25 Tracks (ATOM Study Guide)

It is 2011 and the musicians composing the duo called twentyfive plan to write, record and release a fresh song every two weeks of the year.

Cath Sheahan and Nick Larkins are the members of twentyfive. Cath Sheahan is a Melbourne songwriter and musician who plays bass guitar. Nick Larkins is a Melbourne musician who has played in a number of bands including Wild Pumpkins at Midnight, Dan Rumour & The Drift (Cruel Sea) and Monique Brumby Band.

Cath loves pop and Nick loves garage rock. While Nick claims Black Sabbath as a musical influence, he teases that Cath is more into the Sound of Music. Is this music partnership going to work? Are they totally deluded? Is it an impossible goal? Will anyone even care or notice the century of information and product overload? This is not reality TV. It’s not a competition. It's real musicians doing their own thing.

The site of their ambitious project is a bare-bones studio in the industrial west of Melbourne. They have a studio set-up which is a piece of Melbourne history – a 1957 train carriage, lovingly restored, fitted out with a Tiki bar and parked in the Newport Workshop, surrounded by the history of Victoria’s railways.

CURRICULUM LINKS:

25 Tracks is suitable for secondary students in Years 10–12 studying Music.

As a curriculum resource 25 Tracks allows students to gain a practical understanding of how to approach composition and performance, given its focus on the artistic practice of songwriters and musicians Cath Sheahan and Nick Larkins. The documentary may also be of interest to students in other performing and visual arts subjects.

The activities within this study guide provide opportunities for students to:

• discuss their relationship with music as composer and performer;
• reflect on and respond to the music created and performed in 25 Tracks;
• communicate understanding of cultural, stylistic, aesthetic and expressive qualities and characteristics of music;
• listen to, analyse and critique the music featured in 25 Tracks;
• reflect on and discuss the significance of establishing a creative process and a space in which to create music.

Teachers are advised to consult the Australian Curriculum online at https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au and curriculum outlines relevant to their state or territory for further information. It is recommended that teachers preview 25 Tracks.