Early Monday morning (19 May 2025), ‘Play It Strange’ hosted a workshop in Sancta Maria College to show their upcoming content. Play It Strange is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Split Enz band member, Mike Chunn, aimed at providing young musicians a voice for delivering their music. Through the organisation, it manages annual competitions, encouraging young students from across Aotearoa to record, compose, and write their own original songs. Play it Strange’s purpose is to give New Zealand music students a chance to excel within the music industry.
Artist and producer Rei, Ops Coordinator Evie Bamford, and the ’Play It Strange’ founder/Split Enz icon Mike Chunn were able to give us a taste of what it will be like. They briefly mentioned past ‘Play It Strange‘ winners – their unique musical compositions involving rock, indie-pop, and heavy metal. This shows us how appreciative and open they are within this industry to create a community filled with imagination and a variety of music to inspire others, not just music from one sector.
To end things off, we were able to learn more about founder Mike Chunn and his impact in the Play It Strange. He mentioned his bassist role within Split Enz and the band’s significant impact in NZ and worldwide. Lastly, we witnessed a free show from Rei, as he performs one of his most streamed songs ‘Good Mood’, which made the entire audience bop their heads.
The workshop opened Sancta Maria College music students’ eyes to shine in the music industry, and how easy it is to share your talents and grow in music knowledge. Thank you to Rei, Evie, and Mike Chunn for giving us an opportunity to be in the music industry and especially sharing their personal experiences as a way to inspire our musical abilities. Lastly, special thanks to Ms Shone who has organised this workshop for us.
