The Kool Skools Recording & Songwriting Project for Secondary Schools & Youth Councils

It’s just 5.2 weeks away from the VIC Kool Skools Awards Showcase to celebrate all the amazing music from the 2014 Kool Skools Project. To celebrate the 18th year of Kool Skools we are providing an advance listen to some of the tracks recorded sofar. There are some amazing songs and great performances from across Victoria (NSW tracks still to be added), check it out on our Soundcloud and be amazed!  The awards this year will be held at The George Wood PAC Sat 15th November and in Sydney at Nagle College on Sat 22nd Nov. Call 03-94177707 for ticket enquiries now.

The JB HiFi Kool Skools Prize is always an exciting part of the whole Kool Skools calendar.  Each year 2 amazing acts get selected by the judges as exceptional, winning the opportunity to record their own CD at Studio 52 as part of Kool Skools. The 2014 winners are The Mellows, an amazing band from Warrnambool and a great girl group from Williamstown named Shewolf. Both acts receive 2 days at Studio 52 to record some of their original tracks with both CD and online release by Empire/MGM. Congrats go to both winners and we look forward to hearing the recorded results soon.

SheWolf JB HiFi Prize winners

The Mellows JB HiFi Prize Winners

new album for 2014

Heathdale Christian College have just completed their 2014 
Kool Skools Album “ Life AND The Living” at Studio 52 Melbourne. 

They’re Back ! Kool Skools 2014 is now full steam ahead as Heathdale Christian College (one of the project’s most consistently excellent schools) have just completed their latest offering “ Life AND The Living”.

This year, great teacher and mentor Ben Salvador has introduced some great young bloods to the project as many of his outstanding students from the previous 2 years have moved on. And the guys did him and the school proud  .. once again producing a fantastic album.

Writing (and hair growing) “machine” Louise Gaul opens the album with her fabulous anthemic rock track “Radioactive Air” and closes the album with “Sweet Serenity”. But her influence is also found on many other tracks throughout the album either as a writer or multi-facetted instrumentalist.

As usual Heathdale have come up with a fully original CD with great variety. Winston Chui and Glenn Bussey contribute a great electronic dance track, Trizia Madronio belts out a great gospel tune, Ashlea Ephraums shows off her wonderful voice with a beautiful ballad .. just to mention a few of the many highlights. Well done (again) guys !

If you’re of school age (up to 19 yo) have an original band, group or you’re a singer-songwriter you should apply now for the 2014 JB HiFi Kool Skools Prize. Get all the details and the Entry Form here. You could win the chance to record at Melbourne’s Studio 52 as part of the Kool Skools Project. See the criteria and details with the entry form. ENTER NOW!

Record at Studio 52 in Melbourne thanks to JB HiFi, Enter Now!

We’re having a great response to applications for Kool Skools this year. Already we have a 100% return rate from all the projects who took part in 2013 plus there has been a lot of first time enquiries. We are even starting to hear from past Koolskoolers who now teach and want to give their students the same great experience in a recording studio that they had enjoyed themselves.

There is still time to register and there are a lot of dates still available as we have extended the recording window to allow for projects as early as this month of March to as late as October 2014. Call 03-9417-7707 ext2 for more information and available dates.

So much great music has been born out of the Kool Skools Project. Important artists of all genres from pure-pop to heavy rock, blues & indie acoustic. 

Find out more about the history of Kool Skools and the artists that started in the project and who went on to successful and  important careers within the music business. See the Alumni link to Past Kool Skoolers.

So many great artists and their music born out of early recordings with the Kool Skools Project

Happy 18th !!!  Congratulations to Wangaratta High School and Thomastown SC, both schools are recording their 18th album with Kool Skools in 2014! They started the project in the first year 1997 and have been part of the project every year since! 

“#18 CD for Wangaratta High School! Kool Skools has influenced and changed the lives of many of our students. it has allowed the music department to grow and prosper.” David Ashfield (previous music coordinator now headed up by Scott Solimo)

David Ashfield accepting the 10th KS Award for Wangaratta

Jim Sismanes 10th year KS Award for Thomastworn SC

“Thomastown SC now boasts its own music recording studio and an extensive music program and a strong musical culture that owes its existence to the ongoing success and participation within the ‘Kool Skools’ project.” Jim Sismanes (previous music coordinator now headed up by Jimi Lundy)

Thomastown were also Awarded as the Koolest Skool for 2013!

JImi Lundy and the students from Thomastown SC pictured with Paul Higgins from Kool Skools

Kool Skools promotes, develops and supports a diverse range of talent and all genres of contemporary music through Australian Secondary Schools. In 2014 Kool Skools will run its 18^th year hosting the most inspiring songwriting and recording project available for young people! This is the year that will see the project come of age and be ramped up like never before towards its 3^rd decade of success.

Im a HUGE fan of the project. Real recording experiences you wouldnt 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

Every school or council from the 2013 project has already signed up again for 2014 and two schools will incredibly be celebrating their 18^th student album with us. On top of that we are already gaining many more enquiries and applications from returning schools and new schools. Over the past 17 years over 150 schools and City Councils have participated from Victoria alone. The project has run in all states of Australia except the NT but currently runs in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

Kool Skools is all about songwriting and making original music. Each year students aged between 13-18 write and record around 350 songs and the amazing thing is that they get to choose the style and genre and are encouraged to vent their thoughts and feelings through words and music without controls from parents or teachers. It is truly a project which is owned by the young people who participate. Its authenticity is also its reason for success and longevity.

Most other projects and TV music shows are usually competitions that pit singers against each other, performing songs they didnt even write. Kool Skools is completely different. In contrast our project is all about the recognising of talent and the development of songwriting skills. We want to celebrate and encourage everyone involved not just winners. Rather than comparing a bunch of people doing the same thing we try to showcase the diversity and difference each group of acts bring. For many young people its the first time they get to showcase whats special about them and for many parents the first time they get to witness what their kids are trying to say and do through music.

Overall, Kool Skools is a true grass-roots songwriting project that appeals to young people and celebrates their achievements within the greater community. The project offers the added benefits of schooling students in the recording, promotion and marketing of music, an education that assists them with any future business or project based activity, while for business is good to get paystub templates online as these are useful for the business too. We also recommend checking out this site https://cambodia.acclime.com/ if you’re looking to advance your business in Cambodia.

kool skools was incredible experience. it created teamwork musically but also pulled everything together across campuses, year levels, ethnicities and backgrounds. from year to year the legendof the experience of doing kool skools keeps the students focused and creative.¨helen jensen Copperfield College

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. You may check out these ecombabe reviews if you need help from experts.
 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.