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J - Comhaltas Archive

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Arts Rethink In Australia<br />

This major change in policy occurred<br />

after the first Hawke government was<br />

ele cted . It became known that Mr.<br />

Barry Cohen, the Minister for Environment<br />

and Culture was interested in folk<br />

music and so as Phyl says, "They just<br />

approached the Minister and said ,<br />

What about some more funds?' The<br />

Minister said , 'I can't give you more<br />

funds, the only thing I can do is try to<br />

see that a folk person is appointed to<br />

one of the Boards.' "<br />

And so Phyl Lobi became a member<br />

of the Music Board. " It was a bit of a<br />

shock to their systems. I don't think<br />

they would have thought of appointing<br />

a folk person."<br />

The Board consists of a musicologist<br />

specialising in French 18th Century<br />

music, an opera singer, a representative<br />

of the Youth Orchestra, a violin teacher,<br />

a jazz singer and a composer. Most of<br />

them knew little about folk music.<br />

"They would have thought of it as amateur<br />

music." Phyl had to answer such<br />

questions as, Why is punk music not<br />

folk music? Why is rock music not<br />

called the folk music of today? What is<br />

Australian about the music? "These<br />

questions showed that no , they didn't<br />

think . we had a folk culture , especially<br />

not a folk music culture."<br />

One of her initial jobs on the Board<br />

was to answer all these questions and<br />

Phyl did this in her Folk Paper, a one<br />

hour long presentation which included<br />

so ng s entitled " Folk Culture in<br />

Australia" . It is a definite look at which<br />

is folk culture, its role in Australia and<br />

its future .<br />

The M usic Board members were " all<br />

taken aback - they were expecting a five<br />

minute paper on what folk music was<br />

about. It changed their minds but not<br />

entirely enough to recognise that it was<br />

their place to fund it to the extent that<br />

it deserved to be funded . But it<br />

changed their minds to whether such a<br />

folk culture existed."<br />

28<br />

THESE EXTRACTS FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE AUSTRALIAN FOLK<br />

MAGAZINE "STRINGYBACK & GREENHIDE" ARE PUBLISHED WITHOUT<br />

COMMENT. NONE IS NECESSARY!<br />

The Australia Council was formed in the heady innovative days of the Whitlam<br />

government. Its aim was to stimulate Australian culture and help remove the cultural<br />

cringe. However , recognition for Australian folk music was slow coming.<br />

Even as late as 1982-3 out of the Music Board's allocation of $9 .5 million, folk<br />

music received only $10,000. Now, in 1985 things have changed. Phyl Lobi, folk<br />

singer, song writer and educator is now a member of the Music Board and at last the<br />

funding bodies are aware of the importance of the folk arts and prepared to fund<br />

their survival and development.<br />

NOEL HILL selects a tape from the<br />

<strong>Comhaltas</strong> archives.<br />

" And to a certain extent they were<br />

right. It isn't just music. You can' t<br />

take the music away from the poetry.<br />

So , you need funding across all parts (of<br />

the Australia Council.) A Folk Arts<br />

Board is needed."<br />

COMMUNITY MUSICIANS<br />

On her fifteen months on the Board ,<br />

Phyl has become aware of problems<br />

facing folk music and its personalities.<br />

For a start the Board likes to assess<br />

the talents of the individuals it assists<br />

and" .. . the talent of a folk musician is<br />

not concentrated in the same area as an<br />

art musician . The perception of material<br />

is far more important in a folk music·<br />

ian's talent than is the ability to sing or<br />

to play. It is the ability to perceive<br />

w hat is relevant to the fo lk culture , a<br />

skill which takes a long time , and we all<br />

still make mistakes in what we choose<br />

to do , where and when we choose to do<br />

it. It's apparent that where we ought to<br />

be is no t where we are at the mo ment.<br />

"The only way to get where we want<br />

to be is to get the funding to do it. The<br />

places that need folk musicians aren't<br />

where they ex ist. Places like Tertiary<br />

Institutions, and conservatoriums- training<br />

people who will become musicians<br />

in the community. They are totally unaware<br />

of folk music and they are going<br />

out sometimes, into communities that<br />

are rich (in folklore) ... . and they are not<br />

utilising those skills and experiences. In<br />

places they are introducing music that<br />

could submerge and drown the beginnings<br />

of a revival of folk culture."<br />

An area of conflict is the broad<br />

policy to develop a multicultural<br />

society. "The A ustralia Council says,<br />

'Yes, we want to create an Australian<br />

culture.' They don't realise that there<br />

already is one. They see all the incoming<br />

exotic cultures as a chance to have<br />

one."<br />

Phyl is aware of the problems involved<br />

in only supporting her own culture<br />

and she is aware of the possibility of be-

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