Indigenous students from Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy have just completed a music-packed week, with a music camp and performance at Cairns Festival.  

The annual Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) Band Camp brings students from Hope Vale and Coen together to work under the tutelage of professional musicians and artists to focus on growing their musical skills.

The eleven specialist tutors at this year’s Band Camp included:

• Owen Clarke, Conductor and Music Teacher
• Kellie Clarke, Multi-instrumentalist Teacher
• Lou Wall, Vocal Coach and Choral Director
• Matt Gerdes, Saxophone Teacher
• Ben Hakalitz, Drums Tutor
• Michael Sanjay Jude, Keyboard/Piano Tutor
• Tamara Pearson, Choreographer and Dance Tutor of Sacred Creation Dance
• Trent Grayson, CYAAA Teacher and Guitar Tutor.

Good to Great Schools Australia Marketing Manager Natasha Carson attended day three of Band Camp, to see how the tutors, students, teachers and family volunteers spend their days at camp.

CYAAA uses Direct Instruction programs for literacy and numeracy, and this continues throughout Band Camp.

After the students have completed their schoolwork, they convene in the main workshop room for choir practice.

In choir practice, the students learn three songs together under the instruction of Choral Director Lou Wall, who has travelled from Brisbane for the week.

Choral Director Lou Wall uses a variety of hand movements to direct the students throughout choir practice.

‘They have learned hand movements very quickly – they know how I use my hands to bring them in, to make them sing higher or lower and to hold notes,’ said Lou.

Lou said that the many benefits of singing in a choir were on display throughout the Band Camp.

‘Singing in a choir is great for social skills – choir and music in general help children develop friendships, be able to start conversations and feel like they belong somewhere,’ said Lou.

Lou also emphasised that being in a choir and performing in front of a live audience is a great way to develop confidence and resilience.

‘Confidence is a huge part of becoming a performer, and performing as part of a group helps children deal with anxiety and nerves when they are about to come on stage. While some people would never do it on their own, they are willing to do it as a group,’ said Lou.

Lou also emphasised that ending Band Camp with a public performance is an important aspect of Band Camp.

‘There are so many wonderful things about having a performance outcome; it gives them a goal and a reason to learn the words and know their routine by Sunday,’ she continued.

Watch the choir performing one of their songs at Carnival on Collins below.

During choir practice choreographer Tamara Pearson, a Bagarrmuguu Warra and Kuku Yalanji woman, is on hand to choreograph and teach the students the dance moves for Sunday’s performance.

Tamara said that while she is attending Band Camp as a professionally trained dancer, the children are also family and she relishes being able to keep cultural traditions alive by incorporating them into Band Camp.

‘This is my third year coming to Band Camp,’ said Tamara. ‘Part of my role here is to incorporate traditional elements, like traditional dance and clap sticks, into what they are doing here at Band Camp, which is very modern,’ she continued.

‘It’s amazing that the kids are given the opportunity to learn all these instruments. I grew up in Hope Vale, and I never got to learn an instrument or go to amazing camps to learn from other artists. But when I teach traditional dance I am raising them so they can grow up and use traditional knowledge, keeping the roots of where they come from and bringing it into what they are learning now,” said Tamara.

In band practice, the students practice their performance song together under the direction of conductor and music teacher Owen Clarke. Owen has travelled from the Gold Coast, taking a week’s leave from the private school where he oversees the music program.

As a conductor, Owen acts as a guide for the entire band and helps everyone keep to the same timing. He explained that students develop many skills and techniques while working with a conductor.

‘When I am conducting, I give the speed of the music and the time; I listen around the band to their different rhythms and notes and check how they are playing them and give them help when needed,’ said Owen.

Conductor Owen Clarke directs band practice. Owen is also a brass player and provides small group tutoring on brass instruments, including the trombone.

As well as having a conductor for overall guidance, students in each section of the band – trumpets, saxophones, percussion, trombones, keyboard, and guitars – receive small group instruction from a specialist tutor during band practice.

Kellie currently works as a multi-instrumental music teacher at a private school on the Gold Coast; she is also an academic specialising in the teaching concept of differentiation, which means providing different teaching strategies based on students’ different learning needs and abilities.

Kellie said there is a wide body of evidence pointing to the benefits of music education for children in terms of cognitive development and developing character and life skills.

‘Dr Anita Collins has become world-renowned in the benefits of music education on the brain and the impact of that on learning,‘ said Kellie. ‘There is nothing quite like learning an instrument in terms of the brain; it makes neuron connections, which means your brain gets stronger, it is more elastic in terms of being able to take on new concepts,’ she said.

‘We know there is a correlation between music education and outcomes in maths, science and English,’ continued Kellie. ‘But we also know that cognitive benefits aside, there are amazing benefits in executive function, organisation and resilience, and those benefits are just as important, I think, in terms of growing up and becoming a successful, happy and confident human,’ she continued.

These benefits are on full display at Band Camp, where the students have confidently completed their maths work, are competently playing their musical instruments and are happy and confident playing their part in the band.

During the sectionals, the students have the opportunity to ask questions about specific items they need support with, and develop their individual role within the wider band.

Sectionals are also time to have fun with your instrument; for example, the saxophonists played a game where one player played for about 10 seconds, and the others had to try and mimic the exact sound.

After dinner and a well-deserved break, its time for a big bonfire on the lake and traditional dance with Tamara.

‘My highlight is always around the fire, ‘ said Tamara. ‘Letting the kids take control of the clap sticks and the boomerangs, and that’s when they really come to life,’ she continued.

This is especially important for students from Coen and Hope Vale, as there are no secondary schools in their local communities, and most attend boarding schools far away from home for their secondary education. Currently, 50 CYAAA graduates attend high-quality boarding schools across Queensland with the Cape York Leaders Program (CYLP).

‘It is important because it gives students a different perspective that can open up different opportunities,’ said Owen. ‘For Year 6 students going into high school, having an instrument background gives them another avenue to meeting other kids and making new friends,’ he said.

Year 6 student and drummer Douglas Huen has attended Band Camp since Year 1. When he graduates from the Coen Campus of CYAAA later this year, he will head off to a high-quality private boarding school in Brisbane.

Douglas’ grandmother Helen, who has attended Band Camp as a family volunteer, believes that Douglas’ many years of attending Band Camp will benefit him at his new high school.

‘It follows them,’ said Helen. ‘Douglas has been coming to Band Camp for six years, so he knows the other kids who attend Band Camp, and they are so friendly. They want to know each other, play games with each other, perform together or play footy together. It is great at bringing them together, and that will help him when he goes off to high school next year,’ said Helen.

Their performance was also live-streamed so their friends and family back home and around the world could watch.

Check out the full Cape York Academy Band 2024 performance at the Cairns Festival below.