by Cathie Bell

A professional, well-equipped music room and recording studio has been opened at youth venue MySpace.

The Marlborough Youth Trust held a morning tea function to thank donors Blue Door and Lotteries Commission representatives for the funding they gave to build and equip the music room and recording studio. The rooms were soundproofed by Matt Cutts from Cutts Builders, and advice on sound and music equipment and installation by Chris Holdaway of Sound Solutions and Brendan Lott from Umbrella Productions.

The finished rooms were re-blessed by Lotteries representative Luke Katu, and MYT manager Jo Lane says they hope to have young people using the studio shortly, with mentors training up young people to use the recording equipment.

She says MySpace wanted to provide a music facility because once young people leave college, there is nowhere in the community to do this music - “except in their garage, which isn’t always good for the neighbours”.

“It’s great to keep young people engaged in performing arts.”

Blue Door chairwoman Sue Duckworth says the music facility was a big project.

“Last year was our 20th birthday. We always said we were going to have a $20,000 donation - we ended up having two.

“We wanted youth to be the focus for our big donation, and last year, we made two big donations - this and Pine Valley.”

Blue Door operates a secondhand shop in Seymour Street, and the funds from that are donated to community groups in Marlborough.

Luke Katu says the donation from Lotteries was made to MySpace because it met a community need.

“We have got a music facility here for young people, we encourage them to come, take part in activities at MySpace, and the performing arts with the studio.”

Providing somewhere to perform and record music is a way of leading and navigating our young ones to a safe space, he says.

“It also helps navigate them into services provided here and also into the wider community here.”

The Marlborough Youth Trust Staff & trustees hopes the facility will be well-used.

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