The Song Room Web Site

School Music Camps Bring Hunter Valley Schools to Life!

Over 500 students from the Hunter Valley in NSW were singing from the same song sheet at music camps held to lift school engagement and reduce juvenile crime. At the end of Term One this year, The Song Room organised three separate, two-day music camps involving schools from the upper and lower Hunter Valley Region. Schools from both past and present Song Room workshops were invited to attend the camps.

The music camps were tailored to the needs of the schools and involved wider community partnerships and collaborations beyond the school system to bridge the gaps between schools and communities.

Each music camp featured a series of creative arts workshops which culminated in a group performance at the end of the second day, which was a chance for the students to showcase the skills they had learnt to friends, parents and members of the wider community.

The experience provided the students with the opportunity to extend and enhance the work done in their workshop programs. In addition to this, being exposed to art forms from different cultures gave the students a deeper understanding of these cultures and working with different schools fostered new relationships.

Mike Burns, the Teaching Artist who coordinated the camps commented:

The benefits of the camps have been multi-dimensional – developing students talents, socialising students in isolated areas, building community confidence and infrastructure, sharing resources and skills and empowering teachers and students in challenging and modern musical disciplines.

The music camp workshops were delivered by Teaching Artists from the local communities and involved a wide range of creative arts experiences. Students had access to a diverse range of workshops including African drumming & dance, body percussion, drama, music, singing, art and craft and gamelan, a traditional orchestra made up of Indonesian instruments.

Ten schools from the upper and lower Hunter Valley region participated in the Music Camps with over 500 students having access to the workshops.

Jerry’s Plains Public School was the host School at camp one with Martindale Public School, Milbrodale Public School and Sandy Hollow Public School.

Kitchener Public School was the host School at camp two with Abermain Public School, Cessnock Public School, Cessnock East Public School and Weston Public School.

Students from Telarah Public School attended the third camp.

The response from the teachers was fantastic; here are a few comments from those teachers who participated in the music camps

The School Music Camps were part of the Bring School to Life project which uses music and performing arts to engage children who have become disengaged from school and learning and who are at risk of anti-social behaviour and potential involvement in juvenile crime. This project has been wonderfully supported by Rio Tinto's Coal and Allied Community Trust in the Hunter Valley, and has been an unprecedented success in the region with schools embracing and supporting the programs.

Students and members of the Newcastle Knights Rugby League team enjoy the dance workshop at the Rio Tinto Coal and Allied Community Day, Singleton, NSW.