The music man

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

Garry Price

In a windswept paddock with the giant turbines of Codrington's wind farm turning slowly in the background, Garry Price and his Warrnambool Music Shack staff undertook their most challenging of sound system assignments. The Music Shack was engaged by project developers Pacific Hydro to handle the sound for the official opening of the windfarm in July 2001. The system had to be synchronised over an area of four square kilometres, catering to three bands playing in three separate areas, dignitaries making speeches and an audience of thousands. Their success in carrying it off, Garry says, cemented the business' reputation as sound system specialists and provided the springboard to a string of major jobs. Function work was nothing new for the business, but for sheer size, the windfarm was far bigger than anything they had tackled. Three month's preparation went into ensuring its success. "It was an enormous challenge, but one which we relished", Garry said. "Since then we have been asked to do quite a few other specialised sound jobs". They include the official opening of the gas plant at Port Campbell, and the speech by Treasurer Peter Costello at this year's ACME Field Days.It's an emerging area for the business, taking them on assignments to venues in Ballarat, Colac, Swan Hill and Horsham as well as regular local work. "It's a challenging part of our business and you get a great deal of satisfaction of doing a function and knowing everything's gone well", he says.

 But for Garry, who has just celebrated 21 years since he launched the Music Shack, it is the musical side of the business that remains his first love. Educating others to share his enjoyment of music is his primary focus. He says helping to dispel the misconception that playing music is difficult is all important. "There is often a fallacy among people who don't play music that it's really hard. The way teaching music has evolved in the last 10 years, with the tools that are available to people to help them learn, are extraordinary. There are videos and CDs for example. It means music is very accessible and there is really no excuse not to learn. Anybody can learn", he said. About 120 students , from young children to 70 year olds, are enrolled in the Music Shack's music school, learning a range of instruments from piano and keyboards to bass, guitar, drums and vocals.