The song is called Heath's Rap Luna and Kahu - the names of his cat and dog.
In it, Heath raps: "My name is Heath and I wrote this rap/it's all about me and my black and white cat/she used to chase rats and she sleeps all day/she has night vision and she likes to play."
After writing it last year, he shared it with his music tutor Mātua Jade.
Mātua, short for kaumātua, is a common way of addressing teachers, and signals respect for the life experiences of an elder.
Jade Leatherby-Tipene, aka Mātua Jade, said he was impressed by Heath's rhymes so he helped him to create an original beat, sang a chorus for him, recorded the song and put it up on YouTube.
"He's pretty stoked!" Jade said.
The Mangōnui Primary School student said he never would have reached this point without Mātua Jade's guidance.
"It was cool to put the song together with him," Heath said.
"I actually never would have done that without him. He's encouraging."
Jade has been working to share his passion for music with kids in the Mangōnui and Taipā areas since last September when he was hired as a tutor by Whakaaro Tahi Community Trust (WTCT).
He currently teaches drums, keys and bass guitar, and is working to get the kids to play together as a band – as well as teaching songwriting and basic music theory.
But his focus is on getting them to play and discover which instrument they like, in hopes of giving them a lifelong means of expressing themselves and connecting with others through music.
Jade said WTCT was instrumental in kids having access to musical education.
"They wouldn't have music if it weren't for Whakaaro Tahi Community Trust."
Sharyn van Heerden said she started the trust while working as a secondary teacher heading up social sciences at Whangaroa College.
"It started mainly as a response to a lack of alternative extracurricular activities for disengaged youth," Van Heerden said.
"And because I noticed there were potential musically gifted students in my classes, but no music department."
That was 17 years ago. The trust has been operating sustainably as a charitable organisation since.
As the founding trustee, coordinator and chair, van Heerden said Whakaaro Tahi Community Trust believed the benefits of music to individuals, communities and to society were real.
She said factors like cost, lack of equipment and distance were real barriers to access, and that music was currently lacking in Far North public schools, despite being mostly available in private schools.
"We're set up to empower our rangatahi (young people), to remove barriers for them so that, with our support and guidance, they can discover the passion and joy of music," she said.
"Given the evidence that music benefits children, WTCT is specifically established to address this inequity that makes music a luxury for the financially-able.
"We strongly believe that music needs to be accessible to all students, not just the privileged few."
Among the proven benefits of musical education, Van Heerden lists improved brain development, concentration, self-confidence, empathy, listening skills, literacy and maths benefits and creativity.
She also said it reduced stress and increased wellbeing, cooperation, trust, respect and community connections, among many other benefits.
Dr Bronya Dean, lecturer in music education at University of Waikato, completely agreed.
Dean said there were countless benefits to doing music, but the strongest benefits were social in nature.
"Music is very emotive, so it helps us understand others' feelings as well as our own, and thus improves empathy and reduces loneliness," Dean said.
"Learning to coordinate with others is an important benefit of music making, and this builds self-confidence.
"It's about how you express yourself, and what it means to be human."
The trust's kaupapa (purpose) is to give the joy of music, and ideally to make it a lifelong gift.
And that seems to be just what's unfolding for young Heath now.
Heath said he liked music a lot and wanted to come up with his own so he didn't have to just sing other people's music all the time.
"I'd love to continue writing songs in the future."
Mātua Jade, who has been a professional musician most of his life, called his work as a music tutor - and inevitable role model - very rewarding.
"To be able to help kids is a big win for me - it's all I could really ask for."
