bronteeve-blog

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Kurstin Boyd- Reference

29 February 2020

Good morning,

 My name is Kurstin Boyd and I am the Head Teacher of Creative and Performing Arts at a local government High School. I have been in the position of Head of Department for the past 8 years across two schools. It was during this time that I met and had the pleasure of teaching Bronte Perkinson.

 As well as running the department and at times relieving as Deputy Principal, I am also the Music and VET Entertainment teacher. I teach Stage, 4, 5 and 6 Music and Stage 6 Entertainment. Outside of my school commitments I am also a professional musician and worked in many bands and duos playing the Tweed, Gold Coast and Brisbane area. I studied a Bachelor of Contemporary Music and Bachelor of Education Secondary majoring in vocals at Southern Cross University. I have worked with the Tweed Shire Council on multiple Creative Arts events and have been recognised by the Far North Coast Educational Director for the professional productions that I put on each year.

 Bronte first came to our school when she was around 15. I was absolutely blown away by her talent, however it wasn’t just that. As a teacher I come across many kids that give me ‘goosebumps’ with their amazing ability, but Bronte was different. I knew from the first moment of meeting her that she would be star and would be an Australian Artist that will make big things happen one day.

 As well as phenomenal vocal ability and agility, Bronte is an amazing song writer. Her songs are able to take you on a journey with her catchy lyrics and memorable chord progressions. I realised quite early on that Bronte was confident and at ease as a performer. She was engaging and had a performance maturity well beyond her years and this just drew people to her and her unique sound. I first offered Bronte an experience of performing at a local café knowing that she would handle the public performance and represent our school well. And she didn’t disappoint. This then lead to exposure and as soon as people were able to hear Bronte’s voice and songs, they were transfixed and became an instant fan. Bronte continued to build this profile of hers through social media and word of mouth and her fan base has grown ensuring venues the pleasure of a great crowd when she performs.

 On a school level Bronte excelled in Music, both practically and also theoretically. She had serious ambition was always looking for performance opportunities and was willing to take on any advice I offered her way. Knowing the calibre of her talents and ensuring her the best success, I partnered her with an outside professional musician to accompany on her HSC practical performance as well as a talented guitarist from her class that she still plays with today. Her hard work and talents gained her a Band 6 for Music (the highest achievable band from NESA). The fantastic moment was the nomination she had received from NSW Board of Studies as an exemplar performer in the 2018 HSC Music 1 Course. This means she achieved full marks for her performance and was invited through the nomination process to participate in a showcase in Sydney. Achieving one of these nominations is not given lightly and I was extremely proud of this achievement.

 Bronte has always been able to support the Creative Arts in the community by mentoring and teaching younger artists. She has since started as a vocal tutor in my Performance Music Program at my school and she greatly supports and influences these students.

She is also regularly asked to assist as a featured vocalist on other local musician projects. Each time gaining more and more knowledge of the workings of the industry. Her collaborative approach makes her a popular artist to work with.

 I give my full support and endorsement of Bronte applying for this grant. I have no doubt in my mind that she will achieve her goals and dreams in the music industry. She has the talent, the will, the determination and the fan base. Being privy to her development since first meeting her, just cements my decision to support her application. If given this opportunity Bronte will be armed with the tools she needs to get to that next level. She is at the point of her career where she is ready to move to the next step. She has very supportive and loving family and friends who are there for her always and hopefully this successful grant will be the start of her next chapter.

 I thank you for taking the time to read my recommendation and please don’t hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

 Yours sincerely,

Kurstin Boyd

19 Feathertop Street

Terranora NSW 2486

0433774481

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Reference - Jay Varudo

My name is Jay Varudo. I’ve been involved in the music industry for the past 10 years as a touring musician and freelance engineer. Currently based in Brisbane I have worked on Singles, EPs and Albums for a few artists from Byron to Sunshine Coast. I mainly work out of my home studio but have engineered and produced records at Rocking Horse Studios (Byron Bay) Studio 301 (Byron Bay) and Tall Poppy (Brisbane).

 I met Bronte through mutual friends in the industry (“Eliza & the Delusionals) as they were recording/practicing with her at the time. Bronte and I agreed on recording her first single and EP voluntarily as I was trying to start up a portfolio of work, which I could show potential artists in the future. At the time of meeting Bronte I was a student at SAE Byron Bay in 5th trimester.

 Working with Bronte was a great experience. She has a very strong vocal, which is unique but has a sense of radio credibility. Her songs did need a little bit of pre-production at the start, which required a little bit of reworking sections. She adapted to the studio environment very well and I was very happy with the final outcome of the record. Engineering, mixing and co producing (With Bronte) on the songs we both had clear ideas on what we wanted the record to sound like.  

 I have watched Bronte grow over the past 4 years since recording, and each year I have noticed an increase in her social following and musical ability. I am confident in her future and success. Knowing the experience, I had we working with Bronte in the past I can assure she is well equipped, prepared and ready to take the next steps to further her successful career. I cannot wait to hear what Bronte will release and merit her unique sound, one that can be appreciated on a global scale.