From the classroom to the stage

From the CLASSROOM

to the STAGE

We are proud to have an impressive and long-standing tradition of music-making at Diocesan. Our choirs, orchestras and chamber groups are top-notch, and we regularly feature in the list of awards in regional and national competitions.

But another genre in the Music Department is making great strides too – our contemporary music scene. With opportunities to develop skills in and out of the classroom, our students are becoming confident performers and songwriters who feature regularly in the national competitions.

For most students it starts in the Year 8 music classroom. Each student learns a rock band instrument and works in a group to prepare a popular song for performance to the class. A focus on collaboration, cohesion and confidence underpins the musical skills that are developed throughout the unit.

From Year 9, students can choose music as an option. Approximately half the students are songwriters or band members (many others are classical or instrumental musicians), and they can develop their composition and performance skills, as well as their musical knowledge in music classes right through to Year 13. Students have the opportunity to spend time in the custom-designed practice rooms in the Arts Centre (all our level two rooms are set up for bands to use) and our cutting-edge digital recording studio, which many use to produce music for national song writing competitions such as Play It Strange.

Outside of classes we also have a thriving band programme – Jam Factory. Developed a few years ago due to the growing interest in bands, Jam Factory provides expert mentoring to bands to help them develop skills that prepare them for BandQuest and RockQuest competitions.

In recent years we have had several students embark on careers in commercial music, proving that the experience they have at Dio not only enthuses them about music as a career, but also helps to develop the skills that make it achievable.

Our technical specialist Sam Cunningham says: “Each year since the completion of Diocesan’s recording facility, more and more of our students and bands are entering the studio to record their own compositions. With the help of a strong music programme, alongside great mentors, students are composing increasingly strong material and winning finalist spots in local performance and songwriting competitions.

“When students enter the studio for the first time, there’s always a mix of excitement and nerves. Seeing all the fancy equipment and hearing the strange isolated acoustics is a novel experience for many. But as the microphones are turned up and the guitars plugged in, they quickly leap at the challenge to have their performances immortalised.

“With opportunities to develop skills in and out of the classroom, our students are becoming confident performers and songwriters.”

“First takes are usually a bit rough, as students learn to perform in a new way, hear themselves back for the first time and play without the adrenalin of a live audience or low pressure of a rehearsal. However, after a few run-throughs, they are soon enjoying the process, locking into the groove and capturing some of their finest work.

“There is great value in being able to offer our students a state-of-the-art recording facility at Diocesan. Students can now capture their compositions in a quality comparable to that of a professional recording studio. But more than that, they can learn about the recording process firsthand as well as learn how to play more precisely as individuals and more cohesively as a group. With a range of topquality equipment, we can capture every nuance of a student’s voice or instrument in pristine multitrack quality. This allows students to hear back all the things they miss when practising or playing live. Being more aware of what they are doing often results in an improvement of technique, sense of timing and quality of sound – skills that greatly aid them as they move through the music programme here at Diocesan and onto playing outside of school and recording in professional studios.”

ARTIST PROFILES

ASH WALLACE

Ash is half of the successful duo Foley. In mid-2019, Foley released their fourth single Can’t Help the Way, which landed the pair a prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Nomination and hit #2 on the Official New Zealand Hot 20 charts. The track was also playlisted on ZM for eight consecutive weeks. The pair now have over three million streams and have featured across multiple global DSP playlists, including Spotify’s New Music Friday and Apple Music’s A-List playlists.

Ash first joined a band at Dio in Year 8. After several years of climbing the podium at RockQuest, the band, Vivid went on to place third in the national finals. Ash has degrees in music and commerce and currently works for NZ On Air in the music team, facilitating funding schemes and promoting New Zealand music.

Her career highlights so far include opening for Six60 and playing festivals such as Spring City, ACL and Rhythm and Vines. She shared some thoughts with us about how Dio influenced her music career.

Ash Wallace performing at Spring City.

“I had always been drawn to the arts in general and dabbled in performance with theatre and drama, but it hadn’t felt quite right. Once I started learning guitar and piano, and discovered my love for songwriting, the opportunity to collaborate with other people was really exciting! It all started in Year 8 music class – I remember absolutely loving that class and just wanting to play in a band non-stop which was when I joined Vivid, my high school band for the next five years!

WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MUSIC IN NEW ZEALAND?

Despite some negative perceptions, the reality is that the music industry is thriving.

It is estimated that in 2017 the New Zealand music industry directly contributed $292m to national gross domestic product (GDP), and $639m in total (after accounting for multiplier effects). It directly contributed over 2,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, and over 5,500 FTEs in total.

2017

2014

The music industry is steadily growing in both economic and employment metrics.

0 2250 4500

Employed directly by Music Industry 2017 - 2533 2014 - 1754

6750

Employed indirectly 2017 - 5535 2014 - 4295 9000

Feijoa Funk Left to right: Sarah Casey, Liv Couillault, Ally Quatermass and Eloise Cameron-Smith.

“The friends that I made in Vivid are life-long and that has to be a highlight for me. We took part in Smokefree RockQuest a few times, and slowly improved and crept up in the competition. When we finally came third nationally, and our hard work had paid off, it was an incredible feeling! Playing those shows was such a highlight because it was our first taste of real audiences and high-quality gear. It ignited my hunger for live performance and bonded the four of us in the band as mates.

“I have so many takeaways from my music studies that have been crucial in my career so far. As much as Mr Worsnop will probably chuckle because I hated music theory, it’s been the key to opening up a world of songwriting for me.

“I also think the collaborative nature of music classes helped me to be open to working with other musicians really early on. A massive roadblock that I see in so many artists is their inability to collaborate, and it can be a real career hurdle to try and open themselves up to other ideas. Placing an emphasis on the importance of working together so early was amazing, because now when we write songs there are always at least three to four people working together. legitimate career path. A lot of the time that isn’t presented to school-age students as a viable option but in reality, it’s actually a thriving industry! Music has allowed me to travel locally and internationally, and there are plenty of jobs out there! Don’t be fooled!”

LIV COUILLAULT

A more recent Dio graduate, Liv has been involved in a range of music since a young age. Inspired by the Year 8 band programme, Liv and her friends formed the band Renegades. After rebranding as Feijoa Funk, the band went on to the national video round in RockQuest and recorded their own EP in the Dio studio. Liv is currently completing a degree in Contemporary Music at the University of Sydney.

“Choir was the first thing that drew me in when I started primary school. I was excited by the fact that I could sing with my friends, and I loved performing and singing solos. This continued to be one of my main musical passions throughout school, however, when I got into high school, I became more interested in contemporary and musical theatre and was excited to be able to start my own band. Liv had this to say about her music journey.

“Taking music as a subject was never a question for me, it was a certainty because it was something I always enjoyed. In class I had a lot of practice performing all styles of music as part of a group and on my own. This is definitely where I found my interest in contemporary music and the desire to be in a band. It also gave me the freedom to perform songs that I enjoyed beyond my singing exam and choral repertoires. Being assessed in class also created more opportunities for feedback from my peers and teachers, some of whom turned out to be very influential on my passion for music. I always loved English and creative writing through high school, which definitely led to my love for writing songs and assisted my creativity in music.

“Being involved in music has helped me develop skills that have improved my performance and musical identity, but also skills that have helped me in all areas of life. I have learned the importance of punctuality and being prepared so that you can feel confident and show respect, organisation and composure. Through performances, my self-confidence has been challenged and strengthened. Often, making mistakes and putting myself outside my comfort zone led to a change in perspective and helped me open my eyes to new opportunities. Becoming comfortable with performing on my own has led me to seek out more challenging repertoire, new people to collaborate with, and to be ambitious with the goals I set for myself.”