By Amanda Murthy and Jamie O’Brien
Two Perth Catholic educators are making the best of their talents and platforms by collaborating on music that speaks to the mind and hearts of young people inside and outside of the classroom.
St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School Principal Mitchell Bristow and Padbury Catholic Primary School Teacher Megan Woodall, who make up the band, “The Teachers”,have already made an indelible impression with the release of their first album Light My Path (2018) followed by two singles Run and Peace In You.
Megan, now a mother to two teenagers, recalled how music and teaching have always gone hand-in-hand in her journey
“I learnt the guitar in primary school, took up music in high school, and remember writing a lot – at the time I did not realise, but writing helped me reflect deeply on my faith and express my faith.
“My first job was to lead the music ministry Mass every Friday at Innaloo Parish, and when I had my children, my main mission was to instil the faith in them,” she added.
Growing up without an understanding of the Catholic faith, Mitch – who was baptised in 2008 – explains the impact that The Teachers has had on his faith and musical journey.
“I studied science and was never expecting to become a teacher, I wanted to be a physiotherapist, but somehow my career path took a turn and I ended up doing my teachers training and teaching at a Catholic school,” he cited.
“It was at a Mass at the start of the school year that I had my first experience of wanting to know more about the faith, and with the help of a colleague, I learnt a lot from her and eventually decided to embrace the faith on the same year I got married.”
Mitch gradually became involved in school Masses and held the position as Head of Campus Ministry, which provided him with the responsibility of selecting hymns and readings for Masses in the school he was teaching at the time.
Megan and Mitch met in 2015 at Padbury Catholic Primary School where he worked as Assistant Principal and she was a part-time teacher. It was not long before the two connected through their musical abilities and started using it to minister to their students.
Today, they lead in regular hymn singing sessions and leading liturgical music for school and parish Masses.
“As each song has a message it is used for a particular part of the mass, we explain to the students how they fit together,” Mitch stated.
“For example, our song Come To Me is a peaceful reflective piece which we often use during Communion. We also have songs that link to the sacraments and the songs are used in the teaching component as well as when the students receive the sacrament.”
Over the years, Megan and Mitch have produced over 20 Christian songs that are inspired by scripture, personal experiences, and their faith journey.
“Our songs are an expression of our faith and the journey we are on as Catholics,” Mitch affirmed.
“We are always growing in our faith and we always will so I would really like people to hear the message that although we are at different points along the road, we are all journeying together as one in Christ.”
The Teachers have also produced a songbook, hoping to further inspire the wider Catholic community Perth, and aid in their prayer life, especially during this time of crisis.
“Our goal is to have our music played in churches and schools across the Archdiocese, hence the production of the songbooks, which are supported by lyric videos provided on our YouTube page,” Megan said.
“I would like people to know that God is just waiting to have a relationship with us … faith-based music can be a great way to build that relationship.
“We want them to know that God has a plan for our life and that He is always there to guide us on our mission and provides us with the Holy Spirit to strengthen us when we need it,” she concluded.‘The Teachers’ songbooks are available for sale here: http://theteachers.space/ and music can be accessed on major digital platforms such as Spotify and iTunes or on their YouTube channel by Clicking Here