Coromind - Issue 34 - October25 - Coromandel's Collaborative Magazine - Flipbook - Page 30
PROUD TO
BE LOCAL
This month the spotlight is on Chelsey
Bennett, a proud local musician,
songwriter and music teacher from
the Hauraki district. Raised in Waihi
from the age of 昀椀ve and now living
with her family on a dairy farm in
Ngatea, the wider Hauraki district is
where she calls home, having lived,
attended school in and worked in the
area for most of her life. Her main
role these days is imparting musical
wisdom to the next generation of mini
musos through lessons in singing,
guitar, ukulele and piano that she
o昀昀ers at several local schools.
From the age of eight she knew that her
future vocation would involve music
in some way. Having had a chance
encounter with a music therapist, she
was intrigued and aspired to one day
follow that path. Although she hasn’t
disregarded it for her future, for now
she is satis昀椀ed teaching music and
has found that teaching has meant
that music becomes more accessible
to kids that bene昀椀t from having it in
their lives.
Singing and music has always been a
huge part of her life. From a tiny child
she would sing almost constantly. Her
most vivid memories are of singing
and playing guitar at home with
her mum Meryl, who is also a music
teacher based in Waikino, learning
to harmonise to old school country
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and western hits like Delta Dawn and
Let Me Be There. For a long time, she
distanced herself from country music,
opting to learn more classical style
singing. However, despite having a
rather diverse repertoire, she has now
come full circle and has found herself
singing with more of a country 昀氀are
these days.
You can 昀椀nd her with her guitar in
hand, playing and singing at markets,
pubs and various events throughout
the Coromandel, Waikato and
Auckland areas, bringing a relaxed
acoustic ambiance to any occasion.
Chelsey will tell you that she is not the
most active person on social media,
but you can catch up with where she
is performing over the upcoming
summer season and contact her to
book her for gigs by searching on
Instagram @chelseybennettmusic or
looking up her pro昀椀le on Facebook.
She’s looking forward to seeing
you out and about, singing along
and exploring the Coromandel this
summer.
chelseybennettmusic@gmail.com
Facebook: Chelsey Bennett
instagram @chelseybennettmusic
Words by
Fabian Roberts
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