The Rubens Want to Give You $500: We Asked Them About Their Grants for Young Musicians

“We have a responsibility as artists to somehow give back.”

Let’s face it: 2020 has been pretty bleak. The coronavirus pandemic has caused countless disruptions for school students, who quickly had to adapt to remote learning.

Fortunately, The Rubens have decided to single-handedly save this year (and no, not just by releasing their absolute bop “Time Of My Life” last week).

The Aussie band recently announced two initiatives to help out the next generation of young musicians and music industry reps: Study Break and 0202 Music Grants.

They’re designed for Year 12 students who are dreaming of pursuing a career in the music industry.

As The Rubens' keyboard player and backing vocalist Elliott Margin told Student Edge, the band was inspired to establish Study Break and 0202 Music Grants after receiving countless messages from fans during lockdown.

“As a band in the public eye you get messages from people a lot, but recently during COVID times we’ve been getting more meaningful things,” he says.

“Students reaching out to us saying ‘Hey, we’re having a really s*** time, and we’d love a shoutout to get us through HSC’, or whatever it is they’re going through.

“Seeing all that stuff come through made us feel like we have a responsibility as artists to somehow give back.”

Study Break, which will take place on Tuesday 27 October, is a one-hour professional development workshop where students will be able to hang out with The Rubens and their management team.

“We’ve all got stories and advice to talk about. There’s the recording process, the writing process and touring as well,” Elliott says.

“Obviously because we’ll have our management there as well, they’ll be able to talk about the management side of things.”

Study Break is a completely free event and is open to the first 500 people who sign up. So, if you’re keen, you should secure your spot now by registering here.

Elliot believes that Study Break will be helpful for anyone who wants to make it in the music industry after high school.

“It’ll be helpful to anyone who is trying to be involved in that world,” he says.

“It can be an unconventional industry. You don’t necessarily have to have a uni degree, whether it’s being in production or a manager.

“I think a lot of the time there isn’t a clear path. I don’t have a music degree; most of us in the band don’t.”

On top of that, the band has teamed up with their label Ivy League Records and Mushroom Group to launch their 0202 Music Grants program. They will give $500 to ten Year 12 students who demonstrate passion for music and a desire to further their studies or business ideas.

Elliott highlights that they’re looking for honesty and excitement in the grant applications.

“Just be honest in what your dream is and give us as much detail as possible,” he says.

“If you’re passionate about writing music, what kind of music are you making? What kind of artist do you want to champion? Just be honest and excited. A bit of positivity is lovely.”

Applications for the 0202 Music Grant are now open and will close at 6.00pm AEDT on Monday 2 November. You can find all the details about it here.

Like many bands, The Rubens have faced their own challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. They were forced to postpone their national tour in response to restrictions on public gatherings.

However, as Elliott explains, rescheduling their tour to 2021 means audiences will get to hear more music from their upcoming album, 0202.

“It has been rough not being able to play live shows, but we’ve been super busy behind the scenes finishing the record," he says.

“The creative process was very fluid and relaxed. You can hear on the record that it’s us having fun and trying new things and not being afraid to be creative.”

0202 is set to be released on 12 February 2021. You can pre-order it now.