Over 1,000 Territory Kids across the NT will participate in the re-imagined digital 2020 Beat Festival with the apt theme 'Flight – Lift Off After Lock Down', commencing 9 November.
The Festival is a major performing arts event creating opportunities for students to come together through music and entertainment to share their work with the wider community in a showcase of Territory talent.
For the first time in 2020 the Beat Festival will go virtual – with organisers, the NT Music School, quickly adapting to the 'the new normal' to ensure that students and the community wouldn't miss out the popular event.
Usually performed live, the 2020 Festival will be launched in both Darwin and Alice Springs with a video unveiling of school submissions, before being available to the wider public online.
The NT Music School has set up pop-up recording studios at Sanderson Middle School and Centralian Middle School so schools can film their performances before they go public on 26 and 27 November in Alice Springs and Darwin respectively.
The Beat Festival features 12 songs performed by large choirs, student concert bands, feature soloists and dance troupes.
The 2020 Beat Festival is funded by a $36,000 NT Government grant and an additional $10,000 from the City of Darwin.
As noted by Minister for Education, Lauren Moss:
"The Beat Festival is a 40-year Territory institution, which, like most, has had to change and adapt to the new normal in this unprecedented COVID year.
"Taking The Beat virtual in 2020 shows not just great initiative from the NT Music School, but also shows how important this event is to our Territory students.
"Going virtual also allows for wider participation from NT schools across the width and breadth of the NT, and the wider community will be able to safely enjoy the performing arts talents of our Territory kids online."
