Music Highlights

Play It Strange Song Writing Competition

Two of our amazing young song writers, Rachel Stevens and Dani Brewerton, have received a top 40 placing in this year’s Play it Strange Song Writing Competition. They both received a day in a recording studio to the value of $750.

Rachel answered a few questions for us below:

Rachel Stevens

What made you decide to enter the Play It Strange competition?

I had heard about the competition before from one of my friends but I never really gave it any attention until Mr Bodman asked if I wanted to enter and I was just like why not?

Could you tell us about what it was like in the recording studio?

On the Saturday in the middle of the holidays we recorded Bittersweet Movie. We went to a studio in the Mount and it was very recording studio-like. With the millions of knobs on everything and rooms so full of gear that I had no idea what half of it even was, it was so surreal being able to record another one of my own songs in a proper studio. I definitely learnt a lot during the recording process, like how to go through takes and choose the best ones properly and stuff like that.

When did you start writing songs?

When I was little I used to write little bits of songs that had little to no meaning with my little sister, but it wasn’t until late 2020 that one day my best friend and I decided to write a song called ‘You Don’t’ and it kinda just went from there. In 2021 I started writing in a Christian band in Auckland called ‘Equippers Revolution,’ and I got the amazing opportunity to sing one of the songs I co-wrote for them called ‘Light the Way’ in their latest EP ‘Truth.’ Only this year though I really started to write music about my everyday life on the side - this resulted in Bittersweet Movie.

What sort of songs do you write?

My main genre of music is Christian music, but when I’m not writing Christian stuff I mostly write about love and life in a slow, piano-y, simple sort of way.

Do you play instruments or sing or both?

I play the piano, which is what I write most of my songs on. And I sing (which definitely helps with writing songs).

Who inspires you musically?

The artists and songwriters that inspire me are the two main songwriters from Equippers Revolution, Josh and Keenan, who have helped me in so many ways to become a better songwriter as well as other insanely talented lyricists like Taylor Swift and Lorde.

What do you hope to accomplish with your music in the future?

Music is such a big part of my life, and I think that as I go into my future it’s one of the things that I will always do. Whether it be writing songs for Equippers Revolution, which I hope I can do for many years to come, or even releasing stuff as myself and under my own name, it’s something that I always want to do no matter what.

Music Highlights

We Will Rock You!

Over 20 alumni and staff from Ōtūmoetai College have been involved in the Tauranga Musical Theatre’s successful season of We Will Rock You. This group included students and teachers from the last 40 years of Ōtūmoetai College history and they were thrilled to be working together on such a great show. See if you can spot your current music teachers below!

Students involved (past and present):

Samantha Reyes, Lucy Dibble, Erin McCoy, Abbie Shaw, Elise Rohde, Elodie Corin, Ethan Shiriwastow, Finn Elliot-Lowe, Georgia Wilson, Kieran Tipper, Matt Henderson, Paige Henderson, Mat Patrick, Alana Milson, Kelsey Andrew, Frazer Smith, Helen O’Connor, Charlotte Howe, Taska KempGreen

Teachers involved:

Matt Bodman, Kelly McNamara, Andy Roberts.

Music Alumni

Alumni Daniel O’Connor, currently in his third year of studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Canterbury University, was the Musical Director for MUSOC’s successful production of The Addams Family.

Daniel has been experiencing his love of theatre in other areas also by being Stage Manager for MUSOC’s prior production of Bite Sized: a collection of 10 Minute Musicals.