Ben’s advice

Viewing guide

Before

In a small group:

share an experience of composing that you’ve had. What was difficult? What processes did you follow? What worked well?

think of questions you would like to ask someone like Ben Northey about composing if you had the chance. What advice might he give?

During

What is Ben’s advice to young composers? Note down the key points as he speaks.
Why does Ben think being up with the technology is an ‘important side of having a career as a composer’?

After

Discuss the advice that Ben offers students who want to compose.
What might you gain from following his advice to ‘just keep writing’.
What advice does he give that resonates with or appeals to you?

[Music: No Aphrodisiac by The Whitlams performed with the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia]

Freya Lombardo (interviewer): What advice have you got for students who might want to compose?

Ben Northey: Just keep writing, I mean that’s the most important thing. Be prolific. I think it’s the same with song writing. I’m sure Tim would have the same experience. There are times in your life where things just flow and you’ve got a billion ideas and other times where it’s much harder to be inspired all the time when you’re writing a piece of music. And working through those times I think is important. Being up to speed with, particularly in the classical world, the technology which has greatly assisted the art of composing and made it a lot easier than it ever has been before. I think that’s a really important side of having a career as a composer, but the most important thing is to keep writing, keep developing and exploring new ideas, listening to other music, studying scores. It’s just an endless artistic life journey.

[Music and applause]