HUGH MCDONALD STUDIOS

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Last year, Hugh worked on a project organised by the Northern District Community Health Service, which involved three primary schools, including St Joseph's Primary School Kerang, Lalbert Primary School and Quambatook Group School. School staff described the program as successful, rewarding, memorable, and a brilliant experience. Read their comments.

To write, record and present such high standard music was a once-in-a-life-time experience for our students and I am certain that it will give them greater confidence in the future.
Jeffrey Millard, Principal, Quambatook Group School

Looking Back, Looking Around, Looking Forward
Hugh's unique program involves introducing students to the songwriting and recording process. He takes the essential equipment needed to create a professional recording to a school and then writes and records an album of songs with the students. They learn a range of skills including, singing , musical arrangement, literary skills used in lyric writing, the use of recording technology and a basic understanding of the physics of electronic sound recording and reproduction.

Students of ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to involve their parents and the music of their cultures. Many of the songs written in this program have told  stories of the migrant experience and used the musical instruments unique to their cultures.

Children write songs expressing their day to day lives, friendship, sport, favorite foods , school, teachers, cars, pets and other everyday experiences. Emotions of happiness, sadness, loneliness and excitement are all expressed in song and give an outlet and a forum for discussion of the many complex issues which confront children as they go through life.

In an age when children are increasingly becoming passive consumers of music rather than active participants and creators, this program is instructive, rewarding and empowering.

In 2005, Victorian schools Poowong Consolidated School in Gippsland and Cambridge Primary School in Hoppers Crossing successfully completed albums of songs through Hugh's programs.

If schools are interested and would like more information about  the program, please contact Hugh directly or contact the principals of the above mentioned schools.

Poowong Consolidated School 
Principal : Jenny Blackmore or Phillip Beggs

Cambridge Primary School  
Principal: Meenah Marchbank  (03) 97489011

 http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/arts/general/archive/ais2003/poowong.htm

Poowong Consolidated School Project
Project Coordinator: Phil Beggs

Artist: Hugh McDonald

Project: 'Looking Back, Looking Around, Looking Forward'

Background
Poowong Consolidated School, about 110 kilometres from Melbourne, is a small rural school, set among the green rolling hills of South Gippsland, in an active and motivated farming community. The school consists of five classroom teachers and a few specialist teachers, five classrooms, an art room and CAT Centre-cum-library, as well as a large multipurpose shed/hall.

Artist
Multi-talented professional musician, producer and songwriter Hugh McDonald has worked in many bands, including Red Gum and The Bushwhackers. His songs are sung by Casey Chambers, John Williamson, Christie Moore and others. He produces the likes of Eric Bogel, Kavisha Mazella, Judy Small and writes music scores for TV shows, including Blue Heelers. Hugh still performs in pubs, at weddings, and elsewhere.

Project
The aims of the project were to produce a high quality CD of children songs; to have all children writing songs under the guidance of the Project Coordinator and Hugh McDonald; to enable students to sing on the CD, watch the recording process and see the artist playing instruments. All children got to see technology at work and to perform their songs at an assembly and concert. All children got to feel part of the process and their families received a CD.

Benefits
The students enjoyed the project enormously and learned much about song writing: the lyrics, melody and style. The recording process was demystified. They wrote and revised songs, learned keyboard and simple recording skills, and recorded and performed their songs.

The teachers, too, enjoyed the project with the artist. They loved watching the project unfold and evolve, enthusiastically participated and helped out. Teachers, too, learned new skills.

The wider school community were inspired by the CD and felt proud of their children.

Comments from those involved:

Hugh McDonald
'I loved working with the children. It was great to get out of the studio and a lot of fun work-shopping the children's songs. I had a great time being part of the staff; in fact, I loved it so much I brought my own kids down to experience life in a rural school. I also loved the process and am really pleased with the product. I think we stayed true to the kids' wishes and went a long way to demystifying song writing and recording.'

Project Coordinator
The project, in many ways, excelled my expectations. I was pleased with the way the children got so involved and enjoyed the process of writing and recording. It was a pretty ambitious project and we changed direction to match the children's needs and wants. The children learned a lot about song writing, technology and recording: all very creative and exploratory. The parents got so involved they took the kids to Melbourne one day, to Hugh's studio. The whole school was really motivated throughout the project.