UNE’s Tamworth campus is gearing up for a big, busy week at the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, which kicks off on 17 January.
The University has been growing its presence in Tamworth since 2000, including expanding the UNE Tamworth Study Centre to better support the educational needs of local students.
“Our participation in this year’s festival is our biggest yet. It’s an opportunity for festival goers to experience UNE’s musical offerings, meet local alumni and learn about the contributions we make to signature community events through outreach,” Professor Brigid Heywood, CEO and Vice-Chancellor of UNE said.
“I’m especially excited about the entrepreneurial event the Smart Region Incubator (SRI) is hosting on Friday.”
Based on the book Real artists don’t starve by Jeff Goins, a panel of experts will discuss the concept and share their insights on how creatives can build a successful business.
“This is a typical example of UNE’s commitment to capacity building and knowledge sharing in our regions and the value we add by virtue of being embedded in the community,” Professor Heywood said.
The packed program has something for everyone, including special story time performances for young music enthusiasts.
Lecturer in Music Dr Alana Blackburn specialises in the recorder and is highly regarded in Australia as well as overseas.
“I’ve put together a performance playing around with recorders making fun sounds to capture the imagination and attention of children,” Dr Alana Blackburn said.
“The different pieces include medieval and baroque dances, Japanese folk song, sounds that imitate birds, and other animals. Each child will be welcome to react in their own way - they can sit and listen, or get up and dance.”
“Playing with Sound” is based on Dr Blackburn’s experience playing at different day care centres, while studying in The Netherlands, as part of the Memorable Moments organisation. Musicians played to children younger than seven years, allowing them to experience a live performer up close and enjoy different styles of music.
Children can also share in the magic of music tech with electronic music composer Dr Donna Hewitt. The fun session combines performance and technology to create a sensory experience for little music lovers.
Other activities include drop-in chat sessions at the UNE Tamworth campus and interactive music workshops dedicated to songwriting and lyrics, and learning how to work with voice to optimise performance.
There will be plenty of opportunity for visitors to chat to staff about their goals, study options, ask about career advice, try out software Ableton Live and Protools at the mobile music tech stations, or catch live performances by staff, students and alumni at various locations.
Activities are open to everyone regardless if they’re a performer, producer, music instructor, student or just interested in learning more about UNE, and free of charge.
Visit the UNE Tamworth Facebook page for further information about the events https://www.facebook.com/UNETamworth/.
