Calling Hawkesbury’s musical youth – H.Y.P.E Acoustic Jam is on from January

Here’s an exciting new youth community project for the Hawkesbury and surrounding suburbs, set up to help youngsters with varied musical talent to experience performing and to meet like-minded individuals to network and collaborate.

H.Y.P.E stands for Hawkesbury Youth Performance Enterprise and it’s the brain-child of well-known local musician Mady Disbray.

Mady says the initiative, “has the potential to make a big impact on our community as the talent within it is extensive but the outlets and resources are few”.

“I’m an acoustic singer/songwriter – specialising in pop and soul – from the Hawkesbury,” says Mady, “and I’ve played all kinds of local events since I was 16 so I know the struggle of trying to gain performance experience outside of school – which is why I want to do my best to help and encourage the young musicians of the Hawkesbury.”

Mady says she knows what a struggle it can be to get spaces for performing, and simply to be given a chance.

Singer songwriter and H.Y.P.E Acoustic Jam founder Mady Disbray

After high school, she decided to pursue music full-time by studying at TAFE and in 2018 she finished with an Advanced Diploma of Music.

In 2020, she received the Australia Day Community Arts Award for the Hawkesbury because of a collective gig of local musicians she’d organised at The Church Bar in 2019.

“During the organisation of that show was when I actually started planning H.Y.P.E. We need to proudly showcase our town’s talented youth much more than we do,” she says.

Under the H.Y.P.E banner, the first initiative will be the H.Y.P.E Acoustic Jam which will run fortnightly during the school term, starting on January 25th, and will only require a donation at the door for attendance. All donations will go towards promotion, prizes and advertisements for future H.Y.P.E Jam events.

The jam will take place in The Attic above Plan B in Windsor from 6pm-9pm for ages 16-30.

Mady has made sure she’s teamed up with some great locals to help get the event happening.

H.Y.P.E Acoustic Jam has on board Viki from Plan B – Windsor, Head Teacher of Music at Nirimba Tafe, Andy Jenkinson, who has donated his time and music equipment for the event, and supporting and helping with the project are Rich Brown and Sabine Terry of Hawkesbury Musician’s Network, and music teachers Louise West from Windsor High School and Scott Turner from Richmond High School.

“The long-term goal for this enterprise is to see collaboration between creatives and businesses, because I really want to see our musical community flourish,” says Mady.

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