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Music creates environmental awareness

Music creates environmental awareness

  • 14 Jun 2021
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Loopy Tunes duo Leah Williams-Partington and Siu Williams-Lemi recently performed at the SwitchOn Global Telethon to raise awareness about endangered species.

Combining what they love doing with something that serves a greater purpose is enough reward for musical duo Leah Williams-Partington and Siu Williams-Lemi. 

The Christchurch-based sisters, also known as, Loopy Tunes, aim to create educational, relatable, waiata which instils a sense of belonging, and makes tamariki happy when they hear the songs, recently participated in the SwitchOn Global Telethon.

Staged on World Environment Day (June 5), Leah and Siu joined the fundraising event, which featured children's music artists from around the world, raising money over 25 hours, for 25 endangered species, with a crowdfunding campaign which is running for 25 days (from June 5).

Leah says during the Telethon, 25 different countries had turns at ‘hosting’ the event, and an endangered species was highlighted every hour.

“The New Zealand section was represented by Kiwi Kids Music, which Loopy Tunes is part of, and the two endangered species New Zealand chose were the Māui dolphin and Tara Iti bird,” Leah says.

“We played music, told stories and shared fun facts about the Māui dolphin and Tara Iti bird, all for tamariki.”

Siu wrote a song for this event called The Māui Dolphin, which the duo has just released. 

“We will be contributing a remix of the song, as part of a fundraising charity album, specifically for the telethon, which will have songs from many other children's music artists from around the world, also.” 

“Proceeds from the telethon and the fundraising album will go directly to each countries chosen conservation organisation, which is Forest and Bird New Zealand, for New Zealand,” Leah adds.   

Additionally, the sisters will donate any digital purchases of their original The Māui Dolphin song, directly to the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust

“We love that we can be a part of such a global event, the first ever global telethon attempted, and for such an important kaupapa,” Leah continues. 

Loopy Tunes has been busy in recent times, working on a project in collaboration with Whānau Awhina Plunket, made possible with support from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) Community COVID-19 Fund.  

The project, Pasifika Beatz, includes 10 albums in 10 Pacific languages which contain a mixture of bilingual nursery rhymes and simple traditional songs and will be part of a toolkit for families and Early Childhood Education centres.