The Bermagui Community Hall was packed, not only with audience but percussion instruments - marimbas, vibraphones, large drums, small drums, bongos, even waste paper bins and odd bits of brass.

Narooma High, Bega High, Eden Marine High and Wolumla Primary all participated and many kids got to have drum solos.

The concert was the culmination of a Four Winds Festival 16-day outreach program, in which Four Winds in collaboration with the music department of Methodist Ladies College (MLC) in Sydney, and David Hewitt, a leading percussionist now living in Tathra, ran workshops in schools up and down the coast.

In one workshop, in Bermagui Public School, the 'Tinkerbell Orchestra' involved some 25 children, who were all given a chime by the MLC students that played one note.

Their faces a picture of concentration, they solemnly came in on cue with the big kids on percussion. It was a wonderful tuneful big sound, and the kids loved it. "This is better than the Wiggles," said one.

The Outreach program was a further development of Four Winds' commitment to working with the community, said Four Winds Festival chairwoman Sheena Boughen.

"Research shows that learning music is the one subject that has the most significant impact on improving performance in all other subjects, and it is vital to for music to be part of every child's education. We are grateful that the Mumbulla Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation and SEAR could help us with the outreach, which we hope to continue."

The concert launched the program for the Four Winds Festival next Easter, which in a coup for the event will be recorded by ABC Classic FM for the first time, to be rebroadcast at a later date, putting Bermagui on the national musical map.

Speaking at the launch, artistic director Genevieve Lacey said the Festival would start with a huge free opening performance on Friday at the Dickinson Oval in Bermagui, going on to flamenco, Gregorian chant and jazz, and Italian viola da gamba player Paolo Pandolfo in an exclusive for Bermagui.

Bega Valley Shire Council cultural services director Penny Amberg said the Festival showed what a small community could do to achieve great things.