THEY could be the next Keith Urban or Kasey Chambers – 25 of the nation’s up-and-coming young country music artists will converge on Tamworth this weekend.
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The CMAA Junior Academy of Country Music begins on Saturday, July 1 in Tamworth with students travelling from as far as Western Australia and Tasmania to learn the tricks of the trade from the industry’s elite.
There’s a local among the ranks, Harriet Oates, from Loomberah will join 12 peers from NSW, seven from Queensland, two from Victoria and one each from South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania.
The students range in age from 12-18 and five are attending the singer-songwriter course on scholarships.
The tutors for the eight-day intensive course are artists David Carter, Jayne Denham, and Ashleigh Dallas for the singer-songwriter course, and Simon Johnson for the instrumental course with Lyn Bowtell returning as academy director. Musicians Liam Kennedy-Clark, Michael Cole and Ali Foster will assist with the band.
“We all love watching the students grow from when they first check-in with their parents to when they graduate a week later,” CMAA Academy of Country Music general manager Roger Corbett said.
“The beauty of this one-of-a-kind experience is that we have the cream of Australia’s musical talent tutoring these young artists.
“The parents don’t get to skip class, either, with a parents’ business course running alongside the artists’ course.”
The students are tutored in performance, songwriting, musicianship, working in a group, and harmony singing.
There are opportunities to co-write with other students and professional songwriters, network with professional artists and get a first-class foundation course in country music.
The course ends with the opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned with a graduation concert open to the public. Tamworth locals and visitors have the chance to meet the students with a special concert at The Pub on Saturday night, July 1.
The free graduation concert is at the Calrossy Anglican School Auditorium on July 7 at 7pm.