The Gympie Music Muster enhances its community engagement again this year, giving opportunities for our young students to get hands-on educational experiences.

The Muster welcomes Year 11 and 12 Certificate III tourism students from James Nash State High School and Diploma of Music – Sound Production TAFE Queensland students from Brisbane, who will gain experience in hospitality, service and live music production.

After eight years of studying the Muster as a tourism event, this will be the first year that James Nash State High School students will be working Back Stage at the Muster, with the experience being invaluable to their studies.

“A new competency we’ve added this year is addressing protocol requirements, and it specifically lists musical artists as some of the people to work with,” business and technologies head of department at James Nash State High School Karen Swift said.

“There is no better opportunity for our local students to get first-hand tourism industry work experience than by working in artist services at the Muster.”

The students are excited about applying their skills in a real situation, with their teacher supporting them throughout the experience.

“The true value of this experience is in the opportunity to step up and show their skills beyond the school room walls and set timetables,” Ms Swift said.

Also getting hands-on experience at the Muster, is a TAFE Queensland Brisbane (Southbank) sound production class – this relationship with the Gympie Music Muster stretches back 25 years and as part of its community support the Muster also contributes the supply of accommodation and meals to students.

A dozen students will work alongside experienced audio and lighting engineers across the Muster’s stages, to gain invaluable practical experience.

“Former teacher Ian Taylor instigated the program in 1996 to provide students with the opportunity to work alongside industry audio professionals gaining insight into the operation of large-scale festivals, as well as understanding of how audio systems are managed from small to large concert stages,” teacher Heath Storrie said.

The students camp onsite and are involved in the installation of audio, lighting, vision and backline prior to the Muster, they assist with microphone set-up, patching, artists and backline changeovers and gain invaluable insight into live mixing practices during the festival, and assist with bump-out.

“By participating in all of these aspects, the students are provided with a very realistic hands-on experience of the event production industry,” Mr Storrie said.

He said the students gain invaluable networking and employment contacts, with some of the current professional working crew and even touring crew having graduated from this course. in years past. Mr Storrie, himself, completed the course in 1999 and has worked as a member of the audio production crew on-and-off from 2011.

Gympie Music Muster – August 25-28 – Amamoor Creek State Forest

The Gympie Music Muster is supported by the Gympie Regional Council and Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland and is a feature on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

Header photo: James Nash State High School Students Leah, Alanna & Haylee