by Gabriella Vukman
On Sunday September 15, Olinda Community house will be the station for music, food and festivities.
Three stages, craft and recycled clothing stalls and performances running throughout the day, this year’s Hilltop Music Festival will kick off at 12pm and finish at 8pm.
Hosted by Monbulk College Parents and Friends Club, the Hilltop Music Festival is a fundraiser for the school’s performing arts program.
Music teacher and flautist at Monbulk College, Roz said, “The music festival came about via a random but enthusiastic chat between the other music teacher Lisa and myself earlier last year.”
“We came up with the idea to create an authentic musical experience for our students studying VCE VET Music. We thought it would be great to get ex students to come along and join in and the idea grew from there,” Roz said.
“We dared to believe we could put this together and then with the help of some extremely talented and passionate parents from our Parents and Friends Club, were able to put all of the pieces together to create the Hilltop Music Festival.”
Promoting music and performance in education is a key aspect for Roz.
“It is important to support children in music and performing arts because you don’t get a losing team in music. Sport is great for kids, but there’s always going to be one team that goes home sad and deflated. With music, everyone wins,” Roz said.
“There’s been countless studies about how music is good for your brain and helps you to develop other skills, but when it all comes down to it, music is just fun. And everyone needs some fun. Whether you listen to music, play music, dance around to music, if you get the right fit, you get that little dopamine hit and it all is very accessible. “
Classroom and Instrumental Music teacher at Monbulk College Lisa said, “Following the success of the brilliant “End of the Line” festival that was held in Belgrave in 2014 & 2015, we identified a continuing need for community connection around the arts in Corhanwarrabul.”
“We live and work on the fertile ground that is a muse for so many, and that’s worth celebrating. As teachers, we hope to inspire our students to participate in meaningful musical experiences, while acknowledging the importance of “the village”,” Lisa said.
“We had been tossing around the idea for a festival for years, but it didn’t fully take flight until some fiercely generous and highly capable people from our parent community threw their support behind it.”
According to Lisa, one of this year’s Hilltop Music Festival’s aims is to encourage young people to take part in and celebrate performance.
Lisa said, “An important focus for our artist curation team is encouraging music-making outside of school. Our lineup comprises both past and present students, teachers and family. At Hilltop, we celebrate a lifelong enjoyment of making and performing music, and want to show our young people that there is a stage for them now and long after they finish high school.”
“There have been many researchers who have offered a multitude of evidence-based reasons to support children to engage with music and performing arts,” Lisa said.
“If knowing that our children’s neurobiological function and immune system will be healthier as a result of playing music is the data that we need to legitimise our support, then that’s fine- the data is there.”
With the success of last year’s inaugural Hilltop Music Festival, Roz and Lisa are aiming to beat the record of 600 visitors across the day.
Hoping to match last year’s 11,258.41 dollars worth of fundraising, this year’s attractions have ramped up with more performers than last year, a silent auction, hot food and other activities.
Roz said, “Our main goal for Hilltop Music Festival is to create a genuine, fun, inclusive musical experience for both performers and the community.”
“Any funds raised from the day is a bonus but to put a figure on it, we are aiming to raise more than we did last year.”
All funds raised will be discussed with the school council, however a recording studio and equipment remain as leading priorities for the funding.
Past and present students from Monbulk College will also be performing at this year’s Hilltop Music Festival.
Roz said, “Working with current students has been everything from exhilarating to exceedingly frustrating, but that’s teenagers for you! I’ve loved seeing all of our past Monbulk students come back and showcase their continuing musical successes.”
“Some of the bands who I didn’t know before last year were fabulous to meet and the way that all of the artists interacted with each other, especially our younger musicians was a really lovely thing to see,” Roz said.
Tickets cost 20 dollars for adults and 5 dollars for children and can be purchased at https://events.humanitix.com/2024-hilltop-music-festival
