Fur Patrol singer helps lift music perfomance in Hawke's Bay

Fur Patrol singer helps lift music perfomance in Hawke's Bay

Celebrated rock musician and frontwoman for Fur Patrol, Julia Deans was at EIT last week working with students keen to learn from her success.

Programme coordinator for EIT’s Certificate in Contemporary Music Performance Tom Pierard invited the singer-songwriter to ideaschool to take part in workshops with students and to help polish their performances for the recently held Hawke’s Bay Sports Awards.

Julia also spent a further day on campus at sessions held for Hawke’s Bay high school students.

She was at EIT with support from the Backline Charitable Trust, newly-formed as a vehicle to support emerging musicians in Hawke’s Bay. As one in a series of initiatives, the trust is to provide funding for songwriting workshops featuring established practitioners.

“I like hanging with young people,” Julia said. “It’s something different and it’s an opportunity to impart the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years. And it’s nice to get out of the house,” she quipped of her trip to Hawke’s Bay.

Julia, who is to perform with Anika Moa at Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra concerts and who recently released her debut solo album Modern Fables, recalled different musicians coming to her high school during her student years.

“They came to talk about what it was like in the real world and I remember how amazing that was.”

Tom said that as well as learning from Julia’s skills, many of EIT’s music certificate students could relate to the musician’s struggles to achieve success.

ENDS

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