25 May 2009 - 1 Comment

This year’s fifty Smokefreerockquest events are well underway – uncovering original high school music talent from Invercargill to Whangarei.

The nationwide school music contest enters its third decade as the country’s premier youth music participation event. Director Pete Rainey says other events come and go but Smokefreerockquest continues with only minor changes to the formula.

“Kids playing music to their peers is a simple enough idea, but after 21 years we know that it never loses its appeal,” he said. “We stage the event in 26 regional towns, making it a real life ‘rock star’ experience, then there’s the prize package that kick-starts the winners’ future success in the music industry.”

There are around 660 entries this year, ranging from solo singer songwriters to bands with brass sections. The entry process is area where Smokefreerockquest has made changes – for the first time registration was ‘paperless’ via the Smokefreerockquest website.

“It’s interesting how technology has helped young bands reach a new level of sophistication,” Rainey said. “A few years ago the bands could write songs, but were lost for words when it came to describing their music. Now most of them have My Space pages and even their own websites and they are far more professional in how they present themselves.”

Rainey says this is just another of the ‘hidden’ skills taught by Smokefreerockquest.

“From forming a band and agreeing on a name, through to negotiating practice times and perfecting their songs and their stage acts – it’s a complex process and one that teaches a whole raft of skills they can use in other areas of their lives,” he said.

Over the winter, heats and finals from around New Zealand will be filmed for music and youth culture television channel C4, leading up to the national final, to be held this year at Auckland’s Power Station on September 19.

Prizes at the national final include musical equipment from NZ Rockshop to the value of $10,000, and The Edge Airplay Award with NZ On Air where the winning band’s music and video are recorded at York Street Studios with guaranteed airplay, and a promotional package from myspace.com. Other awards reinforce the key Smokefreerockquest aim of encouraging students to write and perform their own music. Individual prizes are awarded for best lyrics, women’s musicianship and the best song. A scholarship to the Tai Poutini contemporary music course is awarded for musicianship, along with selected bands being matched with past successes in a mentoring programme supported by the Music Industry Commission and the Ministry of Education.

Thanks to www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz for this story.

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