It was far from your typical school day when local music legends helped Bulli High School students write a song about the Illawarra.
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Janis, a young Illawarra garage riot punk band, took part in the music mentorship program to write their first original song 'Kiera' named after Mount Keira.
"We brought in the referencing of flame trees and iconic spots in the Illawarra to really communicate our pride to be a part of this land and to be jamming out on this land," lead vocalist of Janis, Tyera Acosta, said.
The band consists of Bulli High School students Lara Mastroianni, Lucia Mastroianni, Chloe McIntyre, and Tyera Acosta.
"It brought so many fresh ideas to the table. It's really helped us grow and improve our own songwriting," Tyera said.
"It's honestly been such a catalyst for our own growth."
The music mentorship is part of the broader Multiverse Challenge, spearheaded by Bulli High School teachers David Strange and Nik Brankovic in 2022.
The 2023 challenge asks students in Years 5 to 10 to create a major work in a creative form about the Illawarra.
"We want to create a cultural movement where teenagers in this area are talent spotted and they're talent spotted based on telling local stories," Bulli High School teacher, David Strange said.
"We want them to be mentored by the excellent range of musicians who already live in the area and love the area."
The music mentors include Zoltan Budai (Mental as Anything), Russell Webster (Shining Bird), Jeb Taylor (Farmer and the Owl), and Cieran Gribbin.
Grammy-nominated artist Gribbin toured with INXS as their lead singer from 2011 to 2013 and wrote Celebration which Madonna recorded.
"When it comes down to it, you're kind of teaching them how to find their own, like methods and creative process and find their own voice and find the stories that are just coming out from them," Mr Webster said.
The songwriter and keyboard player for Shining Bird and Tropical Strength said the project builds "an organic kind of community and scene of young songwriters".
The Bulli resident said it was interesting to see how the younger generation perceptions of the Illawarra and what elements they chose to include in their songs.
"As soon as you put a detail in a song, it's got the potential of elevating it, almost like a mythological kind of status.
"To really romanticise things, that you might just otherwise see as everyday locations or street names or events."
Six of the 19 students that took part in the music mentorship, recorded their songs at Stranded Recording Studios in Bellambi on Tuesday, September 5.
Teenage students Tyera and Lara were excited "to see [their] creation come to life" after spending five weeks working on the song.
"This whole experience has just opened our eyes to different ways of writing together, which we'll definitely use in the future," guitarist of Janis, Lara Mastroianni said.
Students across the Illawarra are invited to submit their Illawarra-themed songs by December 2023, as part of the Multiverse Challenge.
"We're looking for the kids in the rest of the Illawarra to join us and we'd like to uncover more talent and to have these kids' talent spotted by record labels," Mr Strange said.
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Marlene Even
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
