Year 10 student, Jacinta Drumond, is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who already records and shares original songs and covers on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. She has just been named the winner of the Catholic Education Foundation Songwriting Competition, another sign she’s well on her way to achieving her dream of being a professional singer-songwriter.
The competition, a joint initiative of the CEF and the Sydney Catholic Schools Arts Team, invited students in Years 9-12 to compose and perform a theme song for the CEF to mark its tenth anniversary. The CEF is a not-for-profit organisation that provides a school fee support program to families experiencing hardship, offering bursaries that allow young people to attend Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney.
She said writing her song, titled Opportunities for All, allowed her a unique chance to do what she loves.
“Music is something I am really passionate about, and it’s a gift I want to share with people who can relate to and appreciate it,” she said.
“I entered the songwriting competition because it provided me with a meaningful platform to share my passion for music while connecting with the Catholic values and principles that the CEF promotes through its work. Ultimately, it was a creative way for me to contribute and support that mission through music.”
Jacinta said the competition required her to take a new approach to composition.
“My songwriting process usually begins with the music, meaning I find the chords and produce the music, before surrounding it with melodies and harmonies to form my final, ready-to-release songs. The competition guidelines required me to compose a song that was different to my usual style of pop ballad, so I had to incorporate a faster and more uplifting melody with lyrics suited to the values of the CEF,” she said.
Jacinta has been invited to record her song using the recording studio at Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood.
“With James Long, Education Officer: Creative & Performing Arts at Sydney Catholic Schools, and the amazing music producer, Philippe-Marc Anquetil, I will gain industry experience recording and producing my composition professionally and alongside experts, which is so exciting!” Jacinta said.
Jacinta takes elective Music at St Ursula’s College and performs in a range of school events and productions, both as a solo artist and a member of Ursula Voices and the Open Choir.
Jacinta’s song will be used in CEF promotional material over the next two years; a wonderful way to share her talent and voice with many in the community.