A 'Commotion' at NMIT Te Pūkenga

The event is for rangatahi aged 14 – 21 who are interested in the music industry and keen to learn from some big names from across the motu.

Workshops, discussion panels and performances flooded the entire G Block for the weekend where the atmosphere was described as electric.

“The whole of G Block was taken over,” says Sara Matthews, Programme Team Lead for Creative Industries at NMIT. “This place was pumping.”

Musicians such as Laughton Kora, MC Tali and Stephanie Brown and Fen Ikner of LIPS came to Whakatū as tutors, offering their experience and skills for enthusiasts to learn from.

Sound engineers and producers also came to share their knowledge, offering a breadth of knowledge for ākonga (students) who were keen on all elements of the music industry.

Graduate, Tony Lee, volunteered at Commotion last year when he was in his final year of study. He has since secured a job at venuetech, a company that works alongside Commotion crew.

“Even as a volunteer or worker you get to rub shoulders with some of the industry’s finest, which is a bonus,” he says.

“The event is giving youth of Nelson a good step in the right direction and giving connections and experiences that otherwise wouldn't happen.”

Five NMIT current students were directly involved in the programme this year, three in workshops and two interns who were working alongside crew.

The Saturday night showcase was to a booked-out crowd of 300 people, where 27 acts were performed.

Emily Sanson and Scott Burnett, Commotion co-organisers, were blown away with the results from the weekend.

“We'd like to say a huge thanks to NMIT for providing the incredible G-block facilities and support for Commotion, it wouldn't be able to happen without this.”

You can listen to the music from Commotion students as they put learning into practice on the Commotion website(external link).

For more information about studying music at NMIT, visit our website.(external link)