Coastella festival gives students chance to learn

‘‘It will be an instrumental part in realising our vision that the Ka piti Coast will become a hub for young creatives and Coastella will act as a platform to showcase this talent.’’

Ka piti Coast primary school students have the opportunity to take part in workshops with visiting Coastella Music Festival artists, plus a chance to perform live at the event next February.

The performances and workshops will be led by Imon Starr (from the group Olmecha Supreme), who fuses elements of hip hop, jazz, reggae, blues and electronica into a musical genre known as ‘Afro Futuristic Roots Music’.

Coastella Music Festival ‘s Community Music Initiative is now in its second year.

Performances would be given at primary schools throughout Ka¯piti, while workshops would focus on working with year seven and eight students, teaching them to improvise lyrically while exploring rhyme, rhythm, groove and tempo, within a rap/hip hop musical background.

Thirty students from each school with demonstrated ability and interest in music and the arts would be chosen to attend the workshops and one representative from each school would be chosen to perform alongside Olmecha Supreme at the festival.

Festival director Gerry Paul said it was a way to help develop young emerging artists.

‘‘It will be an instrumental part in realising our vision that the Ka piti Coast will become a hub for young creatives and Coastella will act as a platform to showcase this talent.’’

At last week’s Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards, Coastella Music Festival won the Rising Star Award, recognising the significant contribution made by festival volunteers.

This year more than 100 volunteers collectively gave over 1000 hours to help deliver the festival. Volunteers were responsible for a range of tasks including way-finding, ticketing, visitor information, artist-liaison, water distribution, parking and running the Funzone.