Hitting a high note

Warrnambool Standard Business News supplement June 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2003

Gavin Franklin and MIS students

TAFE's music industry skills course has been the foundation for many music related careers. Jenny McLaren talked to the education facility's music co-ordinator, Gavin Franklin.


Even pop stars have to learn their trade and school is in for aspiring music artists in the unlikely setting of a former cutting room at Warrnambool's Fletcher Jones factory. The factory is now the home of the South West Institute of TAFE's music industry skills course. The course, which has been running for about seven years, has provided the foundations for many music-related careers, according to TAFE music co-ordinator, Gavin Franklin. "Lots of people who are actively involved in the industry have done this course or part of it. It has contributed to all sorts of people's careers", he said. He said the course, a Certificate III in music industry skills, offered a good grounding in various aspects of the music industry. "Someone might be good at a certain aspect of their music, but this course rounds it our for them and provides a more balanced, rounded approach to what would be useful in a music career", he said. "It gives them a good insight into the music industry".

Mr. Franklin said TAFE was considering the introduction of the higher level Certificate IV in music industry skills next year to further enhance music training in the region. The Certificate II is presently offered as a Vocational Employment and Training (VET) in schools subject, at Brauer College. Seventeen students are enrolled in the current Certificate III group with a further intake next semester.

Mr. Franklin said the year long course which runs four days a week covered such topics as:
- composition performance skills (songwriting and arranging)
- technology - music and the Internet, music and multimedia, operating a multi-track recorder, an introduction to studio recording and sound and lighting.
- music business - issues such as copyright and taxation, publicity and designing CD covers.

As part of the technology component, students record their own CD while a compilation of all the students' songs is produced at the end of the year.

Mr Franklin said students were also producing a video documentary of the course. All students were required to develop either instrument or vocal skills and open mike [sic] nights are held every few weeks to help develop performance skills.

Mr. Franklin, a musician who has been performing since he was a young teenager, said the course provided the basis for a range of vocational opportunities in the music industry. The Australian Guide to Careers in Music lists more than 150 music careers spanning the fields of composition, performance, production, instrument-making and repairing, broadcasting, music business retailing and wholesaling, teaching, writing and research, arts administration, music therapy, libraries, archives, and information services.