We hope that this section will help explain the project benefits to teachers, school principals and parents of students.

“When students love what they’re learning, your job becomes easier and more rewarding”

“I’m a HUGE fan of the project. Real recording experiences you wouldn’t normally get the chance to be part of. This years’ students said it was the coolest thing they have ever done!”    Ben Salvador - Heathdale Christian College

Engage

You are encouraged to create a “school compilation”, in order to involve a diverse range of students from across the school and not necessarily limited to the music department.

Kool Skools is remarkable in the way it can engage and entice even the most hard to reach students or those who are normally way “too cool” to join in on other school group activities. It works because it allows them to express their individuality even while fostering a team spirit. Students can strive for personal best achievement as well as success as a group.

Educate

Music teachers can use Kool Skools to entice musicians and groups from around the whole school into the music dept for the project, not just those who are already studying music. This is a great way to broaden the whole music and arts culture awareness within a school.

Kool Skools provides education that cannot be delivered in a traditional school environment. It’s educational value is evident in a dramatic impact on student’s creative skills along with major improvements of general technical skills across the board.

The recording studio is like a microscope, allowing each student to look much closer at their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Kool Skools is a successful springboard and training ground for developing career opportunities. Not only does it provide real career options, students involved gain valuable insights into aspects of these industries. They also gain time management skills and the ability to meet strict working deadlines within a creative environment.

Support

Kool Skools receives assistance and support from a variety of corporate sponsors allowing the project to be provided at a heavily subsidised rate and therefore affordable to all schools and students. Kool Skools is designed to be self-funding, with many schools pre-selling their CD’s not only to cover costs, but also generating extra funds.

For regional schools who have the added burden of travel and accommodation, it is recommended that local fundraising events are planned and individual community sponsors be sought and thanked by providing advertising within the school’s eight page CD booklet. Some schools also join forces with other schools within their region. Multiple school combined projects are a great option for smaller schools.

Students also receive public recognition for their hard work and dedication by inviting their family and friends to the “ARIA style” State Awards Nights at the culmination of the project. These are no ordinary school speech nights, held in Melbourne and Sydney, featuring concert sound systems, full lighting and multimedia presentations.

Experience

The Award Nights aim to highlight the quality of work through live performances and awards presented by sponsors and patrons of Kool Skools along with other industry professionals. A night not to be missed.

Motivate

Kool Skools is designed to motivate students all year round. Rather than being a one off project to be completed within the studio, it is envisioned that the students work all year developing their songwriting and general performance skills, artwork and media design. If woven into your school curriculum.

Kool Skools can be a valuable motivational device to keep students focused on the realization of their goals. It will also aid in building team spirit and individuals self esteem.

Create

Kool Skools is not a competition or “battle of the bands”. It’s main objective is to enhance individual student creativity through songwriting and collaboration with industry professionals including engineers, graphic artists and multimedia specialists.

Access to state of the art equipment, musical instruments and cutting edge software empowers students to undertake the recording, CD artwork, digital stills and music video. The actual recording time allows each school to involve from 1 -12 small groups or soloists. At least 50% of the music must be original work by the students.

Participation varies greatly from school to school but from experience 4 -8 small bands is the best balance.

Promote

The Kool Skools disc can be used as an effective marketing tool towards the overall promotion of your school’s activities.

The Kool Skools compilation CD is also supplied by Kool Skools to industry professionals and media throughout Australia, with aspects of each school project published on the Kool Skools website. The CD also acts as an important folio item for students applying to prospective employers, and as a stepping stone to the music and multimedia industries in general.

Additional Information for Teachers

Costs  

The project is highly subsidised plus within the project fee you receive 450 copies of your CD and tickets to the awards Night that you can sell to recoup your costs. The project can easily become self funding or even be used as a fund-raising opportunity if managed well. Most schools charge some costs to students as ‘excursion fees’. The promotion and sales of CDs can be a learning opportunity for your students as a lesson in marketing.

Travel  

already many regional schools participate, take a look beyond the traditional classroom.

Original Composition

you only need 50% -Teachers, just leave it up to the kids, this is what they love!

Artwork and Multimedia

even if you have no multimedia experience, it’s easy, we’ll show you.

Music Genres

Kool Skools is not limited to traditional Rock Bands. You can record anything of a contemporary nature: Jazz, acapella, punk, multicultural groups, even HipHop and DJ’s are part of Kool Skools.

Concerned about extra workload?

The kids are self motivated and drive the project, teachers report they have the most fun ever! Any extra workload is greatly outweighed by the rewards you will gain from your students.

*For more information and short video see the ABOUT  link

How To Apply

To be part of Kool Skools there is no formal audition process.  Kool Skools is not a competition. You can REGISTER NOW for 2014 buy calling  03-9417-7707 or emailing us on the contact page or direct to the project coordinator, Paul Higgins at paul@studio52.com.au Or 0412-686-252

General Criteria to be involved in Kool Skools:

• Must have support from your school or a youth entity such as a council youth centre or youth association
• Your project must have a 100% contemporary music focus
• Your music content to be recorded can be of a single music genre such as Rock, Jazz or HipHop but diversity of genres is recommended, most projects are made up of several different groups from with different music styles as a compilation album representing the whole school.
• Generally projects are preferred to include more than just one group but can vary from 1-8 groups in any one project
• At least 50% of music recorded must be original written by the students
• All, or most people involved in the project should be of school age up to 19yo. (call Studio 52 to discuss any exceptions to this)
• Any people who are involved who are above the age limit will not be eligible to be judged or receive awards. (except in some instances, ‘special individual awards’)
• Each project must be recorded at either Studio 52 in Melbourne or Music Feeds Studios in Sydney
• Along with recording, each project involves making a short video, doing the CD artwork and we recommend that each school or council write and promote a Media release about their project
• Artists need to attend the Awards Nights and be able to perform live if invited to perform at the end of year Awards showcases, generally acts only perform 1 song as the Award Nights feature up to 23 different acts on stage
• Participants from each project need to support and attend their State Award Night held in Sydney and Melbourne, usually middle to late November each year                                      • There is a cost to do the project however this is highly subsidised thanks to the sponsors involved each year. The one-off cost includes the access to recording studios and multimedia along with 450 copies of the final CD (from 500 produced) and up to 30 tickets to the State Awards Night.

Please contact the Kool Skools office directly for more details, call Paul Higgins on 03-9417-7707 ext 2 or 0412686252.