We sat down with Miss Ally from Hamilton East School, who recently recorded with legendary Kiwi artist Don McGlashan.
For nine-year-old Miss Ally from Hamilton East School, recording “Anchor Me” at Stebbing Studio was an experience she will never forget.
One of her favourite parts of the day was meeting Don McGlashan and the members of ALBERT Street. She also loved exploring the studio and seeing all of the equipment, especially comparing the newer technology with some of the older gear.
“The studio was really big,” Ally says. “Seeing other artists that are really famous singing in that same recording studio was really amazing.”
She was also impressed by ALBERT Street, particularly the way they performed and used their instruments.
“I liked how they did the music, and the way they used the instruments and the way they moved when they did it.”
The song itself had a special meaning for Ally. She had previously heard “Anchor Me” performed at school as part of a show about the Rainbow Warrior. Knowing the story behind the song initially made her feel sad.
“When I first heard it, it made me sad because I knew what had happened and I knew the meaning. But then, at the end, it made me feel really happy when I heard it.”
Meeting Don McGlashan was another highlight. Ally describes him as incredibly kind and someone who seemed to have an answer for everything.
“It felt like when I met him he had worked the whole world out, and he knew the right answers to everything.”
Although Ally had seen her mum singing and recording music with her family, she had never experienced anything on this scale herself. Recording in a professional studio, surrounded by cameras, lights and musicians, was completely new.
“It was really cool when I saw how my mum had done stuff, like how she used to record songs, but now seeing how we do it in a big, flash recording studio was pretty awesome.”
Hearing the finished song and watching the video back was a moment Ally felt especially proud of.
“When I came back to school, everyone really enjoyed it. I just like sharing my music and seeing how people enjoy it, and then seeing all those people made me feel really happy.”
For Ally, the experience was about much more than recording a song. It was about meeting musicians, discovering how a professional studio works, understanding the story behind a special New Zealand song, and experiencing the feeling of sharing music with other people.
