Hume Con will host a Glee Club for young people on April 13

Mr Lane describes Glee Club as "just really great fun".

"It's young people getting together not as a choir but as a group; and primarily having fun but also learning songs and singing together," he said.

READ MORE:

"They build up that camaraderie and that support for each other. They sing and they laugh and they just have a tremendous time."

The Glee Club school holiday program always gets a "great response" according to Mr Lane.

"We offer these really amazing programs; it's very special," he said.

"But the most important thing I find is that we can give young people the opportunity to feel confident in who they are; and to believe in themselves and have that esteem that they're worthy."

It's important to foster self esteem and confidence in young people Mr Lane says, after a "tough" three years due to the pandemic and COVID-19.

"These kids weren't able to be with their cohort and now they're having to relearn things," he said.

"So to see even one person gain confidence and that spark; well, who knows what that's going to do for them for the rest of their life?"

The Hume Con also runs a Glee Club program during term on Thursday afternoons.

"We've got about 10 students who come along and we have such fun because I get them to pick the songs they want to sing," Mr Lane said.

For many, the idea of standing in front of a room and singing is the stuff of nightmares. However Mr Lane says, there's a sense of comfort that comes from standing with your peers and singing together.

"It help self esteem and it helps confidence," he said.

"We're really lucky at the Hume Con because we've got a great bunch of teachers that are really committed to helping everyone with music and that's from the CEO to the administration staff to all of the teachers."

Mr Lane says he uses particular music to capture his students' attention.

"It varies but we're doing stuff by Katy Perry, Sia and Coldplay. This holiday we're going to do Footloose," he said.

"It's really surprising when I've been working with these young people on a Thursday for the last 10 weeks they'll come up with really unusual choices. We're looking at young people from the age of 10 up to 16 and a young one of about 11 said: 'Can we do the Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer?' I played it and every single one of them started singing and playing air guitar; it's just so much fun."

At the moment Glee Club is most popular with the girls.

"We're working really hard to educate young fellas that singing is cool," Mr Lane said.

And while there's often a pecking order among students in the school environment, Mr Lane says this doesn't translate to Glee Club.

"When you get to a place like the Hume Con, where there might be young people from about 20 different schools, you can be who you want to be; or who you are," he said.

For students that "catch the bug" at the school holiday program the opportunities are endless.

"They can come along and do Glee Club every Thursday or they might take singing lessons, or guitar lessons," Mr Lane said.

"It's just giving young people the opportunity to come and see what the Con has on offer and to meet new friends out of school."

Follow this link to book your spot at the Hume Con Glee Club on April 13.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters