Our Year 11 - 13 Music students had a front-row seat to the industry this Monday!

We were thrilled to host Paige Tapara (Play It Strange) and soul artist and songwriter  Sam V for an inspiring session on the reality of a life in music.

The visit provided a deep dive into the charitable work of Play It Strange, founded by Mike Chunn. The trust serves as a vital bridge for secondary students, offering national competitions that lead to professional recording and music video opportunities and global distribution on platforms like Apple Music.

2025 was the first year that NCEA Music students at Onehunga High School participated, one of our music leaders Cleo Milne placed as a finalist in not one but two categories, she saw two of her original compositions come to life in a professional recording studio working alongside a play it strange producer.

Beyond the logistics, the guest speakers were refreshingly candid about the "grit" required to succeed. Sam V spoke about balancing his creative passions with academic pursuits at Auckland University, reminding students that the pathway to a music career is often paved with diverse experiences and hard work.

The session concluded with a vibrant Q&A and a standout performance by our fantastic year 12 music student Xavier Nakatsuji (XPLSV), whose rap performance perfectly captured the energy of the afternoon. We look forward to seeing how these insights fuel our students' original compositions this year.