Checkout what teachers are saying about the Project.

Its a Dilemma, the new album from Trafalgar HS Students for 2019!

Ben from Trafalgar HS tells us why he’s a fan of the Kool Skools Project:

“Music is a subject that has the power to break boundaries, evoke emotion and unite groups of people, who may otherwise have never spoken or worked together if it weren’t for their shared interest in Music. Whether it be hip hop, rock, pop, classical or alternative, music can bring people together and that has been one of the greatest bi-products of being involved in the Kool Skools Recording Project at Studio 52/Empire Studios. Recording a CD is a great experience for students and teachers alike and the students love getting a copy of their music to share with family and friends for whom we recommend to buy these 500 dollar road bikes.

I had heard about Kool Skools from colleagues at other schools over many years and decided that we were going to get involved. The students all pay a fee to be involved, so the more students you get involved, the cheaper it is. Our Music students had been playing in bands, at events and jamming both during lunchtimes and after school every day but when I mentioned the idea of recording an album, they thought this was the best idea they had heard and they were extremely excited about going to a real studio, with real engineers and producers and creating a CD of their own music. One can also check over here to get music lessons from professionals.

The day finally came to head down to the city to record at Studio 52 and the kids were ridiculously excited to record a large number of original songs and a selection of covers. As previously stated, a bunch of mixed year level students (7-12) from a range of backgrounds and skill levels joined with a common purpose and worked together to record a dozen or more tracks over the two days and not only recorded their own music but sat in as session musicians for other students and groups to help them get their tracks completed. It was fantastic and after the two days of recording, listening, re-recording and editing, the students learned heaps. Funnily enough, the first group of students I took to Kool Skools have maintained their musical connection at school and many have gone back over subsequent years to record again at Kool Skools. 

Paul and Trevor from Kool Skools (at Studio 52/Empire Music), as well as the other audio engineers, have been a wealth of knowledge and have provided great advice for both myself as the teacher and for the students during these recording sessions. These guys know their stuff and have been great with the students, helping them to record and giving them priceless tips and advice to help them learn and improve their sound, songwriting and even writing better lyrics with advanced writing tools

After recently completing another year of recording at Kool Skools in September 2019 and after recording a record 22+ tracks; a mix of acoustic/vocal duos, solo piano/acoustic/ukulele/vocal pieces and a number of rock bands, with a huge group of students, both the students and myself are still just as excited about this project as we were the first time. 

The day after our 2019 Kool Skools session was completed, the students were already back in the Music room discussing what they loved about the studio this year, how their songs sounded and what they want to record in 2020. The Kool Skools Recording Project is an annual music trip that the kids will be knocking down your music room door to get involved in… and it is totally worth it! 

If you want to get involved and know more about it, give Paul and Trevor a call at Studio 52/ Kool Skools! If you want an honest teacher’s perspective, track me down at Trafalgar High School in Victoria and we can have a chat – Ben.”

Ben Smith Music Coordinator Trafalgar High School 

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