School music program to help Black Saturday survivors

The University of Melbourne will run a series of music workshops for teenagers in communities still recovering from the Black Saturday bushfires, culminating in a Melbourne concert. Six recent Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM) graduates will work with woodwind and brass ensembles at schools in Alexandra, Healesville and Whittlesea, to support and enhance existing music teaching. The students will then perform alongside the University of Melbourne's Wind Symphony and the Royal Australian Navy Band in an afternoon concert at the University's Melba Hall on Sunday 16 September. The event will feature performers from the Whittlesea Secondary College Concert Band, Alexandra Secondary College Concert Band, and Clarinet and Saxophone ensembles from Healesville High School. Entry to the concert is by donation, with proceeds going to the Whittlesea/Alexandra/Kinglake/Yea (WAKY) Youth Music Network, which supports music programs for teenagers in the region. The project co-ordinator at the MCM, Anastasia Russell-Head, said the program will be a rewarding experience for the students. "Music is sometimes described as the 'best medicine for everything', and this program should give participants a strong creative outlet after what's been a trying few years." "This gives the secondary school students a unique opportunity to be inspired and motivated by performing and working alongside professional and pre-professional musicians.