Play It Strange

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Play It Strange We exist to bring into the light the great songs written by our young people across Aotearoa. Just close enough to reach.

Play It Strange is all about opening the door to the temple of imagination that young NZers harbor…..that they place on the edge of our real world.

⚠️Last Chance To Enter⚠️Our Peace Song Competition sponsored by  Family Foundation closes tomorrow 5pm! Our judges Jorda...
28/06/2024

⚠️Last Chance To Enter⚠️

Our Peace Song Competition sponsored by Family Foundation closes tomorrow 5pm! Our judges Jordan Luck Band and Mike Chunn are looking forward to hearing your songs on the theme of peace.

Enter Now: www.playitstrange.org.nz/competitions

There is just 3 days left to get your song in for the 2024 Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation....
27/06/2024

There is just 3 days left to get your song in for the 2024 Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation. 3️⃣

Entries close at 5pm on Sunday, 30 June 2024. ⏰

The theme of peace and non-violence can be interpreted broadly, from inner peace to global harmony. Lyrics are the main focus, and the recording quality is not considered in the judging process. 📖 🖊️

The winner will get to record their song in a professional studio. Get a 1:1 mentor session with guest judge Jordan Luck Band A $500 Rockshop NZ gift card to help fund your next music endeavour. Plus work alongside a composer from Auckland Philharmonia’s Inspire Program to curate a backing track for their winning song. Plus will perform alongside member of the Inspire Program at our annual awards. 🥇

Click the link to enter: playitstrange.org.nz/competitions

Amazing morning with Ormiston Senior College music students watching Che-Fu The Musician soundcheck for his Matariki per...
27/06/2024

Amazing morning with Ormiston Senior College music students watching Che-Fu The Musician soundcheck for his Matariki performance with Auckland Philharmonia this morning! Thanks so much for having us! ✨

26/06/2024

4 days left to enter the Peace Song Competition sponsored by The Wright Family Foundation. With that in mind this year’s guest judge Jordan Luck has some tips if you’re thinking of entering! Get your submissions in by 5pm Sunday June 30! ☮️ 🕊️

⚠️WIN⚠️ We have your chance to be at the exclusive Live Nation New Zealand  and One New Zealand    Showcase in Wellingto...
26/06/2024

⚠️WIN⚠️ We have your chance to be at the exclusive Live Nation New Zealand and One New Zealand Showcase in Wellington. With a stellar lineup including Casual Healing, Sure Boy and Mikeyy you’re in for a treat!

🎫To win drop us a comment and tell us who you’d like to take along for your chance to win a double pass!🎫

There are just 4 days left to submit your songs in the Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation! 🕊Mi...
25/06/2024

There are just 4 days left to submit your songs in the Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation! 🕊

Mike Chunn takes a look back at the significance of songs inspired by peace over the decades since the 1950s; and the songs that have been entered into our Peace Competition since its inception in 2019.

Check out the full blog below ⬇️☮️

An update from Play It Strange founder and creative director Mike Chunn.

Ngā mihi to the good folk at FLAVA sharing our Te Reo Māori songwriting competition - judged by the legend himself (and ...
24/06/2024

Ngā mihi to the good folk at FLAVA sharing our Te Reo Māori songwriting competition - judged by the legend himself (and Play It Strange alumni) Rei Music ✌️💚

Entries close 31st July, enter here: https://www.playitstrange.org.nz/competitions

Thanks once again to Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation for supporting the competition!

https://www.flava.co.nz/the-latest/play-it-strange-launches-te-reo-maori-songwriting-competition-plus-rei-announced-as-judge/

Play It Strange has just announced the addition of a new Te Reo Māori Songwriting Competition to its umbrella of songwriting competitions this year. Play

We are stoked to announce our partnership with the legends at SAE Auckland! 🤩Any other organisation dedicated to nurturi...
23/06/2024

We are stoked to announce our partnership with the legends at SAE Auckland! 🤩

Any other organisation dedicated to nurturing the next generation of songwriters and musicians is a star in our eyes!! ⭐️✨⭐️

SAE Creative Media Institute (SAE) is proud to announce a new partnership with Songwriting Charitable Trust Play It Strange, uniting two organisations dedicated to nurturing the next generation of songwriters and musicians.

ONE WEEK TO GO! Our Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation closes 5pm Sunday 30 June. Your song ca...
23/06/2024

ONE WEEK TO GO! Our Peace Song Competition sponsored by Wright Family Foundation closes 5pm Sunday 30 June. Your song can be of any genre. You can enter solo or as a group. The song just has to be on the theme of peace. It could include world peace, personal peace or what peace means to you. The quality of your recording isn’t part of the judging process. If you’ve always wanted to give songwriting a go we would love to hear your song.

The prize is a professional recording of your song. A 1:1 mentor session with Jordan Luck Band. A $500 Rockshop NZ gift card and the opportunity to work alongside one of the composers from Auckland Philharmonia’s inspire program to curate the backing track for your winning song.

If you need some inspiration check out last years winning song ‘Fireflies’ by Dani Leonie, Alice Tehaki & Sara Iese Leiataua from Papatoetoe High School HERE - https://spoti.fi/4cdQ7aL

We had so many incredible entries for the Year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition sponsored by Youthtown NZ. The judges had ...
21/06/2024

We had so many incredible entries for the Year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition sponsored by Youthtown NZ. The judges had a tough job deciding which songs would get a professional recording but the results are in!

A massive congrats to Breanna Osgood-Lloyd and Hinemaurea Wikitapu of Gisborne Girls High School with their song ‘He Can’t Be Mine’ taking away first place. Both Marlon Williams and Mike Chunn were blown away by your song.

Marlon said “He Can’t Be Mine: a sophisticated but elegantly simple meditation and the intensity and transitoriness of love; this might be the best song I’ve heard all year from anyone, anywhere, of any age.”

We wish you the best of luck in the studio. We hope you have an incredible time at your 1:1 mentor session with Marlon and know the $500 Rockshop NZ gift card will be used well.

Mike shares his love and congratulations with all of the winners in the compeition. “We here at Play It Strange congratulate you on being chosen as a ‘finalist’ songwriter in our Youthtown Songwriting Competition. There have been 46 songs selected and they are all of great quality.”

Congratulations to all of our winners. We can’t wait to hear what you cook up in the studio and look forward to assisting you into the studio of your choice.

Thank you to everyone who sent in a submission. You are all winners in our eyes. Even if you didn’t get the opportunity to record your song in this competition we still have 3 other competitions you can enter. The Peace Song Competition closes 5pm June 30 we are looking forward to hearing all your wonderful Peace Songs!

Thank you to the absolute legend Marlon Williams for being such an incredible guest judge. Youthtown our headline sponsor. Rockshop and APRA AMCOS NZ for your amazing support we couldn’t do this without each of you!

Did you or someone in your family ever enter the   Peace Song Competition? You might not know the story behind this beau...
21/06/2024

Did you or someone in your family ever enter the Peace Song Competition? You might not know the story behind this beautiful competition.

Join our founder Mike Chunn as he takes us on a nostalgic journey in , revisiting the beginnings of the Peace Song Competition and its mission to spread peace through music. 🕊️☮️

Explore the history of the Peace Song Competition, from its inception to the winning songs over the years. Discover the impact of music on promoting peace and unity.

Thanks to our friends at Auckland Philharmonia we have the ultimate music lovers behind the scenes experience! You and a...
20/06/2024

Thanks to our friends at Auckland Philharmonia we have the ultimate music lovers behind the scenes experience! You and a friend could be witnessing Che-Fu The Musician and The Kratez special Matariki performance with the Auckland Philharmonia. Join us at their sound check next Thursday 10 am - 12.30 pm and witness how this incredible show comes together.

Spaces are limited RSVP to [email protected] or drop us a comment if you have any questions! 🎵 ✨ 🎤

Last week Cam Mansel and Steph had an amazing (and busy) day visiting five schools in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. An absolute h...
19/06/2024

Last week Cam Mansel and Steph had an amazing (and busy) day visiting five schools in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. An absolute highlight was Gisborne Girls' High School Music and their iconic music teacher Jane Egan. GGHS students have professionally recorded 109 songs thanks to Play It Strange, had 20+ students come first place in our competitions, have won Play It Strange School of the Year multiple times, and Jane has also won NZ Music Teacher of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards.

During the week of recordings each year, Jane and her partner house, feed and provide a car to producer Jol Mulholland. Jol stayed with them for THIRTY days last year. What an absolute legend, so dedicated to providing young musicians with as many opportunities as she can ⭐

We had an amazing day meeting so many talented musical rangatahi in Tairāwhiti Gisborne last week! First stop was meetin...
17/06/2024

We had an amazing day meeting so many talented musical rangatahi in Tairāwhiti Gisborne last week! First stop was meeting these musical legends at Lytton High School ❣️

We are stoked to be collaborating with local music not for profits Big Fan and Crescendo for Press Play - an afternoon o...
14/06/2024

We are stoked to be collaborating with local music not for profits Big Fan and Crescendo for Press Play - an afternoon of music education and an evening of live music on Thursday 4th July.

A panel for students in the afternoon on Breaking Into the Music Industry in Aotearoa is followed by an evening of live music from up-and-coming artists Dylan Lazz, Lily Stiven, Naimah Manchanda, Kzz and more!

This is a free event, but tickets are limited. If you would like to join us, RSVP to [email protected] and let us know if you want to join us for the panel, the concert, or both! 🤟🏼

Happy Friday to you all! Our wonderful founder Mike Chunn has started a blog series, "Mike's Minute" 💜Check out Mike's r...
13/06/2024

Happy Friday to you all! Our wonderful founder Mike Chunn has started a blog series, "Mike's Minute" 💜

Check out Mike's reflections on judging the songs in this years Year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition, sponsored by Youthtown NZ. Mike calls these years entries "imaginative, powerful and extraordinary". ✨

Mike and Marlon are are in the final stages of deliberation and we hope to announce the competition winners early next week!

An update from Play It Strange founder and creative director Mike Chunn.

Shiny new competition posters have arrived at Play It Strange! Do you want any sent to your school or organisation?! Sen...
12/06/2024

Shiny new competition posters have arrived at Play It Strange! Do you want any sent to your school or organisation?! Send us a message if so and we'll pop them in the post!

Thanks to the epic teams at The Lion Foundation, Wright Family Foundation, Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation, NZ On Air Music, Foundation North, APRA AMCOS NZ, Rockshop NZ and for making this all possible 💛🎵

Recently, our team had an awesome time visiting Papatoetoe High School with our very good friend (and great music teache...
07/06/2024

Recently, our team had an awesome time visiting Papatoetoe High School with our very good friend (and great music teacher) Louise O'Neill! 🎶 We chatted with Year 12 & 13 music classes about breaking into the industry, getting your songs heard, and of course, what it was like for Cam Mansel to interview Dua Lipa 💖

An incredible singer then treated us to a performance 🥰

The talented rangatahi at PapHigh have recorded over EIGHTY songs through Play It Strange over the years, many who have gone on to have successful music careers - Joe coffee, Rebel Reid and Valkyrie to name a few! 👏

We can’t waaaaait to listen to all the incredible songs they’re entering this year 🌟

Thanks PapHigh for being such legends and sharing your talents with us! 💛

Mike Chunn Brown Cam Mansel

We’re jazzed to announce that the  has joined Play It Strange as the headline sponsor for the 2024 Peace Song Competitio...
06/06/2024

We’re jazzed to announce that the has joined Play It Strange as the headline sponsor for the 2024 Peace Song Competition. With The Wright Family Foundation’s generous support, we can record even more winner’s songs. Plus we’ve upped the prize! 🏆 Not only will the first-place winner receive a professional recording of their winning song, but they’ll also get a 1:1 mentor session with Jordan Luck, a $1000 NZ  gift card, and the opportunity to work alongside the to curate an accompaniment for their winning song for a small group of orchestral instruments.
 
And that’s not all! The winner will also get the chance to perform with members of the Auckland Philharmonia at our annual awards night in October.
 
The Peace Song Competition is OPEN NOW until the 30th of June. Your lyrics can focus on whatever peace means to you, whether that’s internal peace, peace at home or peace within the world. We can’t wait to hear your incredible songs.
 
🔗 Link In Bio To Enter 🔗

We're jazzed to announce that the Wright Family Foundation has joined Play It Strange as the headline sponsor for the 20...
06/06/2024

We're jazzed to announce that the Wright Family Foundation has joined Play It Strange as the headline sponsor for the 2024 Peace Song Competition. With The Wright Family Foundation's generous support, we can record even more winner's songs. Plus we've upped the prize! 🏆 Not only will the first-place winner receive a professional recording of their winning song, but they'll also get a 1:1 mentor session with Jordan Luck, a $1000 Rockshop NZ gift card, and the opportunity to work alongside the Auckland Philharmonia to curate an accompaniment for their winning song for a small group of orchestral instruments.

And that's not all! The winner will also get the chance to perform with members of the Auckland Philharmonia at our annual awards night in October.

The Peace Song Competition is OPEN NOW until the 30th of June. Your lyrics can focus on whatever peace means to you, whether that's internal peace, peace at home or peace within the world. We can't wait to hear your incredible songs.

Enter at playitstrange.org.nz/competitions

Huge thanks to our incredible friends at the Aotearoa Music Awards for having our alumni at the soundcheck for the 2024 ...
31/05/2024

Huge thanks to our incredible friends at the Aotearoa Music Awards for having our alumni at the soundcheck for the 2024 AMAs. Was an incredible experience getting up close with some of NZ’s greatest artists! 🎵 🎤

Shout out to our mates at BurgerFuel  for supplying the Bites before ouAotearoa Music Awards  exclusive preview last nig...
29/05/2024

Shout out to our mates at BurgerFuel for supplying the Bites before ouAotearoa Music Awards exclusive preview last night. Nothing beats a good burger and some musical chats. We are fuelled up for the Aotearoa Music Awards Tonight! You can stream it live on the RNZ website, Facebook or YouTube from 6pm TONIGHT! 🎵 🏆 🎉

And just like that, our first songwriting competition of the year is CLOSED! We had 149 entries in this year's Year 9 - ...
27/05/2024

And just like that, our first songwriting competition of the year is CLOSED! We had 149 entries in this year's Year 9 - 11 Secondary School Songwriting Competition, sponsored by Youthtown NZ.

Our judges Mike Chunn and Marlon Williams have spent the last few months listening to these incredible songs as they come in. This week the judges will deliberate.... and winners will be announced next week!

Mike Chunn says "the lyrics particularly are enthralling and engaging and there is a heightened intelligence that goes into the songs. It’s a real pleasure and honour to listen to them. Young songwriters walking into the magical playground. Long may they run."

Pictured: Last year's winner Rachel Stevens performing her winning track 'Out of My Mind'. Photo by Steve Bone Photography

Play It Strange is proud to be a member of the Music Outreach Online Forum (MOOF) alongside many other amazing organisat...
27/05/2024

Play It Strange is proud to be a member of the Music Outreach Online Forum (MOOF) alongside many other amazing organisations! MOOF is a national advocacy peer support network for musical outreach organisations in Aotearoa.

In the wise words of kiwi legend Lorde, "And you know, we’re on each other’s team.”

This is your last chance to get your songs in for the year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition sponsored by . Entries closeFr...
23/05/2024

This is your last chance to get your songs in for the year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition sponsored by . Entries closeFriday 24 May at 5pm. We can’t wait to hear your songs!

Recently, Carol from The Lawlink Group contacted us about having a couple of Play It Strange musicians perform at the we...
21/05/2024

Recently, Carol from The Lawlink Group contacted us about having a couple of Play It Strange musicians perform at the welcome drinks of their annual conference in Wellington.

Sam and Greer, two talented Play It Strange alumni from 2023, performed their original songs.

Carol said “They were very well received by our delegates, and it was absolutely the right kind of music for our functions. We have a conference every year and I’ll certainly be looking at your website again in the future.”

Please get in touch with us if you would like to support a young, talented up-and-coming musician at your next event! We know plenty 😉💚

Are you in year 9 - 11? Do you want your song heard by Mike Chunn and Marlon Williams? Do you want the chance to record ...
20/05/2024

Are you in year 9 - 11? Do you want your song heard by Mike Chunn and Marlon Williams? Do you want the chance to record your song in a professional recording studio? Our Year 9 - 11 Songwriting Competition sponsored by Youthtown NZ closes this Friday at 5pm! Get your songs in before it’s too late!

Enter HERE playitstrange.org.nz/compeitions

Happy  from team Play It Strange! To anyone who has ever been made to feel less than know that we love you and value you...
16/05/2024

Happy from team Play It Strange! To anyone who has ever been made to feel less than know that we love you and value you for being you! 🩷

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