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2 Musica Fever
CONTENTS Musica Fever | January 2008
Canberra
Editor: Hannah Reardon-Smith
Associate Editors: David Garrett, Angela Turner
& Andrew Dixon
Contributors: Melissa Lesnie
Alicia Maguire
Laura Mathison
Hannah Reardon-Smith
Photographers: Melissa Lesnie
Alicia Maguire
Laura Mathison
Hannah Reardon-Smith
Angela Turner
Layout: Angela Turner
Melissa Lesnie is about to embark on her Honours in Musicology
at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She writes opera reviews
for a North Shore paper, dispenses classical music at a specialist record
store, and sings cantata after cantata in the Sydneian Bach Choir.
Alicia Maguire has completed her Bachelor of Music Studies,
and will commence her Honours year in 2008 at the Queensland
Conservatorium Grifth University, majoring in Musicology. In
conjunction with these studies, Alicia has created QUAERO Research,
a consultancy dealing in freelance research and writing.
Laura Mathison is halfway through her Master of Philosophy at
the University of Queensland, with a major in Musicology. Her interests
include world music, exoticism and historical performance, and
she aspires to a career in journalism and broadcasting.
Hannah Reardon-Smith enjoys The Far Side cartoons, believes in the
future of the world, and plays the ute. Shes done three years of music
at the Queensland Conservatorium, and plans to do Honours
in 2008 to ensure she remains eligible for concession bus fares.
03
09
16
20 21
17
12
04 06
14
18
22
Music Directors and
Editors Message
The Long and Winding Road
Our musical journeys
Choose Your Own (Operatic) Adventure
You decide how the libretto ends!
Pictures Worth a Thousand Notes
Composing for silent lm at camp
NMC Cricket: The Usual Pandemonium In the Practice Room
Tips, quirks and utter disasters!
New Camp Dynamics
Assistant Tutors at NMC
Violin Tutor Extraordinaire
The Donald Hazelwood Chamber Orchestra
A WAMmers Perspective
The Alexander and Bishop Orchestras
A Life in Music is a Life with Words
The Words About Music program
Postcards from Camp Beethoven out Bush
Growing up musically in the country
www.nationalmusiccamp.com.au
3 January 2008
The 60th annual National Music
Camp is now ofcially over. It
seems almost impossible that so
much music has been made over
such a short time, but you have
all made this fortnight y by with
your energy, commitment,
musicianship, friendship and
passion. The concerts have all
been outstanding. And each and
every one of you has contributed
your own special musical spirit to
making them so special.
Early on in camp I talked about
mapping our own musical
journeys, and I hope that the
experience you have had here at
camp will resonate with you as
you make your way in the world,
and that the friendships you
made, and the musical memories,
will last forever.
Marshall McGuire
On Thursday at dinner, our two
Assistant Tutors gave an unexpected
performance of Mozarts Duet for
Violin and Viola (double bass, in this
case) in B-at. For the rst time
in two weeks, the usual din of the
dining hall at Canberra Grammar
School was completely absent. At the
conclusion of the piece, the air was
lled with a roar of absolutely thun-
derous applause. This is what makes
National Music Camp so special: the
pure enthusiasm and true passion.
At camp, its hard to believe that
theres anyone in the world who
doesnt live and breathe music the
way we do. Im expecting a bit of a
cultural shock when I re-enter the
ordinary world (albeit a comfort-
able one, with lower temperatures,
a softer bed and less of a walk to
breakfast)! The kind of immersion
were subjected to here is an
invaluable experience, which many of
you have discovered well before me
(being a camp-virgin), and may many
of you return to it in the future. With
any luck well spend less time on the
bus next year!
But the real challenge is the time in
between. Its so important to keep
up the motivation levels when things
Message from the
Music Director
Message from the
Editor
arent so friendly: when you dont
feel like practising, or you clash with
a conductor, or youre surrounded
by negative people. Cast your mind
back to these weeks, when everyone
had the end goal in mind and simply
wanted to make great music. Dont
forget what its all about.
In case youre wondering what us
wordies got up to while you were
all tooting away, or if you want to
remind yourself of the everyday
goings-on of NMC 2008 (complete
with lots of pictorial evidence that
could not be included in the magazine),
have a look at the website:
www.nationalmusiccamp.com.au.
Just a few words of thanks before I
get out of your hair: To the
ever-amazing Angela, for her way
with words and with people, to the
resonant David, for his endless supply
of stories and little-known facts, and
to the simply invaluable Andrew for
his humour and his guidance through
the bewildering world of radio.
And one last thank you to you, for
sticking me out!
Hannah Reardon-Smith
on behalf of the
2008 Words about Music team
4 Musica Fever
Q
t
One summer holidays, my mum came
into the room and said, Boys, Id like
you to get piano lessons, and being a
young lad in Townsville, where theres
a lot more sport inuence, I didnt
feel so keen on that. My brother
went, however, so I gured Id go
along as well and took piano lessons
with a lovely little old lady. It was
great!
Matthew McGeakin (Trombone student)
The Long and Winding Road
- Our Musical Journeys
Musical
Beginnings
Well, I had played
piano, ute, violin
and guitar from about
the age of 10. When I went to high
school and we were allowed to learn
an instrument for free, I chose to
learn the tuba. I was quite a young
kid and small and it was stupid,
so we decided that I should learn
xylophone instead. Thats how it
began. In the end I guess the variety
of sounds and possibilities on the
xylophone was much more interest-
ing to me than piano, which seemed
quite closed in.
- Vanessa Tomlinson (Percussion Tutor)
I was six and a half. I walked past a
classroom and heard an orchestra, I
looked in and decided that I wanted
to play the violin. I went home and
I told my parents Id like to play the
violin, and they said, Maybe another
six months. On the day of my seventh
birthday I went and said, Wheres
that violin? and they gave me the
chance to learn it. Colin Cornish
(CEO, Australian Youth Orchestra)
compiled by Alicia Maguire
and Hannah Reardon-Smith
Everyone has a story to tell of their own musical journey.
Alicia Maguire and Hannah Reardon-Smith report on the
journeys of tutors, alumni, administration & camp participants at
National Music Camp 2008.
5 January 2008
s
Ive always wanted to play chamber
music, its my biggest musical love. I
feel most condent in it, I feel I per-
form better in it than in other areas,
and its something I would denitely
like to pursue but its a tough and
competitive eld, so well see what
happens!
Ashleigh Gold (Cello student)
Q
From my friends who had been to
camp before, I had heard lots of
stories. I expected there to be a lot
of socialising, but musically I didnt
know what to expect. I was actually
really surprised, when we had only
just arrived and we sat straight down
to a pretty in-depth rehearsal. So its
been more challenging than I thought
it would be, but at the same time it
has been very motivating.
- Dominique Chassling (Flute student)
The Camp Experience
I was aware of music camp ever since
I was born. My parents were involved
in it from the 70s onwards, my father
was a conductor and he was work-
ing with AYO quite a lot in the 70s
and then during the 80s he began to
direct camps and my mother came
along as the librarian, and my brother
and I came to camp from the age of
about four, through to sixteen or so.
Elizabeth Seymour
(National Music Camp librarian)
My expectations are always that Ill
learn a great deal at camp because
I thrive personally on a lot of varied
input from people. So if I have some-
one like Richard Gill conducting and
giving input and tutors like Helena
Rathbone and Emma Jane-Murphy, all
this varied input seems to make a lot
of difference to me, on top of my own
teachers input, so I always expect to
meet a lot of really fantastic people.
And thats happened at National
Music Camp.
Allana Wales (Violin student)
Potential Futures
Id love to be able to work in a piano
trio one day, and also continue
accompanying. Whether it be choral
or soloist or any sort of other accom-
panying work, repetiteur work for
operas, Id like to be in a situation
where I can be involved with other
musicians. Karl Geiger (Piano student)
I just hope that every student here has
the time of their life. That their musical
experience and journey takes them to
the next level, and that they become
even more inspired and practise even
harder and come back next year.
Bronwyn Lobb (Artistic Administrator,
Australian Youth Orchestra)
6 Musica Fever
Inspired by Richard Gills Sing-in extravaganza and by his work with Victorian Opera, the Words About Music crew have
commenced writing an opera about the rich dramas of social life at National Music Camp. Where else in the canon of
operatic greats will you nd an aria about a veggie patty, a masquerade bush dance, or a rousing cricket chorus?
The synopsis is coming along well, but theres just one problem: camp is so full of stories that we dont quite know how
to end it. Thats why weve left it up to you to choose your own operatic adventure.
Dramatis person
Siegfried Montague, 21 (tenor)
Front desk viola, dashing gure, likes to wear capes and drink tomato juice at breakfast. A rst-time
camper and a zealous vegetarian. Best friends with Wilbur.
Wilbur Budd, 23 (baritone)
Violinist, general brooding gure, hook nose. Desperately in love with Mimi ever since her rst music
camp ve years ago. It is his seventh camp. Contemplating a change to viola to be closer to Mimi. For
lack of a yellow sticker, Wilbur steals and hoards vegetarian camp food.
Mimi Capulet, 19 (soprano)
Principal viola, desk partner to Siegfried, brilliant, blonde, has been a regular camper since she was 14.
When she plays the viola, her music has the power to ensnare.
Isolde, 20 (mezzo)
Percussionist, condante to Mimi. Disapproves of Mimi and Siegfried. Thinks Siegfried might distract
Mimi from her musical ambitions. Has a crush on Siegfried and Wilbur.
Rosalinde, 16 (soprano)
Flute player, observer and gossip queen. First-time camper, complete with pale blue under-18 nametag.
Boris Giovanni, age unknown (bass)
Eccentric conductor, authority gure. Fearsome cricketer. Always conducts in his lucky straw hat.
Ghost
A cellist. Died after a violist got fed up with all the viola jokes and stabbed him through the head with a bow.
Jester
Trumpeter. Wears little bells around his ankles. Enjoys streaking at Cricket matches.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
O
p
e
r
a
t
ic
^
7 January 2008
SYNOPSIS
1. ACT I: REHEARSAL
Everyone arrives at camp. Siegfried
and Mimi meet at the rst rehearsal.
Mimi admires Siegfrieds bright yellow
cape. Wilbur looks on jealously. He
regrets having not plucked up cour-
age to ask Mimi out during one of
the past ve camps. As per his usual
practice at the annual masquerade
bush dance, he sits nervously in the
corner.
If you think Wilbur should confront
Siegfried, admitting his love for
Mimi, go to 13.
If Wilbur should keep his feelings
for Mimi to himself, go to 10.

2. Wilbur sulks and storms off,

to Siegfrieds surprise. Siegfried
explains to Rosalinde and Isolde,
who remain at the lunch table, that he
plans to declare his undying love for
Mimi at the masquerade bush dance
that evening. Go to 14.
3. Siegfried is crestfallen in the cordial
line. To make things worse, by the
time he gets to the cordial dispenser,
there is no cordial left, and he has
lost his true love. He bursts into
sorrowful song. The next day, Mimi
tells Isolde about her feelings for the
dashing Siegfried (who is actually
Wilbur). Isolde, aware of the wardrobe
malfunction, informs Mimi of the
masked suitors true identity.
Mimi is confused. She tries to nd the
real Siegfried in one of the rehearsal
halls, but gets lost on the way.
Wilbur, hiding behind a contrabassoon,
observes her confusion.
If you think Wilbur should take a
chance, emerge from behind the
contrabassoon and run towards her,
go to 12.
If you think Siegfried, who was
trying to avoid human contact by
hiding behind a piccolo, should
see Wilbur and Mimi, conrming
in his mind that he has lost his true
love, go to 16.

4. Wilbur starts running to Mimi the

shortest way he can nd. He stupidly
runs across the cricket pitch, however,
and unfortunately Boris (a erce
sportsman and still in his straw hat)
takes a vigorous swing of his cricket
bat, just as Wilbur is running past.
Wilbur is knocked ying, gets
concussion and nally, death on the
sidelines. END.
5. Having left the cricket alone and
dirty, Wilbur is sulking and avoids
talking to Siegfried. Siegfried is in
a quiet corner, serenading Mimi. A
raucous chorus interjects by dragging
Siegfried to the pub to celebrate his
stunning catch and the unprecedented
draw. Mimi is upset to have been left
alone. At the pub, the celebrations
are at their peak, and the under-age
Rosalinde manages to sneak in
undetected. She sings a boastful
coloratura aria. She sings to Siegfried,
telling of her plan to divert Wilbur
from Mimi, so that Siegfried can leave
with her at the end of camp. Siegfried
agrees to follow her lead; they stagger
home hours later. Go to 8.
6. ACT II: REHEARSAL
The following morning, in rehearsal,
Siegfried again sits near Mimi. Each
time Mimi plays her viola, Siegfried
falls into a daydream and constantly
looses his place. Boris Giovanni, the
eccentric conductor, expresses his
displeasure. Over lunch, Mimi gently
consoles Siegfried. Wilbur again
observes interaction between the desk
partners with increasing jealousy.
Siegfried, who has generally attracted
much attention because of his dashing
gure and cape, confesses to Wilbur
that he has fallen in love with Mimi,
principal viola and desk partner.
If you think Wilbur should burst
into a heart-wrenching song,
explaining to Siegfried that he has
been in love with Mimi for the past
5 years, go to 13.
If Wilbur should sulk and storm
off, seeking comfort food (a stolen
veggie patty), go to 2.

7. Overcome by thoughts of Mimi,

Wilbur messes up the stretch, twists
his elbow, trips over his own feet, and
does his back in, leading to immediate
nerve paralysis, and painful and
inevitable death. END.
8. ACT V: ALEXANDER
TECHNIQUE CLASS THE NEXT DAY
Rosalinde and Siegfried put their
plan in action. During the stretching,
Rosalinde is paired with Wilbur and
suddenly gets a headache. Isolde
suddenly has to become his partner
for the stretch. As their elbows meet,
he is startled at his rst close
proximity with a girl in a long time.
If you think Wilbur should start to
daydream about Mimi, go to 7.
If you think Wilbur will be too
shocked at being near Isolde to
dream about Mimi, go to 17.

9. Siegfried ambles up to Mimi. He

smiles warmly at her, but before he
gets the chance to talk to her, he dives
to his right side to take a stunning
catch. Amid the celebrations, the Jester
removes all his clothing (except for
his ankle bells) and streaks through
the group huddle; the tinkle of bells
forewarns the group of the Jesters
rapid approach, and the group quickly
disperses. Before chaos takes the
eld, Boris Giovanni declares a staff
victory. The students revolt by throwing
what remains of the barbecue meal, and
threaten to leave camp if the student
victory is not awarded. Boris is forced
into declaring an unprecedented draw,
presenting his straw hat to the students
as a sign of goodwill. Meanwhile,
amidst all the confusion, Mimi and
Siegfried have left together. As they
converse, Mimi suspects that Isolde
likes Siegfried too, and that Isolde lied
to her out of jealousy. Wilbur treks
back to Burton and Garran alone,
covered in tomato sauce after being
hit by a burger. He has a shower and
ponders his next move.
If you think Wilbur will have the
courage to see Mimi that night,
go to 15.
If you think Wilbur will wimp out,
go to 5.

8 Musica Fever
10. Wilbur broods. Eventually he
comes to the conclusion that he
should declare his love for Mimi at
the following evenings masked bush
dance. Go to 6.
11. Taken aback, Mimi panics and
ees the room. Siegfried sees Mimi
leave quickly, and then sees Wilbur
start out after her. Siegfried
misconstrues the situation as two
people running out to be together,
leaving him alone. He plots revenge
upon them both. He decides that he
will offer Mimi and Wilbur a veggie
patty, laced with a magic potion that
causes delirious yodelling, before
death. Mimi and Wilbur die at the
dinner table. Devastated and wracked
with guilt, Siegfried accidentally
consumes a similarly poisoned patty,
and yodels himself to death. END.
12. Wilbur emerges from behind
his hiding place, and strides single-
mindedly towards Mimi. However,
Boris, the eccentric conductor, has left
his cricket bat, gloves and balls lying
carelessly on the ground. Wilbur trips
and falls down the stairs. He tumbles
into a chamber group rehearsal and
dies after banging his head on a
double bass. END.
13. ACT I PART TWO:
BURTON AND GARRAN HALL
Wilbur confesses to Siegfried that he
has been in love with Mimi for the
past ve years. Siegfried refuses to
accept the news, and they duel for
her affection in front of a bewildered
crowd of students and tutors.
Wilbur gets tangled in Siegfrieds cape,
and tragically suffocates, much to
Siegfrieds despair. Surrounded by the
crowd, he longingly looks to the
heavens. Somehow, somewhere. END.
14. ACT III: BUSH DANCE
Wilbur and Siegfried arrive, masked
and dressed. Due to an unfortunate and
much publicised wardrobe malfunction,
they have identical costumes. Siegfried
offers to line up for orange cordial, but
the cordial runs out and the queue
grows impatient. Everyone is
desperately thirsty and remains
tolerantly in line. Meanwhile, Wilbur
retreats to his corner, but summons
the courage to approach Mimi, and
heroically decides to declare his
feelings. Wilbur is nervous, and his
voice rises to that of a tenor.
Mimi, who is secretly in love with
Siegfried and patiently awaiting her
cordial, is unable to see clearly from
behind her own feathery mask.
If you think Mimi should realise
that the caped gure declaring
their feelings is in fact Wilbur,
go to 11.
If you think Mimi should mistakenly
assume that the gure is Siegfried,
and invite him to dance the heel-
and-toe, go to 3.

15. Later that night, Wilbur (now free

of burger and sauce residue) creeps
down the corridor and knocks on
Mimis door. Before she is able to
open the door, Wilbur sees the infa-
mous Ghost of a former cellist oating
ercely down the hall towards him,
with half a viola bow sticking out of
his head. The Ghost repeatedly shrieks,
The moon is blood red! Wilbur
screams with fear (as best a baritone
can) and faints. Mimi opens her door
and no one is there. Wilburs lifeless
body is found in the morning with
bits of a viola stuffed in his mouth.
END.
16. Siegfried continues to sulk beside
the piccolo. Isolde enters wearing a
breastplate, and explains to him that
Mimi no longer likes him, fearing
that he will distract her from her
musical career.
Meanwhile, Wilbur has told Mimi
that Siegfried never really liked her;
it was just a misunderstanding. Mimi
storms off, angry with Wilbur and
Isolde. Wilbur has brazenly decided
to make another move at the cricket
match that afternoon, where Wilbur,
Mimi and Siegfried will be on the
student team. Go on to Act IV.
ACT IV: CRICKET MATCH
In a display of macho bravado, Wilbur
and Siegfried both head towards Mimi.
If you think Wilbur should get
there rst, go to 4.
If you think Siegfried should reach
Mimi rst, go to 9.

17. Wilbur is so startled by Isoldes
beauty that thoughts of Mimi melt
away. They begin to bond as they
continue the arm-pulling stretch.
ACT VI: DINNER THAT EVENING
Everyone is treated to vegetarian
food. Wilbur is thrilled as he has
been trying to eat the veggie patties
all week, and they nally have the
meal together. Isolde admits that she
was jealous of Mimis beauty and
talent, and that she did indeed lie to
her about Siegfried. Isolde admits
that she likes Wilbur just as much,
so it really doesnt matter which guy
she gets. Wilbur is overcome with
relief that someone nally likes him,
and Isolde and Wilbur declare their
newfound relationship in a virtuoso
duet. Siegfried admits that he has
liked Mimi all along. Wilbur thinks
hed better not admit that he did too,
and quickly eats Isoldes veggie patty.
She thinks how cute his actions are,
and in a rousing ensemble number
held in the dining hall, the group
decides that they should make that
nights staff concert a double date.
While Isolde and Wilbur are sharing
yet another veggie patty, Siegfried
presents Mimi with a ring inscribed
with words from their special aria,
What a queer bird the frog is.
They depart camp in each others
arms, vowing to return next year for
more adventures. THE END

9 January 2008
This year, for the rst time in
camp history, the composition
program has ventured into the
realm of celluloid. The four
participants (Amy Bastow,
Rebecca Harrison, Julian
Langdon, and Alex Pozniak) were
each assigned a short, turn-of-the-
century silent movie and given a
week to create a new score for it.
This undertaking will culminate in
a chamber ensemble performance
of the music, accompanied by
real-time screenings of the
corresponding lms.
The demands of writing music for
cinema are manifold. The score
must sensitively enhance the
narrative without distraction; it
must follow the action without
shadowing it too closely, and
must emote without being syrupy
or trite. It is fortunate, then, that
British composer Joby Talbot (of
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
fame) has been on hand as NMCs
composer-in-residence, offering
his insights and experience to
young composers mostly new
to writing for a visual medium.
He himself has worked with
early silent cinema, notably
producing a new score for Alfred
Hitchcocks The Lodger in 1999.
This experience helped him
to formulate the composition
program at camp this year.
I wanted to encourage the
composers to react to a changing
emotional state in a picture,
Joby explains about
his conception of
the course. The end
results, he reports, are
four different responses
to four different but equally
strange lms.
The composers unanimously
describe the footage as
weird, but the surrealist
imagery seems even
more bizarre when
one considers
its origins. The
four lms derive from the
Corrick Collection stored at the
National Film and Sound Archive.
Sarah and Albert Corrick were
eccentric vaudeville musicians
who played several instruments
and incorporated these lms into
their act both in Australia and
abroad. With their all-singing, all-
dancing brood of eight children in
tow, they became known as The
Corrick Family Entertainers.
There are approximately 135
surviving lms in the collection,
all produced between 1901 and
Pictures Worth A Thousand Notes
Plucked petals rise from the earth to exact revenge upon the
destroyer of their bloom; a crazed man dons bull horns and
hurls himself into a citywide rampage; a newspaper cut-out
assumes human form: these are some of the unusual images
from lms that have inspired the 2008 composing contingent
at National Music Camp.
by Melissa Lesnie
10 Musica Fever
1914. Many are hand-coloured or
tinted and test the most modern
cinematic effects then available.
In performance, these would be
played on an Edison projector
and accompanied by singing and
commentary about the quirky
scenarios played out onscreen.
Then, as a novelty, the
lm would often be
rolled backwards for
the crowds heightened
amusement two lms
for the price of one!

In 2008, over a hundred years
after many of the lms were rst
shown by this unusual family
circus, four will be dusted off for
a very different sort of screening.
The composers task at NMC was
to transform the visual language
of this bygone era through
expression of a new musical
outlook. Its very strange when
youre looking at these images
of a lm made in 1907, muses
composer Amy Bastow,
"and Im composing music to it
with instruments that werent
even invented in 1907 and
using elements of pop that didnt
exist back in that time.
The lm Amy composed for,
The Magical Press, is a surreal,
fantastical montage depicting
domestic bliss with a twist. By
scrunching, ripping and folding
sheets of newspaper, the female
protagonist conjures a series of
objects and animals, ultimately
creating her ideal man and their
2.3 children out of life-sized cut-
outs.
To capture the excitement of
this one-woman printing press,
Amy endeavoured to procure
a typewriter to be used as a
percussion instrument. It proved
a difcult item for her to track
down and transport to camp on
such short notice; a shame she
couldnt follow the example of her
lm and simply make one out of
the Canberra Times.
Alex Pozniaks selected lm, The
Man-Bull Fight, is a riotous piece
of slapstick that Charlie Chaplin
would have envied. A man in
a parlour discovers a set of bull
horns mounted on the wall. Trying
them on, he becomes possessed
by the bull and general havoc
ensues as he tears through the
city, goring innocent citizens and
policemen in his wake. In the nal
scene, he meets more worthy
opponents in battle with a troupe
of matadors.
Alex, 25, explains why he was
attracted to this chaos. I saw
the lm and thought it would
be difcult to score because its
just so relentless for ve minutes
straight. But I was drawn to that
sense of energy. Often in my
music I like to move on with my
ideas quite quickly and I saw the
potential in this lm to write
music like that. He also uses
musical association to ground the
pandemonium in a well-known,
singable phrase: the bullghter
imagery is accompanied by a
distorted quotation of the famous
toreador theme from Carmen.
As for the rough-and-tumble
perpetuated by the man-bull
knocking people out and head-
butting people, Alex excitedly
adds, people seriously get decked
in this!
By extreme contrast, Rebecca
Harrison has created a lush,
Debussyan sound world for her
chosen lm Living Flowers, looking
to the early twentieth-century
ideas of orientalism. The diversity
of approaches, styles and moods
that has emerged from her own
efforts and from the work of her
fellow composers astounds her:
Below: Olden-day tea party for trannies, in The Magical Press
11 January 2008
Its interesting hearing
everyones pieces
because theyre all so
different and theres
any number of ways
you can go with these
lms Im sure if any
of us had to score one
of the lms that the
others are doing, it
would have turned out
quite different.
Each composer in the program
has had different challenges to
contend with often practical ones
throughout the creative process.
Deadlines are the most obvious
bte noire, with performers waiting
on their parts. Clocking in at nine
minutes, Amys lm is almost a
third longer than the others and she
has been acutely aware of timing.
Im a glutton for punishment, she
sighs. Alex admits that he was a
little concerned before coming to
camp for the same reason. What
happens if for ve days you have
writers block? But running to a
tight schedule, he acknowledges,
is an important skill to develop.
Having to write so quickly for lms
a very good experience and I think
thats what Joby wanted all along,
to throw us into this situation.
Joby agrees that its an essential
part of realistic compositional
training.
In the world of lm
music, you have to
know how to work
under pressure.
Its no good saying, Oh well, Im
afraid the muse hasnt descended
today so I cant write any music.
But the upside of this extreme
pressure, he reasons, is the burst
of creative potential that can
be unleashed. The funny thing
is, you turn up things you never
would have thought of if youd
had more time to think about it.

For National Music Camps young
composers, hearing their works
performed for a live audience
by some of the countrys most
skilled musicians is certainly
reward enough. So too is the
nurturing attitude of instrumental
students and tutors at camp. I
nd that it is a very collaborative
environment, Amy enthuses,
and speaking to the performers
at meal times is a great way to
get ideas for pieces. One can
only imagine that the multi-
instrumentalists of the Corrick
family would have approved.
Above: Forget the storkgiant babies come from newspaper clippings in The Magical Press.
Below: Bull vs Donkey in The Man-Bull Fight

12 Musica Fever
The traditional National Music
Camp cricket match for 2008 took
place on the afternoon of Friday
11th January, complete with
plenty of corruption from the
staff and liberal sledging from
the students. The brassies took to
the fore in all respects, and burly
tuba players led both teams:
David Cribb the staff, and Danny
El Capitano Mallia the students.
Before the match began, both teams
were getting in a little last minute
practice.
The Student Cricket Club
(SCC) demonstrated a great
deal of ego to make up for
some fairly dismal talent,
and the overlong lawn on
the eld was catching far
more balls than the
would-be elders.
NMC Cricket:
The Usual Pandemonium
Hannah Reardon-Smith reports.
Positions were decided upon by calls
of who loves me the most? by
captain Danny Mallia. The staff, on
the other hand, refrained from their
trademark rolling catches after 2006s
tragic collarbone dislocation of star
player Stephen Robinson. Speculation
of student spies was rife and the staff
team was quick to make the decision
to open the batting without waiting
for the toss.
Despite claims that the umpires duty
was to be taken up by Steve Bucknor,
it was once again Richard Gill who
graced the eld with his excessive
scores and controversial not-outs.
Artistic Director by day and Cricketer
Extraordinaire by night (well, maybe
afternoon), Marshall McGuire opened
the batting for the staff, in his whites,
forgetting the match was a one-dayer.
SCC Captain Danny Mallia bowled
rst and after one nervous wide
managed to get Marshall out second
ball; he was stranded at the crease by
fellow opener, double bass tutor Kirsty
McCahon, to raucous appreciation by
the student-dominated crowd.
Sarah Blackman of the SCC took a hat
trick (she was later named Man of the
Match after her impressive batting).
Becoming desperate, the staff team
brought on international talent in the
form of conductor Baldur Brnnimann,
but the hope was short-lived. After
scoring just one run Brnnimann
pulled his calf muscle and was forced
to retire injured (he had to hobble
onto the stage come the week one
concert!) Baldur said after the match
I feel like Im 80, but at least they
didnt get me out! Other injuries
sustained by members of the staff
team included a scraped knee,
sprained nger and a cracked rib.
The energy levels didnt falter
throughout the afternoon and the
students soon struck up a beer bottle
chorus, but it was no match for the
excitement in the form of viola tutor
Stephen King and his kids streaking
(running around with no shirts). The
true streakers came later, hiding their
bits behind torn-off pieces of beer
cartons!
Danny Mallia was rejoicing before the
nal score had been conrmed:
It feels amazing as team
captain to usher a new era
of democracy and fair-
ness in the world of NMC
cricket.
Its a sincerely heart-warming feeling
to know that not only have we won but
weve made the staff team look like
the monkeys they are (this declaration
was partly interrupted by Mallia dash-
ing onto the eld to tackle members
of his opposition to the ground). The
student scorecard read 87; 74 to
the staff.
Staff team captain David Cribb had
this to say as the players left the
eld:
Id like to thank our
opposition for the good
sportsmanship
unfortunately I cannot, as
there was none.
"The students put up a commendable
ght, but they couldnt match our
formidable total. Our very high number
of female participants is an example
13 January 2008
to their male-dominated team. The
staff victory was a little narrower
than in previous years, but we were
hindered by the sledging from the
opposition and the lack of a decent
umpire. The staff scorecard read all
out for 153 runs; students 4/102.
Soon after this, Umpire Richard Gill
returned to the eld to settle the
disputes. After quietening the restless
crowd he said, Given the nature of
the ground and the ducks on the eld,
I declare this a draw. General outrage!
After an extensive over-
night review appealing to
the ICCC (the International
Camp Cricket Council),
Umpire Gills decision was
upheld and staff mutiny
avoided.
The amended score was staff all out
153; students 4/152. The students
have since discovered several uncouth
manners of expressing their ire.

14 Musica Fever
Top Eleven Tips!
If you expect to be able to play 1.
drunk youve got to practise
drunk! * (D.M. & K.H.)
Have a goal you need to make 2.
sure that youre working towards
something, rather than just
practising randomly, and short-
term goals work best! (J.E-C.)
One of the best ways to practise 3.
is to always work on the basics,
so set yourself a routine that you
do each day, cover all the basics,
and then when youre getting
comfortable with it, change the
routine. Set yourself exercises and
skills that youd like to improve.
(D.M.)
Learn note-by-note so that 4.
everything you play is absolutely
correct. Blind practice is also
good memorise in eight bar
sections from the start and the
end. (Danny practises blind too,
but blind drunk! * K.H.) And dont
assume that just because you can
play something once in a practice
room, you can play it in a live
context! (J.E-C.)
Its about quality not quantity 5.
youve got to be strict with yourself
so that you get the quality. And if
you play a transposing instrument,
be very careful to learn the piece
in the right key! I once learnt an
AYO excerpt in the wrong key,
and realised just days before the
audition! (K.H.)
Use a recording device every day. 6.
Youll pick up on so many things
youd have missed otherwise. (S.C.)
Its better to practise in a dead 7.
room because it doesnt make you
sound better than you are. You can
hear all your mistakes and work on
them. If you do it all the time, youll
soon become used to it, and then
when you get into a performance
space youre not relying on the
acoustic to mask your faults. (S.B.)
Practise in a range of different 8.
rooms, not just a tiny practice
room or a big hall. And drink lots of
coffee! (K.H.)
Have a schedule, especially in 9.
holidays actually write down the
hours youre going to play, then
stick to it. (S.C.)
The best cure for heartache is 10.
practice. (The two best cures for
heartache are practice and drinking,
especially if theyre combined. *
D.M.) If youre heartbroken, practise
sightreading its a productive
distraction! (J.E-C.)
If you want to go out, then go out, 11.
dont stay home and practise. Try
to do half an hour and then just go
out and dont worry about it. (S.C.)
(Otherwise go out, get drunk, then
come home and practise drunk. * D.M.)
In the Practice Room
Compiled by
Hannah Reardon-Smith
We all know we should do
more of it, or do it better, but
what exactly is it that we
should be doing and what
really goes on behind the
closed doors of your fellow
campers practice rooms?
Master Practisers Sarah Black-
man (violin), Sam Curkpatrick
(clarinet), Katy Hermann (horn),
Danny Mallia (tuba) and John
Edmonds-Crosthwaite (piano)
join Hannah Reardon-Smith to
share their eleven top practice
tips (seeings as we musicians
are always giving 110%, it
seemed suitable to exceed the
usual top ten), along with some
unique quirks and utter
disasters!
15 January 2008
K.H.: I have a favourite room at
uni that I get settled in and
I dont like practising in any
other room! I make sure I do,
though. And I like to practise
early, in the morning.
Denitely not night time.
Also, I drink a lot of coffee
when I practise.
D.M.: Well Im a practice vampire!
I cant practise during the
day I generally start at
around 7pm and do a solid
four hours. I once thought Id
get a really good head start
on a recital that I had at 9am,
so I got up really early, got
into uni by 6am, fell asleep in
my practice room, woke up at
ten to 9 and had to run to my
recital!
J.E-C.: I practise in every uni in
Melbourne.
S.C.: To make myself happy about
chucking out old reeds, I
collect them! I see how many
old ones I can get. It works
really well because it means
I always get out new ones to
practise and play with. So on
the back of my cupboard door
I have about a hundred dead
reeds and if my brother ever
asks me for a reed, I just give
him one of those!
On top of these things, you can
take a few hints from the Alexander
Technique workshops held during
this years camp. Remember that
the number one thing you need to
do when you get into the practice
room is take care of your body.
Dont forget to drink lots of water,
take regular breaks (ve minutes
every half an hour is best walk
around, have a drink and eat a
piece of fruit or some nuts), and
be sure to warm up. When youre
warming up, be gentle and avoid
stretching, as warming up is more
about getting the blood owing.
Stretching is important but do it
later in the day and do it gently.
Instead try walking on the spot,
swivelling your hips and swinging
your arms around until you feel
just a little warmer. Take care,
and if you feel any pain be sure to
stop playing and really rest for ten
minutes. If youre still sore after
that then get some ice on the injury
and have a long break make sure
you recover!
If youre struggling on a technically
difcult section, a few golden
rules to remember: practise in the
smallest cells of music you can
without losing your head (i.e. less
than one bar), use a metronome,
start really slow and increase the
speed just one notch at a time, and
play with the clarity and tone you
want your polished performance
to contain. To help add expression,
try imagining your piece as a movie
score and work out whats going
on in the story. This actually works
really well if you choose something
completely irrelevant to the work,
for example a baroque sonata could
become a tale about a doctor with a
penchant for scuba diving and a pet
llama! Be imaginative.
And what about practice quirks?
We all have them! Your writer, for
instance, has to be wearing earrings,
needs her hair tied back and prefers
to practise without shoes!
S.B.: I have very musical parents,
and when they hear me
practise, theyll pick out a
distinctive rhythm or melody
and name it after an animal.
So after all this time Ive
spent practising, Ill come
downstairs and theyll sing
this part and say, thats the
donkey bit!
So now that National Music Camp
has left you inspired and motivated,
be sure to hit that practice room with
some real enthusiasm in 2008! Be
conscientious, stay positive and keep
the dream in mind.
* Please note that your writer
does not endorse the combined
activities of practising and drinking
(except for water), and certainly
not performing whilst under the
inuence of alcohol. Have a laugh,
but never take anything Danny
Mallia says too seriously, although
he does have a good point about
sticking to a routine!
** You can learn when best to use
the noun (practice) or the verb
(practise), simply by reading this
article.
L-R: Master Practisers John Edmonds-Crosthwaite,
Sam Curkpatrick, Danny Mallia, Katy Hermann &
Sarah Blackman

16 Musica Fever
New Camp Dynamics:
Assistant Tutors
by Alicia Maguire
They seem just like the other
tutors perhaps a little younger.
Violinist Liz Gormley and double
bassist Steve Newton have
come to National Music Camp in
2008 as the rst Assistant Tutors
in the history of music camp.
Liz and Steve are the pioneers in a
new program devised by Australian
Youth Orchestra. CEO Colin Cornish
explains that this scheme selects
emerging musicians making their start
in the profession, and provides at the
camp an opportunity to bridge the gap
between student and professional life.
For the Assistants, there is the
opportunity to tutor students in
collaboration with their more
experienced colleagues. For student
campers there is a model to which
some may aspire, a stage towards
becoming a fully-edged member
of the profession, and beginning to
pass on some of the skills they have
acquired, especially about playing in
orchestras. For Tutors, the extra help
means that more groups are tutored
more often.
For both Liz and Steve, attending
National Music Camp was a pivotal
point in their musical careers. Steve
remembers camp as the rst time
I was actually completely immersed
in part of what makes up being an
orchestral musician, and completely
separated from being at school and
normal family life. I was amongst a
new family of orchestral musicians.
For Liz, camp was a major part of life:
I went to eight camps as a student
and I was really sad that I was going
to have to stop coming, so I wanted
to try and nd a way that I could
come back! So she suggested to
AYO management that a program
like Assistant Tutors be created. By
this time, Liz had been selected for
a similar kind of program, as an
emerging artist with the Australian
Chamber Orchestra, playing on two of
their national tours. Hopefully, Liz
Gormley asserts, I can give some of
my experience from working with ACO
to people here.
Likewise, Steve Newton, who now
plays double bass in the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra, soon got over his
initial nervousness about becoming a
tutor: It was really enjoyable, I didnt
feel that I was meant to be quiet and
watch and learn; I was involved in
the tutoring process, and encouraged
to do so. The Assistant Tutors have
taken joint tutorials with their more
experienced tutor colleagues, and they
have provided extra tutorial resources
to cover student chamber music
rehearsals.
Both Liz and Steve are accomplished
musicians, but modest. Newton says,
I have a huge amount of respect
for all the students very little
distinguishes me from them, thats the
only thing thats uncomfortable about
it, and thats the challenge:
for me to overlook that and just
see music making as a group thing
regardless of age.
CEO Colin Cornish, questioned about
the beginnings of this AYO program,
is enthusiastic: Its something
we denitely want to keep going.
It could expand to work into Arts
Administration, Composition and
Words About Music programs as well,
so I would say yes, its been successful.
Its very early days, in the pilot stage
and well need to actually meet with
people like Liz and Steve and get
feedback. The signs are that this will
be positive. Liz Gormley appreciates
the benets for the Assistant Tutors:
When I feel that Ive
actually helped somebody
and Ive learnt something
also, that is the best
reward.
17 January 2008
music. We did a lot of work together,
including a lot of modern Australian
compositions, rst performances, and
we had two world tours together.
The quartet worked extensively with
one of most inuential gures in
Australian music, Peter Sculthorpe,
whose String Quartet No.9 was
written for and dedicated to the
group in 1975. We always enjoyed
and had very good responses from
the overseas public and critics to the
works of Peter, Donald recalls. Its
very original and its listenable and it
creates an atmosphere.
Sculthorpes Second Sonata for
Strings, arranged from his ninth
quartet for the ACO in 1988,
features in the Hazelwood Chamber
Orchestras second concert of 2008. It
is a particular pleasure for Donald to
hear a work he premiered over three
decades ago realised, in a different
form, by an ensemble named in
honour of his achievements. Its very
appropriate. Im very pleased that
theyre able to do this work and I look
forward to listening to it.
At the helm of the thirty-piece
chamber group is Ian Swensen,
visiting National Music Camp
this year from the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music, where he is
head of the String Department. Ian
describes the Hazelwood musicians
and Concertmaster Peter Clark
as very open and very talented,
relishing in particular the challenge
of playing Michael Tippetts Fantasia
Concertante on a Theme of Corelli
(1953). The piece is relentlessly
demanding but if we didnt have
something that challenging, he
maintains, we wouldnt have the
Seeing Donald at this years AYO
Alumni gathering (where his nametag
touted him accurately as Violin Tutor
Extraordinaire) and at the concert
on January 12, one had the sense
of a man immensely proud of where
music-making in this country is headed.
Donald began learning to play the
violin at three years of age, during
the Depression. Coming from a rural
background, he received almost no
formal training before being offered a
scholarship at Albury Grammar in New
South Wales. He looks on this time
gratefully: There I learned from the
nuns for ve years, and they probably
saved my musical bacon, as it were.
Donald cites a turning point in his life
as deciding to do music when I had
no musical background at all and no
knowledge of symphony orchestras or
much repertoire. It was this pivotal
career choice that led to his long
association with Sydney Symphony.
Donalds involvement with the
Austral Quartet thrust him towards
the forefront of the nations new
For the past few years, each
National Music Camp chamber
orchestra has been named after
a luminary of Australian music,
someone who has contributed
enormously to orchestral and
chamber performance both within
AYO and nationwide.
In 2008, the
orchestras namesake
is Donald Hazelwood,
Concertmaster of Sydney
Symphony Orchestra
for over three decades
(1965-98), long-time
leader of the Austral
Quartet, and for several
years a greatly admired
tutor at NMC.
Violin Tutor Extraordinaire:
Donald Hazelwood
and the
2008 Donald Hazelwood Chamber Orchestra, directed by Ian Swensen
by Melissa Lesnie
with research/interview
by Hannah Reardon-Smith
Below: The Donald Hazelwood Chamber
Orchestra in concert
18 Musica Fever
One of the many great things about
being a WAMmer is the range of
vantage points from which we can
observe the daily activities of the
three orchestras at National Music
Camp (NMC). Throughout the week,
the WAMmers have brought their
pens and cameras into rehearsals and
watched the orchestras study and
perform a wide range of demanding
works. This years orchestra members
battled the Canberra heat, ies, late
nights and much commuting, but
their enthusiasm for learning and
performing never wavered. In this, the
60th anniversary of the rst camp,
WAMmer Laura Mathison gives an
observers perspective on the Bishop
and Alexander Orchestras.
These orchestras were named in the
early 1990s in honour of Ruth
Alexander (1914-1999), an American
music teacher, and of musician and
administrator John Bishop (1903-1964),
who co-founded National Music
Camp in 1948. Since its inception,
many famous names in the Australian
musical world have attended NMC,
including several of this years tutors.
In addition to the major orchestral
programs, the NMC and AYO also
incorporate non-performance
streams. Signicantly, around 70%
of professional Australian musicians
have been involved in at least one
of these programs. Establishing
professional contacts while at camp
is highly encouraged, with many
participants going on to become
colleagues later in life.
A WAMmer's Perspective:
The Bishop & Alexander Orchestras
kind of enthusiasm and energy and
suffering and struggling to learn it that
is such an important part of growth.
Not only do the students display
enthusiasm for the challenging
repertoire and their director, but also for
the tireless work of their string tutors.
Its really amazing to be able to work
with these tutors; thats where we want
to be.
Donald Hazelwood feels fortunate to
have seen and heard the ensemble that
celebrates his lifes work. Its a great
honour for the AYO administration to
have been kind enough to put my name
to a group like this.
Left: 2008 NMC tuba tutor David Cribb,
Andrew Jesic, Donald Hazelwood, AYO
CEO Colin Cornish, french horn tutor Geoff
Collinson
Below: Baldur Brnnimann conducts the
Bishop Orchestra in concert
by Laura Mathison

19 January 2008
Each National Music Camp requires
between two and three years of plan-
ning, and selecting conductors and
tutors is only part of the challenge faced.
This year Music Director Marshall
McGuire, in collaboration with CEO
Colin Cornish and Artistic Administrator
Bronwyn Lobb, welcomed the esteemed
Richard Gill and Baldur Brnnimann
as conductors for the Alexander
and Bishop Orchestras. 2008 marks
Richards third camp, and he has
become well-known for his dynamic
conducting style and engagement
with the orchestra. This very often
included ring sudden questions
at unsuspecting orchestra members
throughout rehearsals and dont
think you could escape them by
hiding behind the harp or ducking under
the drums! Rehearsals commenced
Sunday night, and by Tuesday,
Maestro Gill knew every Alexander
Orchestra member by name.
Fellow conductor Baldur Brnnimann,
experiencing his rst National Music
Camp, brought with him much
experience and enthusiasm for the
repertoire. His energy throughout
rehearsals kept the players on their
toes (although Baldurs own movements
became somewhat limited after getting
a little too enthusiastic at NMC cricket).
Many of the students I spoke to shared
the sentiment that working alongside
their conductors and tutors often
their idols is one of the most
rewarding and inspiring aspects of
camp. Baldur believes that the learning
experience also extends to conductors
and tutors, explaining, they learn from
us, we learn from them.
This year, students performed works
from across the entire gamut of ba-
roque, romantic, and twentieth-cen-
tury repertoire, and Marshall McGuire
believes that it is important to
achieve this balance of repertoire to
satisfy participants. Both conductors
were also advocates for the selection
of challenging repertoire, and this was
certainly the case for both orchestras
this year. The WAM observers were
Baldur believes that working with a
composer is a unique and valuable
experience for the performers because,
well, Dvork and Lutosawski cant
come to rehearsals anymore!
The Bishop Orchestra, however, had
the privilege of working closely with
2008 composer-in-residence Joby
Talbot, performing Transit of Venus
and Hovercraft from the ballet
Chroma. Joby commented that this
group of musicians performed these
works the best theyve ever been
played, and the orchestra members
witnessed some of the creative
processes that preceded the concert
performance through interactions
with Joby during rehearsals.
For me, an observer of the orchestras
throughout the week, it became
obvious that the camp experience
provides both players and non-
performers with experiences and
connections that will last throughout
their careers. The performers overcame
the difculties and frustrations presented
in the repertoire, and established
relationships with professional musicians
and fellow players. In the words of
Baldur, were working together
sharing the same thing its hard but
worth it.
able to witness the constant improve-
ment in the energy and quality of the
works, by the sounds wafting through
the windows, and it has been an eye
(and ear)-opening experience to hear
the repertoire brought to life. As
Alexander Orchestra trumpet player
Sam Paterson says, playing these
pieces with this orchestra is history in
action.
Sitting in on the rst rehearsal of
the Alexander Orchestra, armed with
notebook and camera, it was quite an
experience to witness a play-through
of Richard Strausss Death and
Transguration. Although some
worried faces peeped over the stands
from time to time, daunted by the
prospect of performing such a
challenging work, all traces of
apprehension had vanished by the
concert. The Alexander Orchestra also
performed Uncle Igors (aka Stravinsky)
Symphony in Three Movements, and
in week two the orchestral suite from
Bartks controversial pantomime-ballet,
The Miraculous Mandarin and Debussys
La Mer (The Sea). Unfortunately,
the orchestras could not escape the
sweltering heat by holding any of their
rehearsals on a beach, as Alumnus
Marjorie Gilby explains occurred at the
1949 camp.
The Bishop Orchestra got their bows
into Dvorks Carnival Overture, and
Witold Lutosawskis Concerto for
Orchestra. The Lutosawski work, a
powerful nationalist statement about
Poland in the aftermath of World
War II, may appear rather heavy
going for a youth orchestra, but
Baldur believes it is a passionate
piece that is hard to play, but it has
everything everyone has something
to do. With several solos divided
among the players, there was not too
much extended rest counting! It is
especially interesting that Beethovens
Egmont Overture was programmed
for the second concert, as it was also
performed at the rst music camp in
1948.
v
Below: Richard Gill rehearses the
Alexander Orchestra

v
20 Musica Fever
the National Music Camp magazine.
Perhaps one of the most memorable
interviews was with Julian Day,
ex-WAMmer and current ABC Classic
FM presenter. Julian shared in his
experiences, explaining the diverse
range of presenting and writing jobs
he undertook before gaining his
position with ABC Classic FM.
The WAM team were also engaged
with the creation of two radio features,
destined for national broadcast on
ABC Classic FM. Making and present-
ing interviews for these radio features
was an entirely new experience for the
WAMmers. Working with tutor and
Sound Engineer Andrew Dixon was a
most rewarding process, and radio has
become a new eld of interest.
On a eld trip to the National
Library of Australia, music curator
Robyn Holmes led the WAMmers on
a behind-the-scenes tour exploring
archival documents from the rst
National Music Camp and complete
collections documenting Peter
Sculthorpes life and work.
Research, writing, editing, interviewing,
presenting for radio, public speaking,
and producing Musica Fever demanding
and challenging but ever engaging,
Words About Music has become a
rite of passage for many professionals
in the music industry. The four
WAMmers of 2008 will be no
exception.
Music at National Music
Camp is not just about
performance.
Each year, the Words About Music
program (affectionately known as
WAM) is an integral part of camp,
engaging students in a variety of
activities centred on words about
music. Alicia Maguire and Laura
Mathison explore the genesis and
current activities of WAM and look
at what this program has helped
participants to achieve.
The four WAMmers at this years
camp come from a variety of back-
grounds. Honours student Melissa
Lesnie is a driven Sydneysider with
a passion for contemporary music,
Alicia Maguire has recently established
her own research business whilst
beginning her Honours year,
Hannah Reardon-Smith shares her
passion for music with a love for the
environment, and Masters student
Laura Mathison loves travel and
research on eighteenth-century
stage works.
Words About Music rst came to
National Music Camp in the 1990s
when David Garrett and Sharman
Pretty (General Manager of what
was then called Youth Music Aus-
tralia) recognised the need for a
training program in areas involving
radio and writing. Since its conception,
the research, writing and presentation
skills experienced in the Words
About Music program have proved
invaluable for many WAM graduates,
who have become prominent gures
in the music profession, both in
Australia and overseas.
Many of WAMs graduates have gone
onto work for major Australian and
international arts organisations, including
the ABC, Sydney Symphony, Australian
Chamber Orchestra, Limelight (formerly
24 Hours), Decca, Queensland
Conservatorium, Deutsche Grammophon,
Arts Queensland, Australian Music
Centre, and Australian Youth Orchestra.
Angela Turner, one of three Words
About Music tutors this year and
herself a past participant of the
program, explains that
Just two weeks after having
completed the WAM course,
there were phone calls from
Australian Youth Orchestra
and the Australian Music
Centre with job offers. That
wouldnt have happened if I
hadnt been involved in the
program.
David Garrett, another of the 2008
tutors, similarly identies past
participants in positions around the
world, some working in radio, others
in print media, and a considerable
number who went onto key Australian
artistic management roles.

Practical experience is what the
Words About Music program is all
about. From day one, the 2008
WAMmers were practising their
interviewing skills, writing proles,
editing the National Music Camp
website, preparing program notes
for the orchestral concerts and
writing articles for Musica Fever,
A Life in Music is a
Life with Words
by Alicia Maguire and
Laura Mathison

21 January 2008
Postcards from Camp
F
I
R
22 Musica Fever
If you come from a capital city,
you may have had to contend
with issues such as trafc jam
stress, eisteddfod disasters
and noise-sensitive neighbours
to reach your current level of
musical prociency. But imagine
convincing your parents to
drive a four-hour round trip
every Saturday for an orchestra
rehearsal, or having to learn
double bass from a violinist
the only string player for hundreds
of kilometres! National Music
Camp brings together music
students from all over the country,
and that includes the real country
the rural areas of Australia.
Speaking personally, I grew up on a
property in the Darling Downs region
in southeast Queensland. While it
wasnt the worlds most isolated area,
there were still many problems, such as
the long distances we had to travel for
school and music lessons in Toowoomba,
and the lack of access to concerts and
facilities. At my school, only four people
did senior music, and Music Extension
wasnt offered at all. As for many rural
students, it was the encouragement
and support of my parents that kept
me going.
The challenges created by isolation are
very different from those of city living.
Finding a teacher can be a major issue,
as quite often there are none in the
immediate area. Sometimes the teacher
within easy driving distance determines
the instrument learned. Whats more,
many teachers in rural areas dont
stay put for long its hard to resist
the lures of better pay, more advanced
students and the inspiring cultural
atmosphere in the major cities.
In many country areas the cultural
environment doesnt embrace classical
music, so the rst experience of it is
often quite vivid for rural students,
be it an orchestral performance on
television, or a recording of a specic
piece. For Linda Priebbenow, who
grew up on a dairy farm near Oakey,
Queensland, it was Beethovens Violin
Concerto. I used to dance around
the living room with this concerto
on repeat and I just really wanted to
play it! she recalls.
For a student living in the city who
has been learning for a number of
years, often the next step is to nd
others at around the same level with
whom to play, perhaps in a local
youth orchestra or school ensemble.
In the country, there might not be
anyone else of the same age learning
an instrument, and it can get a little
quiet all on your own. Frances Rouse,
a violinist from a property 110km
west of Dubbo, NSW, remembers,
Fortnightly lessons meant two weeks
playing all by myself at home, with
just the sheep and cattle listening in.
Nelson Yarwood, also a violin player
from a farm out of a small country
town called Numurka in northeast
Victoria, elaborates: Its hard to
gauge where youre at in comparison
to everyone else when youre just
practising by yourself at home. Thats
one of the things that is so good
about camp it brings you in with
lots of people from all over Australia
and you get a good feeling of what
other people are doing.
Camp, however, only happens once a
year. Nelson, along with Victoria Bihun
(another violinist from the area),
travelled the long drive to Melbourne
every week to play in the Melbourne
Beethoven out Bush:
Growing up musically in the country
By Hannah Reardon-Smith
Below: Frances Rouse (from rural NSW)
relaxes during rehearsals with desk-partner
Glenn Christensen
23 January 2008
Youth Orchestra. We were waking
up at 5am just to be at orchestra
rehearsal by 9 oclock! Weve spent a
lot of time in the car, Nelson recalls.
For other students, the distance is so
great that this was never an option.
Chloe-Ann Williamson is a double
bass player from Roma in Queensland,
about a six-hour drive from Brisbane.
She ended up at a boarding school in
Toowoomba just to practise music as
a subject and to play with other
musicians her own age. If youre
going to take it seriously you need to
move up and out, she says. I think
a lot of people from metropolitan
areas take for granted that they have
access to the best teachers and that
they play with great groups. When
youre in a rural area, youre a big sh
in a small pond, but then you get to
the city and youre just one of many,
many sh in the sea.
But its not all bad there are some
real benets that city dwellers miss
out on. Being able to play out of
doors or whenever you please (family
allowing), for example. I used to play
to the fairies, says Hannah Brockway,
who lives about an hours drive from
Perth, WA. They never came out
my mum said they would! The fresh
air and laid-back attitudes are also
appreciated. Sophia Chishkovsky, a
cellist from Woodend, about halfway
between Melbourne and Bendigo,
recalls growing up in a healthy
environment: Apart from the clean
air, youre not exposed to certain
politics of the music world at such a
young age you dont get so intimidated
and just give up. Victoria Bihun
enjoys benets of a different kind
at the Melbourne Youth Orchestra,
saying, The conductors are nicer to
you! Theyre always standing us up
and saying, these people have come
so far!
Transition to study in the cities can
be difcult for rural students, but
also rewarding. Some of our tutors
also come from rural areas, and after
experiencing the transition themselves
now witness younger generations
making the change, and they like
what they see. Tuba tutor David Cribb,
originally from a beef cattle farm in
Murgon, in the South Burnett area of
Queensland, relates what it was like
for him. Coming into the Con and
having never even heard an orchestra
before, it was really hitting it fresh.
That was the rst intensive teaching I
had, and it was at a very good level.
I hadnt been exposed to bad teaching
and I was really keen. And it was fun
that was the reason I did it! I think
the advantage was this freshness.
I think when you get to the Con after
growing up in the country, you prob-
ably have a different idea of what it
is to do hard work, and I never had
a problem sitting down for three or
four hours a day and just practising.
Geoff Collinson, the French horn tutor
from Robinvale in Victoria, around
100km from Mildura, identies with
these experiences, adding, I see it in
kids coming into the Conservatorium
all the time. Theyre usually less
advanced when they come in, but
they improve very quickly. Theres a
huge motivation.
With the increasing number of Regional
Conservatoriums in New South
Wales, and the induction of a new
Federal Government; access to better
teaching and facilities looks like a
real possibility. Australian Youth
Orchestra has recently extended into
rural areas by holding auditions in
regional centres, such as Bundaberg
in Queensland, and Orange and
Armidale in NSW.
AYO also offers its successful Young
Australian Concert Artists (YACA)
Regional Outreach program.
The YACA program gives AYOs most
promising musicians the opportunity
to form a chamber ensemble. They
then study and play with leading
professionals before they are packed
off to the country where they live for
up to two months, giving performances
and teaching young students from
the area. This is a wonderful initiative,
as it provides the young students
with access to a number of highly
advanced tutors and introduces the
AYO musicians to regional life. Over
the past eight years more than 1,400
country students have learnt from
YACA participants!
For the younger students and beginners
who reside in rural and regional
Australia, the future appears bright.
Many trained musicians who grew
up in the country plan to return and
teach. I feel indebted, explains
Chloe-Ann. I want to go back one
day and pass on what Ive learnt.
Above: Sophia Chishkovsky &
Chloe-Ann Williams, now
studying in capital cities

National Music Camp

Canberra
|2008|