Heaps Decent is an Australian organisation empowering young people through skills building, cultural access and creativity.
Working with underrepresented and marginalised youth, our participatory program of music and visual media activities provides a pathway to discovery, personal growth and agency through self-expression.The latest Heaps Decent news.
We are thrilled to receive a Thrive Community Grant from The St George Foundation for our program in Youth Justice Centres throughout NSW.
We are inspired by the Foundation’s commitment to making a difference in our community. Thank you for the belief in our mission and for enabling us to make a meaningful impact in the lives of young people through this initiative.
We are honoured to receive the City of Sydney Betty Makin Youth Service Award for 2024. This award recognises an outstanding community contribution to the city. Betty Makin was a local legend who lived her life in the Redfern area. Her tireless work in the community improved the lives of Redfern and Waterloo residents, including […]
Awesome day in the studio shooting a video for SYDA with the lovely crew from Soulset Studios. All in a day’s work for this 16 year old artist, who made the creative brief for their original track “Widow”, a song with sweet country vibes and a dark underside. Looking forward to sharing the finished product!
Introducing the talented artist Daniel, aka Dan Kash! HD writer Santa had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel about his musical journey, highlights to date and aspirations.
Heaps Decent is pleased to introduce the talented artist Crump$ aka Eric! HD writer Santa recently had the opportunity to ask Crump$ questions about his beginnings, career highlights and ambitions.
We run a free program for skills development in music production right in the centre of Sydney. If you are aged 15-25 years and are interested in exploring your creative ideas get in touch! hey@heapsdecent.com
It provides a framework for the next 10 years that supports artists, creatives and cultural organisations and expands to include the rapidly growing creative industries. At Heaps Decent we are encouraged to see prioritisation of First Nations culture, and also an acknowledgment that creative participation is essential to the wellbeing of everyone, and vital in […]
Heaps Decent x Funskull We’re honoured to announce our limited edition ‘Positive Futures’ t-shirt in collaboration with Australian artist Elliott Routledge (Funskull) who’s created an epic one-off design to raise much needed funds for our inspiring and inclusive music program. Elliott is known for his vibrant abstract work in public spaces internationally. It’s bright, bold […]
We provide project work free to young people who are experiencing various challenges early in life. We are immensely thankful to our community of generous supporters. Please go to our support page if you would like to make a tax deductible donation. Peace & gratitude!
From 2019 to 2022, Heaps Decent teamed up with the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga to deliver the multi-artform ‘No Borders In Our Sky’ project.
The interactive augmented reality (AR) experience features the original artworks of around 100 young locals and explores notions of home, community, identity and belonging. They will be accessible through an app available from the 1st of April 2023!
Heaps Decent is thrilled to introduce our second feature artist of the year, That Gurl Bella. HD writer Amy recently chatted to the up-and-comer about her role models, her future in the music industry and her process of songwriting at such a young age.
We would like to thank the Pantera Press Foundation for their generous support of the Heaps Decent program. The Foundation recognises the impact and importance of creative development and self expression for children and young people – essential parts of learning and wellbeing. They are helping us increase access and inclusion in song writing and music production.
Introducing our first feature artist for 2022: Princess Atlantis! The genre-bending sensation chatted with us about her first live performance, and we got the inside scoop on her influences and her musical journey so far.
We would like to announce some special grant support from the IMB Bank Community Foundation. Creative engagement provides a means by which young people can tackle their thoughts and feelings through self-expression. Heaps Decent works to empower children and youth to express themselves through music and multi-media projects. Many participants we work with experience mental […]
A big thank you to NSW ClubGRANTS. The City of Sydney RSL and Club York have provided funding assistance for our Home Base project in Redfern.
Excited to announce Heaps Decent is part of the Be Kind Sydney 2021 Day of Giving. This epic collaboration is to raise funds for 100+ local Sydney charities, including us!
We are now a registered Creative Kids provider! Young people across NSW can redeem vouchers with us. If you don’t have a voucher, claim yours at Service NSW.
The People of Post Grants gives Australia Post workforce members the opportunity to nominate a local organisation for a small grant. Big thanks to Louisa in Redfern for choosing to nominate us! Our application was successful and we have been able to purchase a new Oculus Quest headset, an exciting tool in our kit for exploring virtual reality.
We need your help to support change, positive futures, and the development of high quality Australian music with young people. Make a tax deductible EOFY donation to support our work now!
In 2020 with the support of the City of Sydney we gathered a library of found sounds made by some of Sydney’s youngest residents. When things went very quiet for a while we invited primary school aged children from several schools in the area to make some really loud noises, and these were orchestrated into “Sydney Human Beat Machine”. The resulting edit is a real celebration of the energy and invention of kids in the city.
Super happy to share this recently completed short film 3c Above Part 1: Protecting the Country. Made by emerging filmmakers Sivani Yaddanapudi & Samantha Barahona, this film looks at how climate change is impacting our local communities. It’s part of a larger Heaps Decent multi-media project in the making.
We would like to thank the Commonwealth Department of Health for supporting our 2021 Big Up program through their Youth Action Project Grant Scheme.
We are seeking Sydney based multi-media artists to join a pool of casual workshop leaders. Desirable candidates may be experienced in public art, mural creation, VR/AR technology, or digital art including animation. We encourage applicants skilled in several visual mediums.
The No Borders In Our Sky mural won an award at the Real World XR Awards! With some big competition, the mural was selected as the winner in the Diversity category.
During Artstate, No Borders In Our Sky will present a photographic portrait series titled Future Leaders as well as the interactive public art mural. In the Future Leaders series participants collaged their own additions to their portraits by hand, exploring personal identity, culture and strength.
After over 12 months of multimedia workshops, creating artworks, recording songs, interviews and stories, we were proud to install a large scale interactive mural that celebrates the diversity and creativity of young people engaged in the No Borders project in Wagga. 28 beautiful self portraits make up the mural, each portrait a window into the […]
We’ve worked with some amazing talent over the years & some of them will be coming together for one big night at Vivid!
Spicy lineup and *FREE ENTRY*
This month we are celebrating 4 years of Heaps Decent tracks played on FBi Radio! Since April 2015, Heaps Decent Radio has been featured (almost) every Monday at 5pm. We did the maths – that’s over 180 songs played!
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with new music platform, Emanate!
Earlier in 2018 we attended a mini schools camp in the small northern NSW town Enngonia, to run a week of music and digital art workshops. Facilitators Ego, Charlie and Adam created some amazing work with kids from Enngonia, Louth, Bourke-Walgett and Wanaaring schools. We produced this super cute green screen music video Party in the Sky!
We’re thrilled to announce that we will be returning to Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre to run music production workshops with help from the Wagga Wagga City Council Annual Grants Program!
In March we made the trip to the small town of Enngonia in northern NSW.
Due to overwhelming demand, The xx have added an additional Melbourne show to their Australian tour with proceeds going to Heaps Decent and Minus 18!
2017 has been a HUGE year for Heaps Decent, thanks HEAPS for all the support!
A couple of weeks back, Warner held a special screening of Major Lazer’s Give Me Future documentary, which takes a behind the scenes look at their momentus Cuba show.
Our Project Director Charlie O’Brien is a panelist at this years Electronic Music Conference.
Nina Las Vegas, Elizabeth Rose and Sparrows have recently been running all girls workshops in Sydney!
Our 10 Year celebration, I Heart Heaps Decent, was a great success! We sold every single piece and raised over $36,000 for Heaps Decent…
Come and celebrate 10 YEARS OF HEAPS DECENT!
Join our story – a charity art auction will be held on the night, an opportunity to buy some incredible pieces by Australian-based artists while contributing to the future of Heaps Decent. All funds raised will go directly into delivering projects where they are most needed.
Our weekly radio segment continues, with a new song from a Heaps Decent workshop played each week on Monday Arvos on FBi Radio. Tune in to 94.5FM in Sydney or online HERE at 5pm (AET) every Monday!
2017 marks 10 years of Heaps Decent! Join us for a fun and informative evening at Giant Dwarf Theatre in Sydney as Nina Las Vegas hosts a Q&A with Diplo.
Our next cab off the rank is HD004, Ata’s ‘Outta Shape’ EP; available for FREE download now.
It’s tax time again… and all donations made to Heaps Decent $2 and over are tax deductible! All donations go directly into our project delivery, so you can feel good about reducing your taxable income!
The T.Era boys recently took on the very first Heaps Decent Cypher. With help from the legends at Subtype Store and The Lord Gladstone, we managed to put it together!
We’re taking over the FBi Click digital airwaves for the next month of our VERY OWN radio show!
We’re running workshops on this year’s Groovin The Moo tour with some very special guest artists from the GTM lineup!
Applications are OPEN NOW for #GTM2016 x HEAPS DECENT “Future Musician Workshop” series, find out how you can get involved…
An insight into the influences and processes behind Ravin’s music…
Signalling the second release for Heaps Decent, we’re really stoked to bring you HD002!
Rassel Cool’s new single ‘Running’ is available for FREE download now, and make sure you check out his incredible new music video…
We’ve been fortunate enough to receive support from one of the most highly sought after music technology companies, Native Instruments!
The Native Instruments Maschine music production unit has long been a staple of the Heaps Decent workshop setup so we’re truly grateful to receive their help…
Every Monday at 5pm on the Monday Arvo show on FBi Radio, you can catch Heaps Decent Radio! Click through for details…
Heaps Decent is proud to present ‘Pure Mind’, the jewel that completes the experience of Ravin’s debut EP, ‘Soulfood’.
The music video for “Life Don’t Shine” from Ravin’s Soulfood EP is here!
This year Groovin the Moo and Heaps Decent are once again teaming up to present a series of music workshops at their 2015 Oakbank, Bunbury & Townsville events in April & May… Get in quick, applications close 8th April!
Heaps Decent is proud to announce the release of ‘Soulfood’, the debut EP from rising talent, Bankstown-based artist Ravin!
Happy New Year from the Heaps Decent Crew – click here to find out what we got up to on New Year’s Day!
This Friday the best and brightest from Sydney’s music industry gather together to play football for a great cause!
Ask Alice Stationery and Old School New School have collaborated to create an incredible hand-lettered calendar with a ‘hip-hop’ theme, packed with loads of hip-hop references and lyrics. It’s beautifully printed and presented and 100% of the proceeds will go to Heaps Decent!
We’re really proud to announce a new partnership with Promise or Pay, an exciting new online platform that uses small promises to bring about real social change.
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs took some time out from his 2014 Listen Out tour to come and do a studio session with Tasha Lee Marshall…
Our first Listen Out 2014 workshop was a hit with the girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre!
We shot a green screen music video with Ravin, watch this space for the finished product…
We held our 5th Showcase for the talented Home Base crew, it was a great success!
It’s HERE!
Your name in a song thanks to our successful Pozible campaign…. Tag yourself on Soundcloud and share it with your friends!
With great success we pitched our organisation to an extremely generous room of philanthropists at The Funding Network’s Sydney event…
We’ve been selected to present at The Funding Network’s upcoming live crowd-funding event! Click through to find out more.
We made it! We smashed our Pozible target with an incredible total of $12,838 thanks to our incredible supporter network!
A huge THANKS for the support of our Pozible campaign! We have 8 days remaining, help us continue to increase our total…
Enter here to win a spot at Groovin The Moo x Heaps Decent music workshop with What So Not on Saturday 3rd May in Bendigo!
Groovin The Moo and Heaps Decent have teamed up with MusicNSW to create a special workshop for emerging MCs and producers: a FREE backstage production and songwriting masterclass with Illy at GTM Maitland!
We’ve just launched a Pozible campaign, help us give a voice to young Australians by getting their music heard. You can pledge your support at pozible.com/heapsdecent
A recap of our Harmony Day event at Riverina Community College!
Check out the first instalment of our newsletter to find out what we’ve been getting up to!
Flashback to November, some beautiful images from the Home Base Showcase at Goodgod Small Club.
Adam and Charlie were down in Wagga again last week for workshops at the juvenile detention centre and Riverina Community Centre
Our last trip to Wilcannia was in December 2013, here’s what went down!
Heaps Decent, once again, had a hugely successful New Year period thanks to our benefactor Fuzzy, incredible volunteers and generous event guests!
We’re on the lookout for Heaps Decent volunteers at Shore Thing and Heaps Decent!
Last night was the Home Base Showcase, here’s a quick wrap-up with the first of the photos…
Check out Levins’ TEDx talk about using rap at school!
An update on our Wagga workshop project from this week’s trip down to Wagga
The HOME BASE SHOWCASE comes to Goodgod in Sydney on Wednesday 27th December at 7pm. Make sure you come and check out the talent from our weekly Redfern workshop…
THANKS! for your donations at Listen Out and THANKS! to Fuzzy!
Our Home Base artists are in for an amazing experience as audio-visual extraordinaire Ego takes on the role of guest facilitator at our next workshop in Redfern!
WE WON! the Toyota Community Award at the Creative Partnerships Australia Awards for our partnership with our benefactor Fuzzy
We need volunteers to help Heaps Decent at LISTEN OUT PERTH on 29th September…
A quick recap on Stu and Boz’s latest trip to Wagga Wagga and what’s been happening there for Heaps Decent over the past months…
French DJ & Producer Jerry Bouthier visited the Home Base workshop on Monday!
“Jump Off The Bridge” was made on the last trip to Wilcannia, check out Stu’s account of the workshops….
NYC based trap wizard Branchez dropped in to facilitate a workshop with us as Home Base last week!
A couple of weeks back the Heaps Decent Home Base All-Stars took to the stage inside the Rocks Windmill for another standout showcase!
Performing for Secret Music Night this Saturday at ‘The Rocks Windmill’, an amazing pop-up venue in The Rocks, will be our very own Home Base All-Stars!
Heaps Decent facilitators Adam Bozzetto, Joyride and Kristy Lee made their way out to Wilcannia earlier this month for the first week of workshops there this year…
Louisahhh! came and facilitated a workshop at Juniperina where the girls layed down some epic vocals over an incredible techno beat…
A song from our last Wilcannia visit of 2012
An account of Nina’s cousin Paul Wighton, who had been working at Broken Hill High School. Paul accompanied our Heaps Decent’s facilitators on last Wilcannia trip and here’s what he had to say about the trip…
THANKS to our benefactor FUZZY for allowing us to collect over $58,000 at their Parklife, Harbourlife & Field Day festivals!
In November 2012, Heaps Decent facilitators Joyride and Adam Bozzetto ran a week of workshops at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. A snapshot of their amazing results can be experienced with this beautiful little video…