Today’s workshop at Blackall State School is a bit of a fizzer. We’re left alone with a group of about eight students, without a teacher or any direction as to what might be relevant to the student’s current music study, performance level or interest in the music industry. When we contacted schools about doing these performances and workshops, we said we’d be self-sufficient. I guess the Blackall music staff really took us for our word. Our experience so far has been that music teachers at other schools have given us an idea of what the students are learning in their music classes, what range of instruments they play, some possible performance or music industry advice that might be helpful to their current activities at the school, and generally they’ve stuck around to throw some questions forward when the students are shy or unsure of how to interact.

Today though, we get through a short get-to-know-you (names, the band’s history, a few questions about the students’ instruments and possible music career aspirations) before it becomes clear that none of the students here have any questions for us, or interest in writing songs, or of forming a band and playing shows/doing recordings/making a career etc. My suggestion that we try and get the kids involved in singing and playing instruments on The Basics song Yeah, Yeah ends largely with bemused or embarassed silence from the students. Being a teacher must be a real challenge most of the time. We decide simply to do an acoustic rendition of Yeah, Yeah ourselves and are out the door almost before the final chord has rung out.

Wally