The primary school students aged 10 to 12 will embark on a trip to Sydney tomorrow to participate in the 2009 Schools Spectacular – a concert which combines over 3000 students from 250 public schools in a choreographed instrumental, vocal and dance performance.

There they will join with another 40 students from six other small schools across New South Wales to create a Small Schools Marimba ensemble, which will perform as foyer entertainment at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Although this is the first time some of the students have participated in the spectacular, Mr Faulkner said it was the ninth year the school had joined in with the NSW Small Schools Marimba ensemble.

Mr Faulkner described the instruments played by the students as “large wooden xylophones” to those who have never seen them.

Other schools involved in the ensemble performance are all small schools with less than 50 students who have a marimbas and teachers willing to work with the kids.

“Bedgerebong is the only Western NSW school,” Mr Faulkner said.

Mr Faulkner said the ensembles were very popular with small schools and the majority of the schools with the current Marimba ensemble, were located in the North Coast and New England parts of the state.

“The kids draw a really big crowd during the event” Mr Faulkner said.

Each school is given a playlist of songs for the concert, which will be performed as a group for the first combined rehearsal time on Thursday, ahead of the 2009 Schools Spectacular opening on Friday.

The students will perform 18 songs from memory, as part of their repertoire, which encompasses new and old songs.

“We have been asked if we would like to join the main production on stage, but due to the nature of the instruments and the amount of shifting and setting up involved, we decided we were happy to stay in the foyer,” Mr Faulkner said.