Traf High Live! Live Music Space & Music Room Upgrades

Hi! The Traf High Live! project is all about providing students and the school community with access and equity. Access, to live music in rural and often disadvantaged areas; like Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley and equity, because unlike in the suburbs and inner city where there are lots of events, it can be very difficult to get involved in music as a young performer and even harder to go and see, or experience, live music in person, due to the lack of under-age or all age venues and shows available for our youth to attend in our region. Consequently, it is challenging for our musical and arts based creative youth to express themselves and connect with like-minded people and experience music that is of interest to them; unlike in Greater Melbourne where these opportunities are far easier to access and become involved in.

Traf High Live!; by providing all-ages live music events accessible to under-age students and the school community, is about providing access to live music shows with bands and artists from around the state and Melbourne, as well as student performance opportunities on a semi-professional stage and recording equipment for our students to capture and produce their own music. By bringing in great bands from around the city and state to perform for the rural community students and families, it is a fantastic opportunity for students to see live music events with top bands from Melbourne that they couldn't ordinarily go and see. Furthermore, by bringing bands and musicians to the school to inspire and entertain the students, families and friends of the school, these Traf High Live! sessions also double as an opportunity for student bands to do real "gigs" as the support bands for the professional bands we host at these events, providing students with the experience of performing and entertaining an audience in a genuine live music "gig" environment. They also get the chance to chat with/ask the bands questions about the music industry, songwriting, gigging, recording, producing and promoting their music.

We have achieved a great deal since beginning this project in 2023 and we have injected as much money as we have been able to access but we have hit the limit of our budget and also our capabilities. Our ageing pro-audio (P.A) equipment, power access and limited and unreliable stage lighting; mostly sourced via FaceBook Marketplace with much of it, collected and donated by music staff as we have no money for these extra things. For example, our staging was constructed by our music staff and school handymen through materials sourced secondhand and reused creatively to save money. As such, we are looking to upgrade our live music stage, but due to budget constraints and a lack of funding options and specific grants for schools, we are trying to raise the money via other means.

By upgrading our staging, sound system, lighting capabilities and infrastructure, we will improve the quality of sound, the equipment for students to use and the size of the bands we can host, that require more professional sound systems and more inputs for instruments and microphones etc. Furthermore, our lighting will stop tripping out due to the ad-hock cabling and low quality LED lighting cans. We will be able to host more regular, professional live music events for students and families, and possibly even promote these events further afield and invite students from other schools in the area that are also keen to access live music and perform on a regular basis.

We are hoping to raise $5000 to help go towards upgrading the following items:

Any and all support is welcomed and greatly appreciated, after all, the Traf High Live! project is all about supporting and inspiring our school students and the local community through access to great music and musical opportunities.