By ALESHA CAPONE
A TALENTED group of pupils from a Delahey music school will take to the stage for a charity fundraising concert on Sunday.
Students from the Music Education Academy (MEA) will play the piano, keyboard, guitar and violin at the Taylors Lakes Hotel.
Among the 120 young virtuosos performing will be nine-year-olds Laetitia Francois and Rachel Duquemin, alongside eight-year-old Lauren Grech.
The MEA’s director Lorenzo Capitanio said children as young as four will play at the show to raise money for The Smith Family.
The MEA’s annual charity concert is now in its seventh year and has raised more than $13,000 for not-for-profit causes.
Mr Capitanio said the pupils would be performing all styles and levels of music including classical tunes, What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction and Gangnam Style by Psy.
Mr Capitanio said his students have been rehearsing for the event for about two terms.
“For me learning a musical instrument only makes sense when you perform and there is a huge satisfaction as a music teacher when your students are up on stage in front of their family and friends performing,” he said.
“I know they love it. I’m a parent and my three children will be performing and for me, personally there’s no greater joy to see children learn and play music together.
“Through our fundraising concerts for both The Smith Family and the Good Friday Appeal I hope our students understand that learning a musical instrument is one way to give back to our community.”
This year, MEA pupils have also performed at shopping centres in Brimbank and Melton, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Sunshine Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital, the Fantasia Festival, the Brimbank Festival and at primary schools.
The MEA concert will be on Sunday from 2pm-4pm at the Taylors Lakes Hotel, 7 Melton Highway, Taylors Lakes.
Tickets at the door, $5 per person.
Contact 9310 9532.
