Students develop their musicianship through song-writing and creative collaboration
Year 10 elective Music students Aurelia Bergin and Matilda Hefferan (aka Leila and Tilda) have co-written a beautiful song called ‘Moonchild’ . Posted on Triple J’s Unearthed , the song could be described as Acoustic Indie Folk. The absence of beat, floating vocal harmonies and high reverb effects create an ethereal presence.
Aurelia and Matilda’s musical collaboration commenced through their engagement in Composition Club. “While each student brought to this project their own musical strengths, they soon discovered that it was the synergy of their creativity that proved to be most rewarding,” Mrs Casey Allen, Head of Classroom Music, said. “Aurelia’s captivating lyrics inspired the commencement of the project and this was complemented by Matilda’s familiarity with guitar chords. In performing the song, Matilda played the guitar, sang and used her keyboard for musical effects. Aurelia's stirring violin playing contributed to the calming aesthetic of the piece.”
In addition to compositional and performance growth, the development of ‘Moonchild’ provided an excellent platform for learning about the recording process. Matilda was quickly introduced to the professional recording program Logic Pro.
My production skills have really developed through my collaboration with Aurelia. While there is still so much for me to learn about Logic Pro, there has been no better way for me to improve my skills than by diving into a project like this.
Matilda Hefferan
Like any creative task, ‘Moonchild’ has been an exercise in understanding the value of leaning into vulnerability. For any musician hoping to better their writing skills, courage is needed to share their work with others. Aurelia recognises that by sharing her work, she has not only increased her confidence but has improved her skills through constructive feedback. “The most rewarding aspect of creating ‘Moonchild’ was watching the song develop from a poem I wrote one day after school to a recorded song, enjoyed by listeners. At the beginning of the process, it was challenging to share my work with others. After receiving positive feedback from my family, I felt more confident to share it with Matilda, PLC Sydney’s Composer-in-Residence and members of the Composition Club. This experience proved to be the main catalyst for the development of this song.”
Inspired by hearing their own completed work, Aurelia and Matilda plan to continue their collaboration together in the future. It is exciting to observe these students experiencing both the joy and learning achieved through the creative process. We look forward to hearing more music by Leila and Tilda in the future.