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In Just Seven Days I Can Make You A Star!!

Dear Uncle Terry,

I am just about to finish VCE and I want to study music, where should I go?

Marian

Dear Marian,

As you mentioned the feared and hated acronym "VCE" I assume that you are in Victoria. I'm also assuming that you have either studied music at VCE level or have reasonably advanced musical skills. If neither of these things is true, you have a very long path in front of you.

Post secondary music education is provided at many places in Victoria. Here are some of them:

UNIVERSITIES:
Melbourne (Faculty of Music & VCA)
Monash
Victoria
Deakin
RMIT

TAFE's:
Box Hill
Northern
Gordon
Wangaratta
Gippsland

PRIVATE PROVIDERS:
SAE
JMC

I suggest you contact all of these and any others you can find. They should all have internet sites. Ask what their courses are about, what their record of students getting work is and any other questions that may occur to you - choosing a course usually involves a very big committment of time and money. You should also talk to your school careers person. I must remain objective, so I may not recommend any of the courses listed (don't infer preference from the above list, 'cause it ain't there).

Some courses will attempt to appeal to your ego and and romantic notions of what a musical career is. Be wary of these. Talking to current or ex- students of an institution is also a great idea. If you don't understand and accept that music is a very difficult way to make a living and that acquiring the skills required of a professional musician (in any style) takes years of sustained effort, then perhaps you should reconsider your career choice. Also remember that stardom is, statistically, a myth.

Uncle Terry

(Ah, Uncle Terry's a hard bastard. Isn't he, boys and girls? Ed.)

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Faithless no bore

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Each member of the trio was showcased in their own way; Sister Bliss backlit through several of the intricate riffs, Rollo pounding the bass in "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and Maxi dedicating his developing Rhyme for the Warmongers to Tony Blair. Seeing them bounce off each other with talented vocalist LSK, live on stage, was a treat for any fan of modern music.

Kudos must also go out to the lighting crew (although I missed much of the show due to being so close to the stage). Vast images were thrown across the arena, reverberating with the music and enhancing the beat. The stage was a blaze of colours and the only let-down was the audience, rather than the performance. Many concert-goers seemed to be spending more time with their mobile phones (either taking photos or SMSing), than getting into the music. Is this where the future of live music is heading, where instead of enjoying the moment, people are more concerned about recording the event "to remember"? I know that it was an unforgettable and incomparable performance and I spent most of the time rapped in the aural wonder of it all.

Faithless have been laying down great dance tracks for over ten years now and hearing them live for the first time showed me new facets to this talented trio, Rollo took on the bass, rather than sitting behind the mixing desk, Sister Bliss showed her musical genius with the keyboards (amongst her many acomplishments) and LSK (guest artist) supported Maxi on resonant vocals. On their recent CD No Roots a note from Rollo mentioned that they had thought that this most recent album would be their last, but thankfully they plan to collaborate further due to the fun they had on this project. May they continue to have fun and create beautiful beats until I'm too old to bop.

Rollo also mentions that he feels that No Roots is the most accessable of Faithless' albums, with a more melodic and consistant approach. I would add that it is also their most consistantly and constructively political album, ranging from interpersonal to international politics. The P*NUT remix of Weapons of Mass Destruction has recieved massive floor and air play, spreading the word on the real sources of terror today. This is the sort of thing that gives Faithless its edge and will keep them relevant to more than just the dance scene. More of it, I say...

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