After many years working on and in the beautiful world of Play It Strange, it has become clear to me that many successful cohorts of young songwriters form at various schools behind the motivation of one particular songwriter who ‘spreads’ the word about the concept of our songwriting competitions and draws them into a ‘sharing’ environment.
It is there that the integral motivation of that particular student brings songwriters to the front line. An example? There is Petra Bullock from Takapuna Grammar (pictured below).
Petra took first place in two 2012 Play It Strange competitions. In her wake, around 6 very talented Takapuna songwriters were selected as finalists and recorded for the various albums. Petra played a concerted support role in bringing those curious songwriters to the various competition’s front lines.
And then we have the wide talents of Celeste from Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland.
The article below was written by Celeste Oram, a wonderfully talented 15 yr old musician/songwriter who quickly became a triumphant spirit of involvement in all Play It Strange activities at her school.
Whether songwriting, instrumental proclivity, arranging and so on, Celeste could see the path ahead. And she took off.
She wrote the copy below which emboldened her in the PiST environment. Let’s put her words on the page, so you can all peer through her vibrant window.
Over to you Celeste with solid appreciation!
To Mike,
What a legacy Play It Strange has begun. It seems that no amount of thanks will reflect the incredible appreciation this school girl has with being able to record, and I believe many other songwriters, have for the work of you and your colleagues do at Play It Strange.
The opportunities and experiences you have offered to me, and so many others, are truly unique and utterly unforgettable.
A fifteen-yr-old schoolgirl being able to record her own song at York Street Studios and release it to the nation is hardly a common occurrence. Not only was our day at York Street brilliant fun, but it gave us a wealth of knowledge about the joys and disciplines of music recording.
I believe the most powerful thing about Play It Strange is that it empowers us as songwriters to hear beautiful songs your own age, to hear your own music and voice on the radio, and to know that there are always people who will gladly lend you their ears are the kind of things that go straight to the heart of people my age.
Play It Strange offers young songwriters a sense of belonging in a community that genuinely values the musical yield of those amongst them. Play It Strange tells me, that there are countless young musicians with one purpose of writing my songs and that they ought to be cherished and celebrated.
Music will always be in my life, and once I leave school I hope to pursue a career in one , or perhaps several of the many diverse fields of music.
Not everyone is lucky enough to succeed commercially as a songwriter, but the message that Play It Strange gives to me is that success ought not to be measured in sales or profit margins but in the pure and honest enjoyment that music gives to those who write and sing it, play it or listen to it.
That is indeed the case thanks to Play It Strange. There are countless young musicians in NZ who are very successful in their own right. And if music be the food of life: Play It Strange!!
Many thanks and all the best for the future... Celeste Oram
