Always looking for ways to engage students and the school community, Moree Public is constantly trying new approaches to learning. The Studio Time program at Moree Public School has been providing year 5 and 6 students with the unique opportunity to write, record and perform their own music since its inception in 2012. To date, past and present group members have assisted in the creation of 29 songs, with more on the way this year.

Teacher and media producer Andrew McDonald has always been interested in giving students a voice and was fortunate to discover especially fertile ground in Moree when he arrived from Canada in 2006. The children at the school have enthusiastically embraced the chance to express themselves and their ideas about life through song and dance. The specific content changes from track to track, but the same thread of positivity winds its way through all of the songs. In 2015, teacher and choreographer Stacey March came on board and has worked tirelessly with dancers to develop routines that perfectly complement the message found in the students’ lyrics. Studio Time would not be possible without the generous support of Moree Public School’s leadership and the resources they have made available, with Principal Adrian King catching the vision early and allowing Andrew, Stacey and the children to run with it.

Aside from music production, Andrew McDonald has a self-taught background in film. In Toronto, Canada he worked with a teaching partner to produce 3 hour-long films with year 5 students. While completing those projects, Andrew developed a love for the powerful synergy that occurs when video is set to music. This led to a decision in 2017 to produce a music video for a Studio Time track called We All Belong. With an upcoming trip to Tamworth to join in the CAPERS regional spectacular looming, Andrew and Stacey decided that filming the video on location would provide a perfect backdrop to showcase the group working together as one. Over two days, filming occurred whenever the group had time, including a memorable session in the motel carpark before breakfast! Throughout the entire experience, the students were enthusiastically engaged and brimming with ideas. The video that resulted is truly a testimony to the meaning behind the song, as everyone in the group worked together to make it happen.