Contemporary Music

Suncoast has vibrant and inclusive contemporary music culture. Opportunities are provided for all students to engage with music and musicianship.

Contemporary Music Curriculum

If you are a contemporary musician and a student living on the Sunshine Coast, then the extensive music study and performance options and opportunities and music faculty at Suncoast Christian College can set you on music-entertainment industry career pathway.

At Suncoast, our music program is grounded in the contemporary  – with musicianship, songwriting, performance and stagecraft, and creative collaborations at the centre of a curriculum that seeks to drive artistic and academic excellence, but also inclusiveness.

For the aspiring professional musician, the atmosphere and opportunities for growth are significant. Similarly, there are many benefits for all students within our inclusive music program.

Benefits of an inclusive music curriculum

Whilst, not every student necessarily sees themselves in a music career – all students at Suncoast are encouraged to participate in some form of contemporary music.  It is our firm view that music has wider social, collaborative and creative impact on children and young adults – especially where they are given opportunities to experience and experiment with music. 

Music opportunities at Suncoast

  • Onstage: Annual Secondary school variety concert where acts undergo an audition to make the program.
  • Spotlight: Annual Primary school variety concert where student performers are required to audition to make the program. 
  • Chapel Band:  each Friday our Upper Primary, Middle-Years and Senior Chapel bands lead Worship at Chapel. These weekly, energetic performances take place on the stage of Suncoast Events Centre where students benefit from learning stagecraft one of the high specified professional stages on the Sunshine Coast – right here on the campus of our College.
  • Biennial Musical: Alternate years, the Suncoast stages a major musical production – where the student musicians provide the live soundtrack to the onstage action. The musical will return again in 2019, but you can read more about our 2017 production of  Esther – The Musical
  • Certificate III in Music – Suncoast Christian College offers this foundational course in the Senior Years for those student seeking a career in the music industry.
  • OP Music: Students are currently studying for OP Music.
  • Retro Night: In Term 3 (each year), students from Year 8-11 perform hits from the 50-90’s in concert on the professional stage at the Suncoast Events Centre, right here on the Suncoast Campus.
  • The Solbar: Exclusively for Certificate III Music students, this performance (and assessment) opportunity sees students play a gig at Solbar – one of the Sunshine Coast’s hippest venues, 
  • Arts on Twilight:  Suncoast’s biennial visual arts festival and although the focus is on the visual artists, we do open our outdoor amphitheatre to bands and solo artists to treat us with some tunes. Learn More about Arts on Twilight.
  • SunArts: like a performing arts “college” the Collge. SunArts teachers provide individual and group lessons across a wide range of instruments and voice.
  • Voice & Instrumental Progam (VIP): This learning program is designed for the youngest music students who are given regular opportunities to perform in before safe and sympathetic audiences so they can build confidence and enjoy the rewards that come from public acknowledge.
  • Recording Studios & Rehearsal Rooms: our performing arts centre houses several sound-proofed rehearsal rooms where student bands can hone their craft. Additionally, Suncoast also has dedicated soundproofed recording rooms equipped with technology that is used in the production of music for Certificate III Music assessments.

Tanya Holthausen - Head of Performing Arts

Ken Bowden - Music Teacher

Andrew Riek - Music Teacher


Chris Bishop - Music Teacher

Jackie Best - Music Teacher

Dean Sloman - Secondary Performing Arts Teacher Assistant


Esther The Musical
May, 24/05/2017
Retro Night 2018
Oct, 25/10/2018
View all