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Home / Northern Advocate

Whangarei Sistema represents NZ in international music project

Danica MacLean
By Danica MacLean
Multimedia Journalist, Newstalk ZB·Northern Advocate·
12 Jun, 2017 10:00 PM3 mins to read

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Sistema Whangarei's Marley Halliday is all smiles as he delivers his message in the video. Photo/Supplied

Sistema Whangarei's Marley Halliday is all smiles as he delivers his message in the video. Photo/Supplied

A Whangarei music group has gone global as part of a international music project.

Sistema Whangarei - Toi Akorangi joined 14 other El Sistema-based groups from around the world to a make a music video.

The song Love People was written by the students from the Bosnian Sistema programme in Srebrenica.

Orginially recorded to raise money for music schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina ruined by flooding in 2014, it was re-recorded with the international groups with the aim of becoming a universal children's anthem.

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The Sistema group of the 30 from Whangarei recorded a video and a separate audio recording of them singing in April, then sent both files away to be added to the collaboration.

Sistema Whangarei Programme director Fiona Douglas said they were asked to be the NZ group in the project.

"It was a no-brainer really. It was really important we made it work," Ms Douglas said.

But before they could do the recording, the kids had to learn the song, which they did enthusiastically.

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"It wasn't too bad, with the backing track."

Ms Douglas said the song has a really good sentiment to it. Love People celebrates love, friendship and understanding.

"It's about working together, that's much like an orchestra - we're all a bit different but when we come together we make an amazing sound."

The song features the lyrics "and the time has come, we must stand together as one carry each other to a better life we are all the same, a brotherhood of man strong, free and ready we can win this fight".

The completed video was released earlier this month and Ms Douglas said she was "really thrilled" with the finished product.

"It's just really lovely to see all the kids from around the world. When we showed our guys, they were thrilled."

She said she felt proud to have been involved.

"A proud moment to be chosen, and to see the joy in the kids' faces when they saw the finished project."

She said while the children only had to sing in this project, she had the music and would introduce it to the group once they learned some of the more technical parts.

The video has been viewed more than 7000 times.

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More than 1000 children took part altogether. Other countries include Vietnam, Canada, Kenya and Palestine.

Whangarei Sistema's video was shot by Channel North and the audio by Wards Music Works.

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