Hamish O’Connor is a talented Year 8 student who has been accepted into the Burnside High School Specialist Music Programme for 2018. Miss Divett took a moment to chat with Hamish about his musical life thus far and his recent success.

Congratulations Hamish! We’re so proud - tell us about the process for getting into the Specialist Music Programme.

I learned two songs for the audition - Where is Love? [from the musical ‘Oliver’] and The Water Is Wide [a traditional song]. There were some aural tests with rhythm and matching pitch, and singing scales. I sang in front of a panel - there were four people - and then I had to wait a long time to see if I got in or not! It was really painful waiting! Then I got an email - it was sent to mum - and it said that I was enrolled at Burnside!

I’m looking forward to being in a group of people who are “like me”. We do all our learning together, like maths and english, so we’ll really get to know each other well. I’ll be able to make friends with people who “get” and understand music like I do. I’ll be joining ‘Maelstrom’, which is Burnside’s award-winning male choir.

Tell us a little about your music journey so far...

When I was two years old, I had a little guitar that I used to strum and make music. I started at Cashmere Primary Te Pae Kererū in Year 7, and prior to that I was at St Michael’s and Tai Tapu. When I was 5, I had music lessons. I started with ukulele, then I went into keyboard. I kind of did clarinet and guitar at the same time in Year 5 & 6. Then I got into Voice.

A family friend told us that they did singing lessons. I thought that I would go along and see how it was, and I really enjoyed it because I thought it looked fun, and I like singing. Then my music teacher told me about Burnside High (he’s a vocal tutor, Ravil Atlas). I thought that I might as well try - if I’m good, it would be good to get into the music programme.

I sang in Katua choir this year and really enjoyed it! I have sung at the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival before, so it was good to do it again.

What advice would you give to students who are just starting to learn an instrument or sing?

If you enjoy something, you should give it a go. If you’ve never played an instrument before then just try it. If you like singing, look for songs you want to sing and really go for it!

Make sure you practice - make sure your voice is always improving. It’s good to do practice every day because that helps you to progress more quickly. I have to do daily practice - about 10 minutes a day. I sing my scales through a straw in order to build my breathing muscles to support my singing.

What is your favourite musical memory of your time at Cashmere Primary?

A favourite memory was singing at the music festival, and being excited about choir practice every Friday morning.

The favourite concert I’ve been to though was at The Piano where the singers played tunes and notes using glasses filled with water. It was amazing, the soloist singers sang while the choir played the glasses!

What are your plans for your music in the future?

I want to continue singing, I enjoy art and design equally as much as singing so I will see how I progress.

Who has inspired you?

Mum encourages me to do my practise, and Mum and Dad have been supportive of my musical abilities. I’m quite a musical person - I listen to a lot of different musical genres. We have spotify playing most of the weekend!

Thank you Hamish - congratulations on your success, we’re all very proud!