The Power of Kids Sing - Otago & Taranaki

2 Jul 2026

The first two Kids Sing festivals for 2026 have shown that as well as learning benefits for the students, they and their families get a great deal of joy and pride from the experience of singing together.


Otago – 20-21 May

The team in Dunedin have found rapid success with the Kids Sing. In just three years, they have created a festival that spread over two days this year in the Dunedin Town Hall, involving 1,200 children from 24 schools. Kids Sing Coordinator Carole Randall says “We have been fortunate in gaining a Community Access grant which gives us the Dunedin
     ^{Courtesy of the Otago Daily Times}                                                   Town Hall free of charge, thereby removing any cost barrier so all parents can attend. This is much appreciated by the schools. Also, we work in collaboration with the Otago Primary Principals' Association as they believe in its value and outcomes.” But she puts much of the success down to the Music Director Ben Madden. “He is an excellent communicator, musician and educator and his choice of repertoire and teaching videos ensured the teachers were empowered to train their students to produce a standard of choral singing to be proud of.”

The positive feedback from the schools has been excellent. Alison Caldwell from St Clair School has written: What a joy it was to participate in the Kids Sing Dunedin 2026 with 150 students from our school. This event has become the highlight of the singing year in Ōtepoti schools. It is everything a schools music festival should be - engaging, exciting, inclusive and fun! We took all our Year 4/5/6 children, and for many of them it was the first time they had been to the Dunedin Town Hall. To sing with the backing band, the mighty Town Hall organ, taonga pūoro, AND one of the actual songwriters - what an incredible opportunity!

The song list was expertly put together, covering a wide range of genres, including ngā waiata Māori and a song from the Moana Pasifika. We greatly enjoyed the tutorial videos from the NZCF Let’s Get Singing resource, which also provided superb professional learning for me. It was particularly of note that when I asked the children what their favourite song was on the night, many of them said, "The National Anthem, because our families joined in too." Isn’t this the main purpose of singing - to bring people together and create a sense of belonging to something special.
                                                                                                                                                             ^{Courtesy of the Otago Daily Times}                 A school principal wrote: A huge well done and thank you for the fabulous event on Wednesday night. It was an amazing night and as Ben said, one the tamariki will remember for the rest of their lives.

Our sincere thanks go to Music Director Ben Madden, coordinator Carole Randall, Rosemary Tarbotton (who coordinated on the 'show days') and the Otago Primary Principals Association.

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Taranaki – 15 June

Just as Otago has found a recipe that works for its region, Taranaki has found success in blending the Kids Sing with the Big Sing.

163 children from five schools gathered in New Plymouth for the Kids Sing.
 
Regional Events Coordinator Jeff Grange says: “After missing out last year because of clashing events it was great to get back into   
things this year. Five Kids Sing choirs is around our normal response but we are confident of being able to increase those numbers for next year. We had a great team of volunteers who kept the show flowing along and an MC with a background in theatre who was able to relate stories about songs from the shows that were being sung . All in all, a worthwhile event that will provide happy memories for 160 Taranaki students into the future.”

Above: Always in Treble from Woodleigh School

 

 

 

          

^{Above: Central School Choir                                                                                          Above: Mixers from Mangorei School
Below: Trebles from Sacred Heart Girls' College, New Plymouth                            Below: St Joseph's School Choir}        

 

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