Sowing the Seeds of Music

BACK by popular demand are the marimba and taiko drums at this year’s Kia Ora music camp, with 213 local school children preparing for the concert on Friday.

Aaron Rothemund, camp co-ordinator said Kia Ora is something many children looked forward to each year and as a former local school student he credits it with setting the scene for his own career in music.

Kiyomi Calwell leading the beat with the taiko drumming class at Kia Ora.

“It feels really great to have come full circle and students say how much they look forward to Kia Ora every year, it is one of their highlights and it’s certainly how I felt, so it’s really fulfilling,” said Mr Rothemund.

“It gave me a lot of opportunities I got to go to music camps in Sydney, the Australian Flute Festival and it really helped cement that it was the career I wanted, to be working in music,” he said.

“I don’t think I would have been exposed to as much as I was without Kia Ora,” he said.

Eloise Fisher, a year 6 student at Scone Primary School may be following as similar path with Kia Ora following her passion for dance.

“I like how when you come here you learn new skills, when I came here last year I learnt a whole lot of skills and I got a scholarship to the National College of Dance and that was really fun,” said Eloise.

“We got to go to a summer school and I learnt all different types of dances and Broadway and everything,” she said.

Logan Quinn, a year 6 student from Scone Grammar School is equally enthusiastic about his time at the camp.

“I like the fact you can have some fun with your friends, enjoy school life and learn more things about music,” said Logan.

“I’m doing choir, the marimba and the taiko drums, my favourite is the marimba!” he said.

The three day music camp culminates in a concert on Friday night with some tickets still remaining at Council.