching career in Brisbane. I lived and worked in London for 18 months before returning to Toowoomba in 2001. With over 20 years’ experience teaching and leading pastoral care programs within independent day and boarding schools, I am dedicated to developing students holistically; the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and physical development of…
Holiday Reading Recommendations
Here is a snapshot; three titles from each year level, and from Head of Library and Information Services, Mr Dan Crook to inspire your choices for holiday reading: Year 7: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The last Ronin. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen Billy Slaters autobiography - Billy Slater Year 8: The dead of the night (Tomorrow series) - James Marsden Rangers Apprentice The ruins of Gorlan - John Flannagan The Hunger games. -Suzanne Collins Year 9: Back to the Pillaga - Tony Parsons Deadpool Samurai…
Life After School
As children grow and develop, they participate in a range of new experiences, with the “journey” from birth to adulthood being shaped by several awaited and expected transitions. These transitions occur across a range of context and help us to evolve in new environments. It is important to note that transition is associated with a change, which is something that happens for all of us. The concept of transition involves how we process, manage, and respond to the change. As adults, we work hard…
TGS Artist in Residence - Ben Tupas
I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years. After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice. With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable…
