The arts matter.
This is my third time writing about Creatives in Schools for Coromind. I have a personal connection to the mahi, but I’m also a fierce advocate for the arts. I believe the arts are a core necessity for people of all backgrounds, for enjoyment, entertainment and wellbeing. Which is why I stand in solidarity with arts advocates who are pushing for the reinstatement of the programme, after the Government announced in June 2024 it will cease funding.
Creatives in Schools (CIS) started in 2019 with a unique take on creative mentoring for tamariki and rangatahi (children and young people). It enables schools and kura kaupapa (primary schools operating under Māori custom) to host a creative professional who delivers a project in collaboration with students, harnessing mentoring and skill sharing as teaching tools. It’s a nationwide well-being initiative funded by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Creative New Zealand.
For the last three years, Mercury Bay Area School (MBAS) has successfully received CIS grants to host local award-winning music producer Dave Rhodes. Across two school terms each year, Dave guides students through the process of writing and recording a compilation album of original music. He works with the students to refine song arrangements and instrumentation, and then teaches students how to record music to a professional standard.
Alongside this are the less tangible but equally important benefits to the students’ mental health and well-being, self-confidence, creative thinking skills and sense of purpose and career direction. Through CIS, our rangatahi experience the reality of an arts-based career, learn from a successful industry professional, and grow their creative talent and skills.
The result is three professionally recorded albums of original music that highlight the breadth of emerging musical talent in Mercury Bay. This year’s album, MBAS In Resonance, is the largest and most eclectic with 18 tracks ranging from pop, indie and hip hop RnB to rock, punk and heavy metal!
CIS has had a positive ripple effect in the Mercury Bay community, Hauraki rohe (district), and Waikato region. Each album release has been celebrated with a well-attended community event at the Monkey House Lounge & Cabaret, where students can hone their live performance skills. Local radio stations Coromandel’s CFM and Coromandel’s More FM have interviewed students and Dave, plus added a selection of the songs to their regular rotation. Creative Waikato interviewed participants for an article on their website and advocated for the programme. All three albums are on major streaming platforms, introducing the emerging artists to a national and global audience.
Solo artist Poppy Carpenter says, “Being involved in these projects has really boosted my inspiration to write songs, and my idea of what a song can become outside of just me and my guitar. I’ve absolutely loved working with Dave, who has encouraged me to become a better artist and songwriter, as well as showing me how cool song production can be.”
MBAS Head of Arts Dave Mulholland has been responsible for securing the grants. As a musician himself, he understands the value of arts mentoring in schools. “When students work on their own music, it allows them to explore their self-expression and opens up opportunities to connect with their whānau, friends, and environment. Students are also earning valuable NCEA credits from their work on the album that will support their university entrance regardless of what they choose to study. CIS provides invaluable positive well-being, vocational, and educational outcomes,” he says.
In the last year we have heard our coalition government spread harmful rhetoric about the arts; that they are less important, not a funding priority, that arts and music should be deferred in favour of maths and English. This doesn’t sit well with parents who have witnessed the positive transformation of their children thanks to CIS.
Emma Bovaird, mum to River, says, “The confidence, professionalism and knowledge my son gained is priceless and will stay with him. We are deeply saddened that at a time when kids need support to get off their screens, touch grass, and embrace the arts, the government has seen fit to stop funding the programme.”
Janine Verner, mum to Ryan, says, “CIS has enriched my son’s education and personal growth. Engaging in music production boosted his confidence and fostered collaboration with peers. The arts has empowered our teenager, enhanced his self esteem and helped him to enjoy school.”
Loren Greenfield, dad to Zach, says, “Zach’s drumming on the school album this year has sent him down a path of discovery and an excited thirst for learning. The album is a huge source of pride, and the teamwork and collaboration skills he’s learned will go on to benefit him not only with music.”
Anne-Maree McDougall, mum to Charli and Finn, says, “I was lucky enough to see its impact on two of my children. It was a joy to watch their confidence and skills grow, and to have their mahi immortalised in the albums they made with Dave was such an honour. For some students, arts are not just a nice to have, they are the oil on which their engines run.”
So why take away something that so clearly works?
Education Minister Erica Stanford says the Ministry of Education suggested CIS be axed because it wasn’t delivering intended outcomes, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says that sustainable arts careers start in school, and yet CIS is being defunded.
Kiwi filmmaker, Dame Gaylene Preston calls the plan to cut CIS funding ‘daft’. Arts educator Kerryn Palmer asks why do we have to repeatedly convince decision-makers that the arts have a ‘deep and immeasurable value to society’.
Reader, I have two favours to ask.
One. Jump on your fave streaming platform and listen to the three MBAS albums that would otherwise not exist if it weren’t for Creatives in Schools.
Two. If you see the inherent value in Creatives in Schools for our rangatahi, our school and our hāpori, please sign this petition. Why? Because the arts matter.
Albums MBAS South HighwayMBAS Saltwater Frequency 23
Words by Anusha Bhana
Credits: Artword – Emma Jones, Poppy Carpenter, Alex Litherland. Photos – Korimako Creative)
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