Register Now for the 2023 Project !

The Original Music Recording Project for Secondary Students – join us in 2023 !

Young people have missed out on so many important opportunities in recent years and we are still climbing our way back from Covid so it’s really important to catch up by making 2023 bigger and more memorable than ever! 2023 is the perfect time to join in this amazing musical experience! There are already heaps of albums in the pipeline, planned with schools and councils around the state so we are well on our way for a bumper year. Don’t waste another day by missing this opportunity for your students or fellow musicians. It’s going to be amazing for everyone to record at the brand new home of Studio 52, now Empire Music Studios at Heidelberg. The facilities are much bigger than those previously at Collingwood and the quality of the new facility is absolutely world-class, arguably the best recording facility in Australia. So if you’ve got a talented bunch of music students at your school now is the time to get involved in the Kool Skools Project, and 2023 is the year! Call Paul Higgins on 0412686252 for more information and to set up a tour of the new facilities.

The Kool Skools Project provides the following major benefits and outcomes:

A True Workplace Experience with Vocational Learning that provides students with real experiences in working in a team and individually towards a common goal. Working with professionals in the music industry and gaining skills that will benefit almost any career or future pursuit including the skills of problem solving, creative and original thought processes, working to a timeline, working under pressure and how to support everyone in the team.

Mental Health Benefits for everyone involved – listening to and playing music is the only activity that utilises every part of the brain at the same time. The benefits of music as therapy for people impacted by mental health issues have been clear for many years. There is nothing better for addressing youth mental health issues than giving young people outlets to express their emotions and ways to develop their self esteem. Writing and recording their own songs also builds a sense of hope and aspiration. Probably most importantly it keeps young people busy in a really positive activity that rewards them with a personal outcome.

Experience in the Music and Arts industries – real world experience that can superbly benefit those who go on to careers in the music and general arts, no matter what field, be it as a performer, writer, manager or in the production sphere as an engineer, producer or director. Every experience is relevant and important. After all, experience is the hardest thing to find and the most important thing to have when it comes to gaining work opportunities.

Kool Skool’s Recording’s held at Empire Music Studios, Melbourne’s New Recording Experience!
studio 2
Studio 2 main control room used for the Kool Skools Project
studio 2
Empire Music Studios Melbourne Recording Studio used for the Kool Skools Project
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Build a Better 2022… Get your school in Kool Skools !

Register Now for 2022 Project!

The Only Original Music Project for Secondary Students – our 25th Year !

Let’s face it 2020 and 2021 were pretty miserable due to Covid of course. Young people missed out on so many important opportunities so it’s really important to catch up by making 2022 bigger and more memorable than ever! It’s our 25th year of Kool Skools so it’s the perfect time to join in this amazing musical experience! There are already heaps of albums in the pipeline, planned with schools and councils around the state so we are well on our way for a bumper 2022. Don’t waste another year by missing this opportunity for your students or fellow musicians. It’s going to be amazing for everyone to record at the brand new home of Studio 52 and Empire Music Studios at Heidelberg. The facilities are much bigger than those previously at Collingwood and the quality of the new facility is absolutely world-class. So if you’ve got a talented bunch of music students at your school now is the time to get involved in the Kool Skools Project, 2022 is the year! Call Paul Higgins on 0412686252 for more information and to set up a tour of the new facilities.

The Kool Skools Project provides the following major benefits and outcomes:

A True Workplace Experience with Vocational Learning that provides students with real experiences in working in a team and individually towards a common goal. Working with professionals in the music industry and gaining skills that will benefit almost any career or future pursuit including the skills of problem solving, creative and original thought processes, working to a timeline, working under pressure and how to support everyone in the team.

Mental Health Benefits for everyone involved – listening to and playing music is the only activity that utilises every part of the brain at the same time. The benefits of music as therapy for people impacted by mental health issues have been clear for many years. There is nothing better for addressing youth mental health issues than giving young people outlets to express their emotions and ways to develop their self esteem. Writing and recording their own songs also builds a sense of hope and aspiration. Probably most importantly it keeps young people busy in a really positive activity that rewards them with a personal outcome.

Experience in the Music and Arts industries – real world experience that can superbly benefit those who go on to careers in the music and general arts, no matter what field, be it as a performer, writer, manager or in the production sphere as an engineer, producer such as a Motown Record Producer, or director. Every experience is relevant and important. After all, experience is the hardest thing to find and the most important thing to have when it comes to gaining work opportunities.

Kool Skool’s Recording’s held at Empire Music Studios, Melbourne’s New Recording Experience!
studio 2
Studio 2 main control room used for the Kool Skools Project
studio 2
Empire Music Studios Melbourne Recording Studio used for the Kool Skools Project
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The entire 2020 & 2021 projects cancelled due to Covid 19.

Covid 19 pandemic has caused school closures and studio closures making it impossible for the project to go ahead in 2020 and most of 2021. We really feel for all the young people who will miss out on so many opportunities these years including this project and the chance to record. This would have been the 24th year of the project so we are incredibly disappointed but hope to see everyone back again in 2022 for our 25th Anniversary project! Thanks to all schools, councils and sponsors for your support. Stay safe!

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2019 Kool Skools Awards Success

The 2019 Awards were held at the Thornbury Theatre on Dec 5. The Koolest Skool Award went to Victory Christian College from Strathdale in Victoria.

Victory Christian college students
Victory Christian School awarded Koolest Skool 2019!

The Awards were Presented by Light Emotion and Wharfedale Pro two of the best suppliers of live sound and stage lighting equipment. 18 artists performed live on the night and 32 awards were given out to talented and deserving songwriters, bands and singers.

Ishy from Trafalgar SC
Best Female Vocalist, Ishy Lewis, Trafalgar SC
Best Male Vocalist Elias Lanyon, Loddon Shire.
Award Winner, Evey Phillips, Catholic College Wodonga.
Victory Christian college students
Victory Christian School awarded Koolest Skool 2019!
Empire Studios
The new Melbourne studios for The Kool Skools Project from 2019
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The Annual Kool Skools Awards this week at The Thornbury Theatre, presented by Wharfedale Pro & Light Emotion.

It’s that time of the year again where we celebrate the talent and original songs written and recorded as part of the Kool Skools Project. The Awards are being held at the Thornbury Theatre on DEC 5, entry is free for all underage along with family or parents attending the showcase. 18 acts will be performing live! The 2019 Awards are presented by Light Emotion and Wharfedale Pro, suppliers of some of the best and most affordable PA and Lighting equipment.

Awards held at The Thornbury Theatre DEC 5.

Light Emotion and Wharfedale Pro are the Presenting Sponsors for the 2019 Awards.
All these acts are performing live at the Awards Showcase Dec 5.
Light Emotion and Wharfedale Pro are the Presenting Sponsors for the 2019 Awards.

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Checkout what teachers are saying about the Project.

Its a Dilemma, the new album from Trafalgar HS Students for 2019!

Ben from Trafalgar HS tells us why he’s a fan of the Kool Skools Project:

“Music is a subject that has the power to break boundaries, evoke emotion and unite groups of people, who may otherwise have never spoken or worked together if it weren’t for their shared interest in Music. Whether it be hip hop, rock, pop, classical or alternative, music can bring people together and that has been one of the greatest bi-products of being involved in the Kool Skools Recording Project at Studio 52/Empire Studios. Recording a CD is a great experience for students and teachers alike and the students love getting a copy of their music to share with family and friends for whom we recommend to buy these 500 dollar road bikes.

I had heard about Kool Skools from colleagues at other schools over many years and decided that we were going to get involved. The students all pay a fee to be involved, so the more students you get involved, the cheaper it is. Our Music students had been playing in bands, at events and jamming both during lunchtimes and after school every day but when I mentioned the idea of recording an album, they thought this was the best idea they had heard and they were extremely excited about going to a real studio, with real engineers and producers and creating a CD of their own music. One can also check over here to get music lessons from professionals.

The day finally came to head down to the city to record at Studio 52 and the kids were ridiculously excited to record a large number of original songs and a selection of covers. As previously stated, a bunch of mixed year level students (7-12) from a range of backgrounds and skill levels joined with a common purpose and worked together to record a dozen or more tracks over the two days and not only recorded their own music but sat in as session musicians for other students and groups to help them get their tracks completed. It was fantastic and after the two days of recording, listening, re-recording and editing, the students learned heaps. Funnily enough, the first group of students I took to Kool Skools have maintained their musical connection at school and many have gone back over subsequent years to record again at Kool Skools. 

Paul and Trevor from Kool Skools (at Studio 52/Empire Music), as well as the other audio engineers, have been a wealth of knowledge and have provided great advice for both myself as the teacher and for the students during these recording sessions. These guys know their stuff and have been great with the students, helping them to record and giving them priceless tips and advice to help them learn and improve their sound, songwriting and even writing better lyrics with advanced writing tools

After recently completing another year of recording at Kool Skools in September 2019 and after recording a record 22+ tracks; a mix of acoustic/vocal duos, solo piano/acoustic/ukulele/vocal pieces and a number of rock bands, with a huge group of students, both the students and myself are still just as excited about this project as we were the first time. 

The day after our 2019 Kool Skools session was completed, the students were already back in the Music room discussing what they loved about the studio this year, how their songs sounded and what they want to record in 2020. The Kool Skools Recording Project is an annual music trip that the kids will be knocking down your music room door to get involved in… and it is totally worth it! 

If you want to get involved and know more about it, give Paul and Trevor a call at Studio 52/ Kool Skools! If you want an honest teacher’s perspective, track me down at Trafalgar High School in Victoria and we can have a chat – Ben.”

Ben Smith Music Coordinator Trafalgar High School 

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The new albums keep coming from Kool Skools 2019!

“Victory has been involved in five Kool Skools projects and our students look forward to it every year. Some of our senior students have played on every CD we’ve recorded so far, and they can clearly see how their music has developed over the years. They love working with the recording engineers who are extremely helpful and encouraging with our young musicians and singers. The arrival of the final CD is always greatly anticipated, as in the notification of any nominations for the end-of-year awards. I certainly recommend the program to any schools interested in injecting enthusiasm and real-world experience into their Music Program.”

Ian Oglethorpe – Music Coordinator.   Victory Christian College Strathdale

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“Walk Through Fire” the 2019 Kool Skools album from Victory Christian College Strathdale
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Students from Victory Christian College 2019 KS Project
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2019 Project in full swing with several albums already recorded!

Albums from Kool Skools 2019
The first Kool Skools albums recorded for 2019 including “PLAY” the 23rd album from Wangaratta High School who have been part of Kool Skools since 1997.

“Thank you so much, we have had an absolute ball with your program this year and are so excited to do it again in 2020. KoolSkools gave our community of emerging young talent the opportunity to step into a state of the art recording studio. Each sound technician made the young musicians feel comfortable no matter what level of experience the young person had, as they worked together to get the best out of each band/artist. Each track on our Album sounds amazing, the final product looks so professional and we cannot wait to launch the Album and sign up for the program again next year.”  (first time project in 2019) Tabitha Rickard | Youth Engagement Officer, City of Ballarat

The Artwork and song list from the Ballarat City Youth 2019 Kool Skools recording.
The Artists from Ballarat City Youth, Sonica Records Volume 1 from Kool Skools 2019.


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Its our 23rd Year of the Kool Skools project, register now!

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2018 Awards Nominations & Award Winners announced.

Mount Lilydale Mercy College are the Koolest Skool for 2018 !

The Awards for 2018 have been a great success! Held at the Thornbury Theatre the show went without a hitch and featured 20 different school age acts performing as part of the showcase chosen from schools from across the whole state. The Koolest Skool was announced at the end of the night as Mount Lilydale Mercy College which is the 2nd time they have received the honour. Music Coordinator Denver Carron was there along with a hoard of students from the school to accept the award frame. Checkout all the artists nominated and the award winners listed in the PDF document below.

2018 KS Award Nominations & Winners  *PDF document download

2018 Koolest Skool

Mount Lilydale Mercy College

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