Sixteen students at Mullumbimby High will soon be collaborating with some of the best in the business as part of SongMakers, a national music mentoring program.
Mullum High has been chosen to take part in the program, which is offered to a select 50 Australian schools each year and partners students with some of Australia’s most successful musicians and producers.
The school will transform into a kind of creative hothouse for the budding songwriters and producers.
They will work over two intensive days in May with two award-winning producer/writers Robert Conley (KISS, Santana, Destiny’s Child, Ricky Martin, Thelma Plum, Amy Meredith) and Ilan Kidron, who has also written for Ricky Martin, Jessica Mauboy and Tina Arena, among others.
SongMakers is aimed at nurturing the next generation of hit-makers while they’re still in the classroom.
Under the program, senior music students work closely with two high profile mentors – one artist and one producer – to create ‘market ready’ music, against the clock, from scratch. The program is provided free to participating schools.
‘We congratulate Mullumbimby High School on securing a place on the program and can’t wait to hear the tracks that emerge from the workshop,’ says Dean Ormston from APRA AMCOS.
‘The great thing about this program is that it takes the real world into the classroom.
‘For most of these students, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with and learn from some of the biggest names in music. And because it’s so hands-on, it really fast-tracks students’ understanding of today’s contemporary music world and the steps needed for success,’ Mr Ormston said.
This marks the third year of the national program run by APRA AMCOS, the organisation that represents songwriters, composers and music publishers.
SongMakers receives funding support from the Australian Government through the Ministry for the Arts and the Department of Education.
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