Green Is Magic
A CD by Trust
Funded by Small Change Foundation
Reviewed by Elle Morrell
What better way to get the message across? When Footscray Secondary College's school band, Trust, and the environment club got together, no-one expected such a powerful mix. With support from the Small Change Foundation and the school council, the project to produce an environmentally orientated CD came to involve students from all year levels.
The Green Is Magic CD lyrics were written by year 12 students and the music performed by the school band. Accompanying the 10-track CD is an activity book written by year 7 students and a book targeting primary school students with environmental facts and a story about the plight of a penguin curious about the ozone layer. Senior art students designed the art work and cover for the CD.
This project is testimony to the leading role young people are playing on the environmental crisis even as governments are slashing funding for state schools. They have taken complex issues and presented them in a creative and accessible form.
"Young people know there is environmental devastation and want to do something about it. This is why we chose the theme for our CD", said Burke Hardman, the bass guitarist from Trust.
"Music affects young people, and with such a powerful message it is a fantastic medium for young people to get into. You can either have meaning with your music and make an impact or not. We wanted to make an impact", drummer Victoria Ternito explained to Green Left Weekly.
The CD has an eclectic range of musical influences, from slower ballads to blues to a more hip hop jazz fusion "Eco Systems" and ending on a heavier rock number, "Experience". Each song describes different aspects of the environment crisis and what can be done.
Stella Pericleous explained that there is a quite an active environment group at Footscray Secondary College, which she has been helping to coordinate. They have been involved with Environmental Youth Alliance campaigns and the promotion and production of this CD. However, she stresses that there is always more that could be done. She hopes the CD will encourage the broader student population to get active around environmental issues.
The nine members of Trust say this is only the beginning. They are hoping a further record contract may come out of this project. They indicated their willingness to do gigs for environment and social justice benefits.
Green Is Magic is available at Brash's music stores and other major retail outlets for only $20, or you can contact Boni Nardella at Footscray Secondary College. Any profits will go towards school equipment. This is an exciting initiative by the Footscray students, and who knows what they could produce next: a CD on how to defend your school against Kennett could be a number one hit.