Work Experience

Work experience at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

From the 9th of August to the 12th, I was given the opportunity to visit and learn about the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in their own headquarters right in the city.

I was nervous, there were going to be 29 other music students scattered around the state coming to this program of which I knew no one. My nervousness quickly dissipated when I arrived early on day one and saw another person sitting in front of the building and immediately started talking to her. We got along fast and she became my immediate first friend.

From then on, more and more students came and Valerie Becker, the Schools Coordinator of the MSO, assigned us groups for the entire experience and led us into the headquarters. My group was the Purple Group and we sat together while listening to Nicholas (Nick) Bochner, the Assistant Principal Cellist, who was going to lead the Work Experience for us. Nick introduced us to a person in MSO’s different Administration Departments and those people told us what they do, how they got involved with the MSO and what they did in higher education. It was an eye-opening experience for many, including myself. Lots of us weren’t aware of how much work was done for a single concert. There are various departments that deal with advertising and marketing, production, ideas, budgeting and financial and of course music.

This is when it was announced that our aim in this work experience was to create a concert pitch, an idea for a possible concert for the MSO. We would have to include artists, venue, repertoire, logistics and budget in a pretty detailed form within 3 days and then present it to everyone and a panel of workers from the departments to rate our final presentation with a prize for the highest rated group.

Working out all the information and ideas with the rest of the group was insanely fun. We worked hard, cracked jokes very often and overall got close. These people were funny, smart and impressive in their craft, I am very lucky to have those people in my group then, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

People laughed, clapped and joked during their presentations and it was just such a comfortable environment with other young musicians. Unfortunately, our purple group did not win, but there were two groups that won and most definitely deserved it. 

The work experience with the MSO was such a great experience and I’m very glad that I chose to apply. I got to meet many talented musicians my age and older and it was just such a nice time. The whole experience was just so comfortable and unforgettable. The friends made and the knowledge learnt will be the things I’ll be thinking of in the future. Thank you to the MSO and the amazing musicians that are now my friends.

Eliza Eng

Year 10

During the July school holidays, I had the privilege of completing a work experience program at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Located in Southbank, the MSO is a wonderful organisation that is a keystone to Melbourne’s art precinct. Throughout the three days, I have been able to learn so much more about the multitude of careers within the arts and arts administration sector. 

Over the course of the first two days, our group of 30 young aspiring musicians heard from a variety of MSO staff members, with some working in programming, marketing/media, production and philanthropy. As we were situated in the ABC building, we spent most of our breaks wandering around, watching news shows being broadcasted live and whispering “is that who I think it is?” every few hours or so. Additionally, the program included working on a concert pitch in small groups. This entailed creating a presentation that was brought before a panel of judges, consisting of three MSO Directors/Heads. Using all we learned about the intricacies of planning an MSO concert, my group worked very hard and diligently to pitch a children’s concert, centred around combining the wonders of music and the natural world. 

On the third and final day, we relocated to Hamer Hall. The excitement levels were at an all-time high, as we were going to see an open rehearsal of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Xian Zhang. The open rehearsal was definitely one of the most beautiful musical experiences I’ve ever had. Watching from the chorus seats with a birds eye view of the orchestra was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as you could see everything happening onstage, that you may not have been able to see from the audience. We were then lucky enough to meet with some principal players and concertmasters for a brief Q&A. From this, I’ve learned about the importance of blending your sound and teamwork within an orchestra. After this, the day slowly drew to a close, but our energy levels could not have been higher. It was time for our concert pitches and the stakes were raised with the addition of free concert tickets as a first-place prize. Our group nervously presented our “Under the Sea” concert pitch and luckily, our presentation went “swimmingly” and we were awarded first place, which meant free concert tickets! We had a short celebration and finally made our way home for the last time. 

In summation, my experience at the MSO was one I will cherish forever as a musician. Not only has this program allowed me to discover my dream career path, but inspired me to continue working hard to achieve my dreams. 

Claire Piechocki

Year 10

Athenaeum Theatre

My External VET Excursion day: 

Hi! My name is Stella Sciacca. I'm a Year 11 student who is currently studying for a Certificate III in Acting (Screen). On the 10th of August my class, as well as the other cluster classes around Melbourne who are studying this Certificate, had an industry excursion at the Athenaeum Theatre in the City.  We had talk sessions with film Industry speakers including Producers, Directors and Talent Agents where we could take notes and ask any questions or queries we had about the film Industry.  I extremely enjoyed the excursion as it was really beneficial for me to know how to network not just myself but with fellow creatives in the Industry. As well as eye opening to hear the Industry speakers stories and what they did to accomplish and achieve, what they have created and been a part of today. 

Stella Sciacca

Year 11