Careers in music are often seen as hard to achieve and something many people can only dream of, while redirecting their focus away from their passion. However, our Year 12 student, Charlotte Voll, has already begun taking steps to act on her passion and turn it into a career.

Many of us have heard the outstanding talent of the Voll Sisters at community events across the College and Toowoomba, but their dedication doesn’t stop there. Charlotte recently attended the CMAA Junior Academy of Country Music course in Tamworth, a series of workshops held over 8 days where students got to connect with industry leaders from all over Australia.

She had the opportunity to learn about having a career in the industry and attended specialist classes to improve on her vocal, guitar, songwriting, and stage performance skills. Charlotte was mentored by David Carter from the band Carter & Carter, “he really brought out the best musician in me,” Charlotte said. These mentoring sessions allowed Charlotte and the group to work together in creating and performing their own original song for their upcoming graduation gig.

Songwriting was something Charlotte had never tried before; she was taught how to write and co-write songs by Roger Corbett during the course. “It’s a great creative outlet for my emotions, and I like having the freedom to make it truly my own—from the melody to my own emotional connection to the lyrics.”

After all the hard work and preparation over the eight days the students held a showcase at the Moonshiners Honky Tony Bar, their first ticketed show! Performing their original song with other students from all over Australia was a dream come true for Charlotte. “It was the most magical night spent with my beautiful newfound friends,” she described.

We are exceptionally proud of Charlotte for pursuing her passion in the arts and we cannot wait to see where her pathway takes her next.