Media and Communications Blog

What Am I Doing With My Life (On Camp)?

At camp we meet young people from around Australia who all share wild enthusiasm for classical music. They have also all shared the same question for me as a Media and Communications (MACer) student: “What do you actually do on this camp?” Here is a definitive guide to what I’ve been up to as a MACer, (pronounced “Macker.”)

Monday – Day 1
We meet Ed and receive our second assignment; we have already completed our first, to write a 350-word programme note for the Saturday concert programs. Our second assignment is to write a blog covering the first day of camp.

Day 2 – Tuesday
Ed shows us our writing room, which is really a university computer lab. It feels cooler to call it a writing room though, like we are hardcore journalists or writers for SNL. Ed introduces us to George Orwell’s Rules, listed below:

  1. Don’t use clichés
  2. Don’t use long words when a short one will do.
  3. If you can remove a word or phrase without changing the sentences meaning, take it out.
  4. Don’t use the passive when you can use the active.
  5. Don’t use technical words if there’s a plain English equivalent.
  6. If you need to break any of these rules, use your common sense.

Ed also adds two of his own rules, but you’ll have to sign up for the course to learn those. He invites us up one by one to read through our work, suggesting edits as he goes.

After lunch we write our blogs and send them off to be published. You can find my first one here.

I start brainstorming who I will interview and decide to interview Emma John, an amazing AYO horn player. I also brainstorm some ideas for Musica Fever, a traditional AYO calendar filled with jokes and articles.

Day 3 – Wednesday
Ed interviews Christopher Sainsbury over the phone about his composition String Talk, programmed for the Saturday evening concert. He lets Christopher know at the start of the conversation that he’s on speaker and there are five MACers listening. Christopher chuckles in surprise and says that’s ok with him.

After this, Monica Curro comes to speak with us. She is generous in her answers, but is strict with us about not qualifying our questions, i.e. “This is a silly question, but-”

Day 4 – Thursday
Richard Wigley comes to speak with us. I feel validated that it was possible to keep storytelling through music as your core focus, even in a leadership position in what could be a financially driven corporate environment.

I meet Emma John, one of the NMC principal horn players, at the sound studio for an interview. I will edit the interview in the second week of camp to be released.

I join back with the MACers for a production meeting with the Sound and the Orchestra Management teams. We talk through the tutor’s concert on Friday cue by cue, and problem solve any problems we imagine arising.

Day 5 – Friday
We receive our assignments for the Saturday concerts: in the afternoon concert my assignment is to write and present an Acknowledgement of Country and introduce the first piece, Dancing in St Petersburg. For the evening concert I will be writing a review.

We have another production meeting to discuss tonight’s tutor concert, then meet with Sir Jonathan Mills who speaks with us about the importance of considering audience when programming and creating new ideas for presenting music.

The MACers practise presenting our speeches and we receive feedback on our writing, posture, and speech. The concert goes well and it’s so special hearing the tutors play.

Day 6 – Saturday

We pause our writing to go to a production meeting for the two concerts tonight. Any mishaps from the Friday night tutor concert are discussed, and plans are made to avoid similar mistakes.

The first concert runs smoothly. At the second concert Ed lends me his notebook to take notes for my review; I probably look strange standing in the foyer, looking around and scribbling in a journal.

Day 7 – Sunday
This is our rest day! Ed says it’s important to have time off but also reminds us that our reviews are due the next morning. I go to the beach with friends then take a few hours in the evening to write my review while the musicians rehearse, and composers prepare their parts. Unfortunately, my first draft is 3000 words long and the target word count is around 400.

I hope this account of the first week of my time as a MACer has clarified what exactly we get up to while the orchestras rehearse. If you have any more questions, feel free to as me, but please don’t use any qualifiers!

About National Music Camp

Founded in 1948, National Music Camp has become the cornerstone of our training. Over two intensive weeks, around 220 of the country’s most talented young musicians come together to be mentored by world-class tutors, artists, and conductors. They experience music-making at the highest national level as part of exceptional symphony or chamber orchestras.

Behind the scenes, aspiring arts leaders from the Media and Communication, Orchestral Management, and Sound Production programs collaborate to bring today’s concert to life. Whether crafting compelling narratives about music’s cultural impact, mastering stage management logistics, or capturing the magic of live performance in pristine audio, these participants are guided by industry experts, challenged, and inspired at every step.

Together with the Composition program, which fosters the creation of bold new works, this comprehensive approach to orchestral and arts administration training cultivates a dynamic environment where creativity and passion unite, lifelong friendships and collaborations are sparked, and Australia’s arts scene is reinvigorated. As the lifeblood of culture, the arts enrich our lives, connect us, challenge us, and transform us.

Sign up for all the latest AYO news straight to your inbox

Name(Required)