J - Comhaltas Archive

Arts Rethink In Australia
This major change in policy occurred
after the first Hawke government was
ele cted . It became known that Mr.
Barry Cohen, the Minister for Environment
and Culture was interested in folk
music and so as Phyl says, "They just
approached the Minister and said ,
What about some more funds?' The
Minister said , 'I can't give you more
funds, the only thing I can do is try to
see that a folk person is appointed to
one of the Boards.' "
And so Phyl Lobi became a member
of the Music Board. " It was a bit of a
shock to their systems. I don't think
they would have thought of appointing
a folk person."
The Board consists of a musicologist
specialising in French 18th Century
music, an opera singer, a representative
of the Youth Orchestra, a violin teacher,
a jazz singer and a composer. Most of
them knew little about folk music.
"They would have thought of it as amateur
music." Phyl had to answer such
questions as, Why is punk music not
folk music? Why is rock music not
called the folk music of today? What is
Australian about the music? "These
questions showed that no , they didn't
think . we had a folk culture , especially
not a folk music culture."
One of her initial jobs on the Board
was to answer all these questions and
Phyl did this in her Folk Paper, a one
hour long presentation which included
so ng s entitled " Folk Culture in
Australia" . It is a definite look at which
is folk culture, its role in Australia and
its future .
The M usic Board members were " all
taken aback - they were expecting a five
minute paper on what folk music was
about. It changed their minds but not
entirely enough to recognise that it was
their place to fund it to the extent that
it deserved to be funded . But it
changed their minds to whether such a
folk culture existed."
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THESE EXTRACTS FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE AUSTRALIAN FOLK
MAGAZINE "STRINGYBACK & GREENHIDE" ARE PUBLISHED WITHOUT
COMMENT. NONE IS NECESSARY!
The Australia Council was formed in the heady innovative days of the Whitlam
government. Its aim was to stimulate Australian culture and help remove the cultural
cringe. However , recognition for Australian folk music was slow coming.
Even as late as 1982-3 out of the Music Board's allocation of $9 .5 million, folk
music received only $10,000. Now, in 1985 things have changed. Phyl Lobi, folk
singer, song writer and educator is now a member of the Music Board and at last the
funding bodies are aware of the importance of the folk arts and prepared to fund
their survival and development.
NOEL HILL selects a tape from the
Comhaltas archives.
" And to a certain extent they were
right. It isn't just music. You can' t
take the music away from the poetry.
So , you need funding across all parts (of
the Australia Council.) A Folk Arts
Board is needed."
COMMUNITY MUSICIANS
On her fifteen months on the Board ,
Phyl has become aware of problems
facing folk music and its personalities.
For a start the Board likes to assess
the talents of the individuals it assists
and" .. . the talent of a folk musician is
not concentrated in the same area as an
art musician . The perception of material
is far more important in a folk music·
ian's talent than is the ability to sing or
to play. It is the ability to perceive
w hat is relevant to the fo lk culture , a
skill which takes a long time , and we all
still make mistakes in what we choose
to do , where and when we choose to do
it. It's apparent that where we ought to
be is no t where we are at the mo ment.
"The only way to get where we want
to be is to get the funding to do it. The
places that need folk musicians aren't
where they ex ist. Places like Tertiary
Institutions, and conservatoriums- training
people who will become musicians
in the community. They are totally unaware
of folk music and they are going
out sometimes, into communities that
are rich (in folklore) ... . and they are not
utilising those skills and experiences. In
places they are introducing music that
could submerge and drown the beginnings
of a revival of folk culture."
An area of conflict is the broad
policy to develop a multicultural
society. "The A ustralia Council says,
'Yes, we want to create an Australian
culture.' They don't realise that there
already is one. They see all the incoming
exotic cultures as a chance to have
one."
Phyl is aware of the problems involved
in only supporting her own culture
and she is aware of the possibility of be-