Island Music (ATOM Study Guide)

Island Music is a short film (12:30) that celebrates an aspect of life that is important in the memories of the people of Cape Barren Island – the music they played and danced to as young people in the 1950s and 1960s. It was the music played by local people, and to which local people danced and listened at the dance hall, and at family celebrations. Memories of the music were woven into a series of memorial quilts that some senior women produced, and three young local people decided to explore the strength of this memory further. In doing so they have created a film that provides a possible model for young people in their own exploration of powerful and important local community memories.

Island Music can be viewed as a model for individual, small group or class activities in:

• History: Local history study
• Media: Constructing a short film
• English: Communicating – structuring a presentation

The focus of this study guide is on creating a historical representation of a local community, but the activities and skills involved can apply equally well to a Media or an English production.