Natalie O’Driscoll | March 2020IN AN EXCITING COUP FOR GOLD COAST’S MUSIC-LOVING YOUTH, CITY OF GOLD COAST HAS APPOINTED INDUSTRY ALL-ROUNDER DOM DISISTO TO DELIVER AN EXCITING YOUTH BAND INITIATIVE AIMED AT INTRODUCING YOUNG PEOPLE TO LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE – MAKING MUSIC LIVE.Designed to provide young people aged 12 to 17 years with education and experience in song development, band formation, performance, basic sound production and exposure to industry opportunities, these school holiday workshops will be run by mentors and coaches with extensive real world experience.And as far as real world experience goes, it’s hard to beat Dom Disisto.Orientation / jam day for the Easter School holiday program will be held at the Helensvale Auditorium 4 April and the Robina Auditorium 5 April.A Gold Coast music industry icon for the last 20 years, Dom is the Co-Director of Recreational Music Australia and Recreational Music Making USA, Committee Member of the Australian Music Association (AMA), and has worked extensively in the music industry here and in the states for decades. For the past 20 years, he has been delivering the successful Weekend Warriors Music program that has recently gone international, expanding to the USA.However Dom’s real passion lies in working with the next generation of grassroots musicians and young people.Over the years, Dom has taken on the role of Project Manager for several government-funded programs aimed at getting young people involved in the music industry including Get Heard, Mentors of Music, and Garage Band. In fact his last Gold Coast youth program featured song writing sessions with Amy Shark. And it all began with teaching kids and putting on concerts in South Australia nearly 40 years ago.“At one point we had more than 400 students per week in one location and another 500 in a city location, with the original location in SA still running to this day, I’m proud to say,” he recalls.“It really was so rewarding for me to watch them have so much fun on stage,” Dom remembers fondly. “The kids loved it, as a lot of them would never have had the chance to play in a band with that gear… and learn and play what they want. This approach ensured more chance of them continuing to play their instrument for years to come.”Making Music Live provides a fun alternative to traditional music coursesProviding a fun alternative to traditional music courses is just one of the many goals Dom hopes to achieve when he delivers the newest iteration of this long running City of Gold Coast youth program.“I have been running youth music programs on the Gold Coast since 2004. This will be our 13th program in partnership with the City and I always tell people interstate and around the world how the City takes an active role in growing the music culture and creating opportunities for them to get heard.”“We want to help stimulate a vibrant music scene in the Gold Coast as more young people become actively engaged in making music, listening to music and attending live performances,” says Dom.“We also want to contribute to the Gold Coast’s positive youth engagement outcomes and reputation for delivering meaningful, safe and highly regarded youth programming, and introduce young people to the career potential of the music and creative industry sector.”With the support of the City’s Music Action Plan, programs such as Making Music Live can help reinforce the growth of the vital music sector at a grassroots level.“The Gold Coast has definitely been very proactive in catering to its youth, and the music culture here is quite healthy,” says Dom.The initiative has been redesigned to further encourage participant’s musical and personal skills in a safe and supportive environment, and will be aiming to provide opportunities for young people across the city with eight free programs delivered over the next 18 months during school holidays.JAM DAYOrientation / jam day for the Easter School holiday program will be held at the Helensvale Auditorium 4 April and the Robina Auditorium 5 April.Registration is essential – All musical abilities welcome.To get more information and to reserve your place, head to Young Warriors.

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