MEDIA RELEASE

The Suburban Sistas are back!

Released 12 October 2006

Information and Cultural Exchange
PO Box 4033 Parramatta NSW 2124 Australia
T: +61(2) 9897 5744 / F: +61(2) 9897 5766

Led by ICE’s own MC Trey who’s been supported by the Vodafone Foundation’s WORLD OF DIFFERENCE program to work at ICE for a year, Suburban Sistas II is a FREE hip-hop and urban music program for at-risk young women aged 15-25 who live in the Western Suburbs.

“Music and rhyming are powerful tools,” says ICE Urban Music Program Coordinator MC Trey, who will be facilitating the course. “When young people express themselves through their own music, it helps in other areas of their lives. Creating lyrics helps you with writing, and you’re developing your own voice. When you perform and people listen and value what you say, it gives you self confidence.”

“I participated in the first Suburban Sistas a few years ago which had a huge impact on me,” says hip-hop artist and former Artfiles Artist-of-the-Month MC Earthquake.

“Now I’m working as the assistant trainer on this Suburban Sistas course! Others in the course went back to school, and went on to study things like events management at TAFE,” she says.

The first Suburban Sista Soundz program ran last year, with support from Granville TAFE Outreach and other partners. The program had such success that the young women were able to present shows which toured venues in regional NSW, supported established hip-hop and R&B artists at a show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, and performed on Channel 9’s Mornings with Kerri-Anne!

Suburban Sistas II is an entirely new program – focused not only on the technical skills like beat-making and lyrics, but activities geared towards building confidence and knowledge about the music industry. The young women are getting schooled by some of the best names in hip-hop, with appearances from well-known Australian DJ Nick Toth and others.

“This course is about making a difference in young women’s lives,” says MC Trey. “By the end, we will have some confident new music-makers emerging – they will have recorded their own lyrics and music, and will finish the program with a performance. For some of them it will be their first time doing anything like this.”

For more information about Suburban Sistas II, contact Information & Cultural Exchange on 9897 5744 or email Trey