Young musicians ready to rock

Bands and soloists will battle it out on stage this Saturday, May 6, during Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats Nelson and Marlborough heats at the Theatre Royal in Nelson from 1pm.
Waimea College bands boast 10 of the 15 band entries while Brooklyn Scott from Garin College, Krystal Hollis and Mia Coldicott from Waimea College and Intermediate respectively will be representing in the solo competition.
They’ll all be among an estimated 3000 aspiring music artists to go through regional heats and finals in 24 towns from Invercargill to Whangarei.
Summah Simmons and Jewel Whimp from Waimea College band Acoustic Knot say they’re looking forward to the competition and enjoy the opportunity to compare themselves to other bands from the region.
Founder and Director Glenn Common says, over the past 30 years there has been tremendous support from schools who value the framework these events create for their students to strive for success, express themselves and gain NCEA credits.
“This is often mentioned as the motivator that keeps kids engaged in the school system. Teachers can see the benefits that being in a band brings – kids learn to cooperate, to negotiate around their differences, to express their thoughts and emotions in words, to front up on time, to promote themselves and their ideals. And performing live on stage is a great boost in confidence – it requires a lot of skills that are not just musical.”
First and second in the solo/duo and the winner of the Tangata Beats award will be named at the heats, and the top 12 bands will be selected to play off at the Nelson-Marlborough final at the Theatre Royal on Friday, May 18, from 7pm.
Competition is bound to be fierce with national winners’ prize packages for bands and solo/duo winners that includes $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, $16,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package, a photo shoot and branding package from Imaginary Friends.
There is also the Musicianship Award, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, Best Song Award, Smokefree Vocals Award, Fatboy Style Award, and the People’s Choice.