Connecting NT Musicians
Matt Hill: Teaching music all over the Territory. An interview.
Matthew Hill has the auspicious job of being “Lecturer in Music” at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education. In every way it’s a BIG job, a position which pretty much came about when he said yes he’d do it! Relocating from Queensland to Batchelor, NT, Matt literally gets to teach music all over the Territory working at both the BIITE campus in Batchelor south of Darwin, and also taking his VET course on the road to remote Indigenous communities.
If Matt had a dollar for every km he’d travelled he might just make the BRW “Rich 200” list… Seriously.
Matt teaches his students a range of music skills and as a result is allowed a unique insight into the potential Indigenous musicians, singers, songwriters and artists possess and contribute to original music culture in the Northern Territory, and Australia. He also gets to see his students play at events and Festivals – the Wide Open Spaces Festival in Alice earlier this year a highlight, with – from all reports - BIITE band Utju blowing audiences away.
As you’re about to find out, the great thing about Matt is his passion of which he has loads. And dedication – stacks; insight – he is articulate and with unique perspectives - and clearly a giant love for music, as big as the open road. Matt also loves the Territory and the Indigenous musicians he has the pleasure of teaching and working with.
A Music Educator and proud of it. Read on…
Music NT: How long have you been working at Batchelor and what do you teach?
Matt Hill: I signed the contract mid-March this year on a Wednesday, packed my stuff on Saturday, jumped on a flight from Brisbane on Sunday and began work on the Monday! I am Lecturer in Music, so currently I am delivering Certificate 2 in Music Industry foundation under the auspice of CDU as there is currently no scope for this course in Batchelor (more about that later). So exactly what I teach relates to the units a Certificate 2 music foundation VET course. These units include:
CUSBGE01A Develop and update music industry knowledge
CUSMGE11A Develop music knowledge and listening skills
CUSSAF02A Follow health, safety and security procedures in the music industry
CUECOR2A Work with others
CUSMPF02A Develop technical skills for playing or singing music
CUSSOU01A Move and set up instruments and equipment
CUSSOU02A Operate portable audio recorder
MuNT: What exactly does it mean to be a “Lecturer in Music at Batchelor Institute'”?! How broad is your role ie does your actual work go beyond your job description?
MH: This job started with my employment! This means right now I am partnering with organisations like CDU and CAAMA to get things rolling. Currently I am working in a Learning Support Program initiated by CAAMA. This is a three-stream program. Stream I engages kids out of school, Stream II works alongside education and supports literacy and numeracy through song-writing in the classroom, while Stream III is the VET in Music that engages anyone in the community 15 years and older and interested in music.
To be a lecturer for Batchelor means a clear commitment to tertiary Indigenous Education. As part of the contract I signed I am willing to “swag it” on community, travel great distances by “troopie” as well as fly in small aircraft to the most remote communities in order to deliver education services to Indigenous remote communities.
I think just focusing on delivering the units of the course is all that is required, although in making links to the Music Industry, it is also important to network, plan ahead and also to identify where Education and Industry cross over, so I do spend quite a bit of extra time plotting and planning with local festival managers, shire councils, GBM’s, Fahcsia… Not to mention the odd pollie ‘playa’ from Canberra. Although this is not really my job, I have found that being in community and in direct relationship with music students - who range in age from 15 to 70 - I have a pretty genuine take on what community want and need in terms of music. By myself I cannot effectively deliver training if, on the communit,y there is no dedicated music soundproofed rehearsal/recording space with music gear… Which is why we bring in the gear ourselves. Recently I had to wait three days before a free space became available in order to simply set up the gear! That’s wasted time and money ‘cause there’s no music room! This is a message that comes from my music students who are also elders and dedicated community leaders who also love music and see the value in telling stories through music.
MuNT: Who studies with you? ie where are the students from, and maybe you could give us some examples of the types of student musicians who attend the
course at BIITE?
MH: I’d like to tell you about Benjamine Pope. He is from the Stolen Generation, is 70 years old, was the first Aboriginal man born in the Alice Springs hospital (they seem to have lost the paperwork!) and since meeting him Ben has written over 16 tracks that tell stories of life in the outback over the past 60 years. His songs are written in a Slim Dusty style and recently we performed together at the Atitjere School Open Day. I noticed the school kids’ wide eyes and attentiveness when Ben sang his songs. He speaks about his songs like a storyteller mixed with a history teacher. He has so much to give and Batchelor is currently negotiating a publishing project to record his stories as a DVD/audio CD with illustrations. His songs are actually historical documents and need to be recorded for the benefit of his community and for the preservation of his story.
Some younger students include Sebastion Webb and Carl Stevens, two young and talented musicians from Atitjere. We wrote a love song on my last visit inspired by the flurry of activity surrounding the public phone and calls made to girlfriends from other communities. It is sung and played in a desert/ska uptempo style of music, very catchy and very danceable. We threw in a more ballad-style bridge just to try something different and it worked real good! The guys are stoked with the outcome and we have consequently formed a band called, ‘The Plenty Highwaymen’. The Plenty Highway is the road to Atitjere and is a landmark of their travels and stories surrounding their lives at Atitjere.
MuNT: What kind of music do you teach/do they play?
MH: Anything from country to rock to desert rock reggae and ska with overtones of surf guitar and casio gospel. Sometimes ‘spaghetti western’, sometimes spy pulp fiction, sometimes metal to guitar riff heaven (MJ’s ‘Beat It to GnR’s ‘Sweet Child O’Mine). I love it all! Recently I have heard the fellas imitating more RnB beats on the drums. The kids listen to a lot of hip hop and RnB, but will eagerly join in to a sing along country-style tune about chasing donkeys. ‘Wipeout’ is the instrumental anthem!
MH: We teach basic set up of gear which is one of the most valuable elements - I think - in delivering training on communities. Often the music gear is locked up at the school or the council office as there is no dedicated music facility on most of the communities I have visited over the past seven years! I would like this to be in capital letters please as I mentioned before, IT IS HOLDING BACK MUSICIANS’ ACCESS TO PLAYING AND DEVELOPING THEIR SKILLS!! The current of music is strong in community and there needs to be more physical infrastructure put in place to facilitate musical development, both in the creative musical aspects as well as developing online savvy and understanding of the trends of digital music delivery. As part of my own development I am looking at the future of the music business and online delivery of training. Both of these are limited again by available resources on remote communities but hopefully in time, as the internet becomes more available, we can begin to move forward into utilising the benefits of online participation in training and the music industry.
MuNT: Is the music course unique ie would you find one similar anywhere else in Australia - or in the NT for that matter?
MH: As VET is a nationally accredited system, the units and competencies are ‘across the board’, meaning you are either competent or not in rolling a lead, for example. The differences are in the delivery of the training. I have a great time hanging out with my students and that relationship is important to developing positive motives in learning and achieving results we (the students and I and VET) are happy with. We have a lot of fun!
MuNT: What do the students get out of the course?
MH: The students gain access to equipment and the training required to operate the equipment. They also gain the expertise I can provide in songwriting and instrument skills. It is the students’ opportunity to play on good gear and record, operate and perform their songs, to express themselves and participate in a positive dedicated and professional environment and to experience the joy of making music!
MuNT: What kind of 'outcomes' do you want to achieve with your course? And what skills do the students graduate with?
MH: Simply helping to develop music as a career pathway for remote Indigenous musicians.
MuNT: I heard that one of the 'bush bands' Utju went off at the Wide Open Spaces Festival and were really well received... Can you tell us a bit about that
experience - give us a snapshot of that day?
MH: Utju band certainly made a great impression as the opening act for WOS. That day was a massive day for both myself and the band! We left via several troopies at 8am from Areyonga (the home community for Utju band) and drove into Alice Springs, about 2 hrs drive. There, one of the troopies broke down so our friend Steph Harrison came to the rescue and picked up the lads to get to the festival site, about another hour’s drive from Alice. After we arrived, we had a cook up and went straight to the stage. There we found the sound operator and he kindly talked the lads through how a big sound system works and what all the flashy lights and dials do. We also talked about being professional and what to expect and how to communicate with the sound operator when doing a sound check.
After this the guys were really amped and nervous at the same time to get on stage. After the opening ceremony and ‘Welcome to Country’, it was Utju band to start everything going, and they did! Mervin opened the set with a ripping surf guitar instrumental. People jumped up to ‘Ska Skank’ immediately. It was a toasty vibe. Utju then played ten original tunes with three-part vocal harmonies and tasty guitar riffs backed up with a tight-as upbeat rhythm section, not to mention mad hairdo’s and song dedications! To my surprise the band told me that it was Steven’s first time on stage singing. Not bad for the lead singer! His voice is strong and sure with that quality of undulating intonations that seems to me unique to Indigenous singers.
The band ploughed through 12 songs in total over 60 minutes, maintaining the energy and tightness of professional musos! A credit to their focus and commitment and joy of music! After the band rocked the stage, we had a short break then jumped back into the troopie, drove back to Hermansburg via a family pick up in Alice and then I drove back to WOS just in time to help pack up the stage. I finished around 4:30am. That what I also call "time in lieu"!
We recorded the gig in full HD and have a FOH mix that we will edit and review for training next visit. I think they made a pretty good impression so I am keen to get them into Alice Bush Bands Bash in September.
MuNT: In your job you must have a pretty intimate insight into contemporary Indigenous music culture and young Indigenous musicians in the NT... What are your observations? And what kind of music is coming out of communities? Where are things headed?
MH: The level of self-taught musicianship is of a very good standard, especially guitar-driven instrumental music. To play ‘Wipeout’ and ‘Lambada’ and other popular instrumental tunes on the guitar and keyboard is almost a rite of passage for young men who want to play music. Bob Marley has had a major influence on the musical landscape in the Central Desert (not to mention the rest of the world). Songs in language, I love listening; some fellas prefer writing in English. I have heard a few female artists doing their own original songwriter stuff, mostly gospel from the ladies. I think contemporary music evolves through integration of influences, both musical and technological as well as the raw creativity of musicians. Once again, access to equipment can only broaden the depth of music currently being played in NT. How does music evolve if there is no access to musical equipment? This is really a question to put to the Commonwealth. If we are really interested in an Indigenous Music Industry, how are we supporting this? If there are few places to access equipment on a daily basis for remote communities, how can music develop?
There is a strong current of music within the communities I have visited. With job opportunities to be created out of providing the means to rehearse, produce and publish on community, I think we will see a revolution in the way Indigenous mob begin to participate in the music industry, both on a local and international level if they are afforded the same opportunities like internet access and dedicated music rooms that a lot of our ‘coastie’ brothers and sister take for granted. It would be nice for the Commonwealth to really put their shoulders behind the wheel and let themselves be surprised by the wealth of talent existing in remote communities.
MuNT: Is there such as thing as Territory music? A particular kind of music that is unique to the NT?
MH: Yes! It is defined by language and musical interpretation of rock/reggae/country/ska/metal. Up Top End you have didge in the mix. It is totally unique and each mob will play the same song with their own take on the mix.
MuNT: Do you think with the success of recent artists like Gurrumul, Shellie Morris, Yilila, Jessica Mauboy etc that music from Indigenous artists is starting to reach a wider audience?
MH: Yes. The wider audience is changing the way it is listening to artists and finding them. If we can find ways for artists to interact more intimately with online strategies of publishing and delivering music to the world, we will definitely see an up-surgance of interest in Indigenous artists from across the globe.
MuNT: What's the future like for the students who pass though Batchelor Institute? What kind of skills do they need to get ahead?
MH: I think the skills are relevant dependant upon the available resources for those students/musicians on their own community. While I can deliver a unit on setting up gear, if there is no gear on the community after I leave and take the gear with me (that I have bought in) then the skills fade. I think the question is not so much skills acquisition, but resourcing so that skills are made relevant.
MuNT: Do you think in order for NT musicians to become successful they need to leave the Territory?
MH: No. Firstly, let’s define success. Success might mean a few different things for the musicians. It might mean simply being able to play a song on radio, or do a live gig or tour to other communities. Does success mean becoming a full-time, on-the-road musician and leaving your family behind? I think there are many complexities. I don’t know the answers as to what it takes for an Indigenous muso to become ‘successful’...
I think touring is a fantastic part of taking your music to listeners across the country/globe, although feeling homesick or missing country or feeling sad for home just might be an element that shows touring as a challenge for remote Indigenous artists. I reckon creating online access is the way to go as far as updating with the trends in the music industry and the way consumers are participating and customising their online purchasing of music. Do we really need to travel the world, even interstate to make money from original music? The future will tell for sure, the trends are noted and the record industry is dying. Digital is how things are going and the sooner remote communities have access to creating/producing/publishing and delivering their product online (from their communities), the sooner we will experience a flourish in Indigenous content for the whole world to view and purchase from their iphones.
MuNT: What's the best part of your job? And the most difficult aspect? And what do you get from it?
MH: The best part is the actual time I spend with my students, the laughs, the songs, the music!
The most challenging is being able to make do with what is put in front of you, despite the planning!
MuNT: What's your proudest moment as Lecturer of Music at Batchelor?
MH: The concerts are the moments when I feel proudest because if I have done my job right, I pretty much get to enjoy the whole production being run and performed by the community. This is their moment and there is nothing better than experiencing a community concert, especially on country. Recently we went live-to-air at CAAMA studios with six bands from three communities over a non-stop two-hour show! This was a massive undertaking for me and the students. Despite the nervousness of the situation, the fellas stepped up and spoke to over half a million listeners that evening, sharing band members with each other and pulling together to broadcast their stories and feelings. Live radio can be hectic in terms of timing and there were a few moments when no-one knew what was happening and dead air can lead to bad radio! We were certainly on the edge and we pulled it off. The phone ran hot that evening and the next day. CAAMA even had a request for a song by Utju band called ‘Homesick’. I think the rest of the concert tracks performed that evening have been mixed and played again on request. It was a proud moment seeing all the lads calling their communities saying we were going live to air in two hours so you better turn your radio up!
MuNT: Are there any new developments coming up for the Music Course at Batchelor Institute?
MH: Currently I am investigating SLoodle as an online delivery tool. Very exciting!
To find out more about BIITE's music course visit the BIITE website. To get in contact with Matt Hill email him at matthew.hill@batchelor.edu.au.
If Matt had a dollar for every km he’d travelled he might just make the BRW “Rich 200” list… Seriously.
Matt teaches his students a range of music skills and as a result is allowed a unique insight into the potential Indigenous musicians, singers, songwriters and artists possess and contribute to original music culture in the Northern Territory, and Australia. He also gets to see his students play at events and Festivals – the Wide Open Spaces Festival in Alice earlier this year a highlight, with – from all reports - BIITE band Utju blowing audiences away.
As you’re about to find out, the great thing about Matt is his passion of which he has loads. And dedication – stacks; insight – he is articulate and with unique perspectives - and clearly a giant love for music, as big as the open road. Matt also loves the Territory and the Indigenous musicians he has the pleasure of teaching and working with.
A Music Educator and proud of it. Read on…
Music NT: How long have you been working at Batchelor and what do you teach?
Matt Hill: I signed the contract mid-March this year on a Wednesday, packed my stuff on Saturday, jumped on a flight from Brisbane on Sunday and began work on the Monday! I am Lecturer in Music, so currently I am delivering Certificate 2 in Music Industry foundation under the auspice of CDU as there is currently no scope for this course in Batchelor (more about that later). So exactly what I teach relates to the units a Certificate 2 music foundation VET course. These units include:
CUSBGE01A Develop and update music industry knowledge
CUSMGE11A Develop music knowledge and listening skills
CUSSAF02A Follow health, safety and security procedures in the music industry
CUECOR2A Work with others
CUSMPF02A Develop technical skills for playing or singing music
CUSSOU01A Move and set up instruments and equipment
CUSSOU02A Operate portable audio recorder
MuNT: What exactly does it mean to be a “Lecturer in Music at Batchelor Institute'”?! How broad is your role ie does your actual work go beyond your job description?
MH: This job started with my employment! This means right now I am partnering with organisations like CDU and CAAMA to get things rolling. Currently I am working in a Learning Support Program initiated by CAAMA. This is a three-stream program. Stream I engages kids out of school, Stream II works alongside education and supports literacy and numeracy through song-writing in the classroom, while Stream III is the VET in Music that engages anyone in the community 15 years and older and interested in music.
To be a lecturer for Batchelor means a clear commitment to tertiary Indigenous Education. As part of the contract I signed I am willing to “swag it” on community, travel great distances by “troopie” as well as fly in small aircraft to the most remote communities in order to deliver education services to Indigenous remote communities.
I think just focusing on delivering the units of the course is all that is required, although in making links to the Music Industry, it is also important to network, plan ahead and also to identify where Education and Industry cross over, so I do spend quite a bit of extra time plotting and planning with local festival managers, shire councils, GBM’s, Fahcsia… Not to mention the odd pollie ‘playa’ from Canberra. Although this is not really my job, I have found that being in community and in direct relationship with music students - who range in age from 15 to 70 - I have a pretty genuine take on what community want and need in terms of music. By myself I cannot effectively deliver training if, on the communit,y there is no dedicated music soundproofed rehearsal/recording space with music gear… Which is why we bring in the gear ourselves. Recently I had to wait three days before a free space became available in order to simply set up the gear! That’s wasted time and money ‘cause there’s no music room! This is a message that comes from my music students who are also elders and dedicated community leaders who also love music and see the value in telling stories through music.
MuNT: Who studies with you? ie where are the students from, and maybe you could give us some examples of the types of student musicians who attend the
course at BIITE?
MH: I’d like to tell you about Benjamine Pope. He is from the Stolen Generation, is 70 years old, was the first Aboriginal man born in the Alice Springs hospital (they seem to have lost the paperwork!) and since meeting him Ben has written over 16 tracks that tell stories of life in the outback over the past 60 years. His songs are written in a Slim Dusty style and recently we performed together at the Atitjere School Open Day. I noticed the school kids’ wide eyes and attentiveness when Ben sang his songs. He speaks about his songs like a storyteller mixed with a history teacher. He has so much to give and Batchelor is currently negotiating a publishing project to record his stories as a DVD/audio CD with illustrations. His songs are actually historical documents and need to be recorded for the benefit of his community and for the preservation of his story.
Some younger students include Sebastion Webb and Carl Stevens, two young and talented musicians from Atitjere. We wrote a love song on my last visit inspired by the flurry of activity surrounding the public phone and calls made to girlfriends from other communities. It is sung and played in a desert/ska uptempo style of music, very catchy and very danceable. We threw in a more ballad-style bridge just to try something different and it worked real good! The guys are stoked with the outcome and we have consequently formed a band called, ‘The Plenty Highwaymen’. The Plenty Highway is the road to Atitjere and is a landmark of their travels and stories surrounding their lives at Atitjere.
MuNT: What kind of music do you teach/do they play?
MH: Anything from country to rock to desert rock reggae and ska with overtones of surf guitar and casio gospel. Sometimes ‘spaghetti western’, sometimes spy pulp fiction, sometimes metal to guitar riff heaven (MJ’s ‘Beat It to GnR’s ‘Sweet Child O’Mine). I love it all! Recently I have heard the fellas imitating more RnB beats on the drums. The kids listen to a lot of hip hop and RnB, but will eagerly join in to a sing along country-style tune about chasing donkeys. ‘Wipeout’ is the instrumental anthem!
MH: We teach basic set up of gear which is one of the most valuable elements - I think - in delivering training on communities. Often the music gear is locked up at the school or the council office as there is no dedicated music facility on most of the communities I have visited over the past seven years! I would like this to be in capital letters please as I mentioned before, IT IS HOLDING BACK MUSICIANS’ ACCESS TO PLAYING AND DEVELOPING THEIR SKILLS!! The current of music is strong in community and there needs to be more physical infrastructure put in place to facilitate musical development, both in the creative musical aspects as well as developing online savvy and understanding of the trends of digital music delivery. As part of my own development I am looking at the future of the music business and online delivery of training. Both of these are limited again by available resources on remote communities but hopefully in time, as the internet becomes more available, we can begin to move forward into utilising the benefits of online participation in training and the music industry.
MuNT: Is the music course unique ie would you find one similar anywhere else in Australia - or in the NT for that matter?
MH: As VET is a nationally accredited system, the units and competencies are ‘across the board’, meaning you are either competent or not in rolling a lead, for example. The differences are in the delivery of the training. I have a great time hanging out with my students and that relationship is important to developing positive motives in learning and achieving results we (the students and I and VET) are happy with. We have a lot of fun!
MuNT: What do the students get out of the course?
MH: The students gain access to equipment and the training required to operate the equipment. They also gain the expertise I can provide in songwriting and instrument skills. It is the students’ opportunity to play on good gear and record, operate and perform their songs, to express themselves and participate in a positive dedicated and professional environment and to experience the joy of making music!
MuNT: What kind of 'outcomes' do you want to achieve with your course? And what skills do the students graduate with?
MH: Simply helping to develop music as a career pathway for remote Indigenous musicians.
MuNT: I heard that one of the 'bush bands' Utju went off at the Wide Open Spaces Festival and were really well received... Can you tell us a bit about that
experience - give us a snapshot of that day?
MH: Utju band certainly made a great impression as the opening act for WOS. That day was a massive day for both myself and the band! We left via several troopies at 8am from Areyonga (the home community for Utju band) and drove into Alice Springs, about 2 hrs drive. There, one of the troopies broke down so our friend Steph Harrison came to the rescue and picked up the lads to get to the festival site, about another hour’s drive from Alice. After we arrived, we had a cook up and went straight to the stage. There we found the sound operator and he kindly talked the lads through how a big sound system works and what all the flashy lights and dials do. We also talked about being professional and what to expect and how to communicate with the sound operator when doing a sound check.
After this the guys were really amped and nervous at the same time to get on stage. After the opening ceremony and ‘Welcome to Country’, it was Utju band to start everything going, and they did! Mervin opened the set with a ripping surf guitar instrumental. People jumped up to ‘Ska Skank’ immediately. It was a toasty vibe. Utju then played ten original tunes with three-part vocal harmonies and tasty guitar riffs backed up with a tight-as upbeat rhythm section, not to mention mad hairdo’s and song dedications! To my surprise the band told me that it was Steven’s first time on stage singing. Not bad for the lead singer! His voice is strong and sure with that quality of undulating intonations that seems to me unique to Indigenous singers.
The band ploughed through 12 songs in total over 60 minutes, maintaining the energy and tightness of professional musos! A credit to their focus and commitment and joy of music! After the band rocked the stage, we had a short break then jumped back into the troopie, drove back to Hermansburg via a family pick up in Alice and then I drove back to WOS just in time to help pack up the stage. I finished around 4:30am. That what I also call "time in lieu"!
We recorded the gig in full HD and have a FOH mix that we will edit and review for training next visit. I think they made a pretty good impression so I am keen to get them into Alice Bush Bands Bash in September.
MuNT: In your job you must have a pretty intimate insight into contemporary Indigenous music culture and young Indigenous musicians in the NT... What are your observations? And what kind of music is coming out of communities? Where are things headed?
MH: The level of self-taught musicianship is of a very good standard, especially guitar-driven instrumental music. To play ‘Wipeout’ and ‘Lambada’ and other popular instrumental tunes on the guitar and keyboard is almost a rite of passage for young men who want to play music. Bob Marley has had a major influence on the musical landscape in the Central Desert (not to mention the rest of the world). Songs in language, I love listening; some fellas prefer writing in English. I have heard a few female artists doing their own original songwriter stuff, mostly gospel from the ladies. I think contemporary music evolves through integration of influences, both musical and technological as well as the raw creativity of musicians. Once again, access to equipment can only broaden the depth of music currently being played in NT. How does music evolve if there is no access to musical equipment? This is really a question to put to the Commonwealth. If we are really interested in an Indigenous Music Industry, how are we supporting this? If there are few places to access equipment on a daily basis for remote communities, how can music develop?
There is a strong current of music within the communities I have visited. With job opportunities to be created out of providing the means to rehearse, produce and publish on community, I think we will see a revolution in the way Indigenous mob begin to participate in the music industry, both on a local and international level if they are afforded the same opportunities like internet access and dedicated music rooms that a lot of our ‘coastie’ brothers and sister take for granted. It would be nice for the Commonwealth to really put their shoulders behind the wheel and let themselves be surprised by the wealth of talent existing in remote communities.
MuNT: Is there such as thing as Territory music? A particular kind of music that is unique to the NT?
MH: Yes! It is defined by language and musical interpretation of rock/reggae/country/ska/metal. Up Top End you have didge in the mix. It is totally unique and each mob will play the same song with their own take on the mix.
MuNT: Do you think with the success of recent artists like Gurrumul, Shellie Morris, Yilila, Jessica Mauboy etc that music from Indigenous artists is starting to reach a wider audience?
MH: Yes. The wider audience is changing the way it is listening to artists and finding them. If we can find ways for artists to interact more intimately with online strategies of publishing and delivering music to the world, we will definitely see an up-surgance of interest in Indigenous artists from across the globe.
MuNT: What's the future like for the students who pass though Batchelor Institute? What kind of skills do they need to get ahead?
MH: I think the skills are relevant dependant upon the available resources for those students/musicians on their own community. While I can deliver a unit on setting up gear, if there is no gear on the community after I leave and take the gear with me (that I have bought in) then the skills fade. I think the question is not so much skills acquisition, but resourcing so that skills are made relevant.
MuNT: Do you think in order for NT musicians to become successful they need to leave the Territory?
MH: No. Firstly, let’s define success. Success might mean a few different things for the musicians. It might mean simply being able to play a song on radio, or do a live gig or tour to other communities. Does success mean becoming a full-time, on-the-road musician and leaving your family behind? I think there are many complexities. I don’t know the answers as to what it takes for an Indigenous muso to become ‘successful’...
I think touring is a fantastic part of taking your music to listeners across the country/globe, although feeling homesick or missing country or feeling sad for home just might be an element that shows touring as a challenge for remote Indigenous artists. I reckon creating online access is the way to go as far as updating with the trends in the music industry and the way consumers are participating and customising their online purchasing of music. Do we really need to travel the world, even interstate to make money from original music? The future will tell for sure, the trends are noted and the record industry is dying. Digital is how things are going and the sooner remote communities have access to creating/producing/publishing and delivering their product online (from their communities), the sooner we will experience a flourish in Indigenous content for the whole world to view and purchase from their iphones.
MuNT: What's the best part of your job? And the most difficult aspect? And what do you get from it?
MH: The best part is the actual time I spend with my students, the laughs, the songs, the music!
The most challenging is being able to make do with what is put in front of you, despite the planning!
MuNT: What's your proudest moment as Lecturer of Music at Batchelor?
MH: The concerts are the moments when I feel proudest because if I have done my job right, I pretty much get to enjoy the whole production being run and performed by the community. This is their moment and there is nothing better than experiencing a community concert, especially on country. Recently we went live-to-air at CAAMA studios with six bands from three communities over a non-stop two-hour show! This was a massive undertaking for me and the students. Despite the nervousness of the situation, the fellas stepped up and spoke to over half a million listeners that evening, sharing band members with each other and pulling together to broadcast their stories and feelings. Live radio can be hectic in terms of timing and there were a few moments when no-one knew what was happening and dead air can lead to bad radio! We were certainly on the edge and we pulled it off. The phone ran hot that evening and the next day. CAAMA even had a request for a song by Utju band called ‘Homesick’. I think the rest of the concert tracks performed that evening have been mixed and played again on request. It was a proud moment seeing all the lads calling their communities saying we were going live to air in two hours so you better turn your radio up!
MuNT: Are there any new developments coming up for the Music Course at Batchelor Institute?
MH: Currently I am investigating SLoodle as an online delivery tool. Very exciting!
To find out more about BIITE's music course visit the BIITE website. To get in contact with Matt Hill email him at matthew.hill@batchelor.edu.au.
Tags: batchelor, education, hill, indigenous, institute, matthew
-
Comment by Tashka Urban on July 3, 2009 at 1:20pm
-
Great little rave! Real truths and straight to the point. It's amazing how much this stuff has been talked about within circles lately - I've personally noticed quite a difference within communities since the intervention too, which I'd be interested to hear your comments on considering the span of time you've been out there doing this work... !?
Had me cracking up when you mentioned Wipeout & Lambada - the amount of kids I've taught how to play that on the keys this wk is full on!!! Ha! They LUV those tunes out here - and it's exciting to teach them how to jam it out on the keyboard in 3 parts (bass/rhythm/lead).
-
Comment by Cain on July 3, 2009 at 4:38pm - Go off Matty... Good interview...
Add a Comment
About
© 2009 Created by Administrator on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
You need to be a member of Music NT Forum to add comments!
Join this social network