BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Not-for-profit organisation Melbourne Youth Music has stimulated the musical lives of more than 40,000 young people since 1967. Encouraging creativity and musical education across programs for orchestra, band, and ensemble, MYM welcomes musicians any and all talented young musos to participate. Applications are now open for next year’s Ensemble Program, and if you’re under 25 you can put your name down for a series of workshops, concerts, and social goodness taking place from February to November.
Trumpeter Sam Beagley, 17, has played with Melbourne Youth Music since Year 7. He started on the instrument at just eight years old. Sam, who performs with the Melbourne Youth Wind Symphony and Melbourne Youth Orchestra, recently won the title of Champion of Champions of under 19 brass players in Victoria for the second year in a row. Sam tells us about his budding career in music and what it’s like being part of Melbourne Youth Music.
At 17 years old, you’ve been playing music for about half of your life. How has it felt to have your youth and musical life synonymous? Do you remember a time when you didn’t play?
For me, music has been a very important part in my life. It helps give me direction, and gives me somewhere I can escape to in my not-so-happy days! To have music always a part of me has given me many of the happiest memories. I am able to relax with music, and it has given me the opportunity to express myself in many different ways. I feel it has allowed me to demonstrate my true character through music.
I do remember a time without music, and that was a time dominated by sports – rugby specifically. Those times were also of great happiness, but even before I picked up a trumpet, I always had a very strong connection with music.
Did you have a particularly musical family? How’d you get into it in the first place?
My family is not particularly musical, but my mum is a ballet teacher. I got into trumpet for a number of a specific reasons. Firstly, I was too short to play the saxophone, and the line to test out the drums was huge! So I decided upon trumpet, and I have not looked back since.
Tell me about your experiences with Melbourne Youth Music. What’s it been like to be a part of?
My experiences with MYM have been some of the best of my life. I first joined a MYM ensemble in Year 7, and moved up to the Melbourne Youth Orchestra in Year 10. The ensemble program and summer schools have afforded me many different opportunities – to develop myself as a musician and to make many new friends, friends that I have maintained contact with and have performed with many times outside of MYM. It has been a very special opportunity in my life and it will be a very sad day when I am too old.
What have been some of the highlights of your time with MYM?
Some of my highlights with MYM include: my first ever concert with the Melbourne Youth Wind Symphony, one of the most inspiring performances of my life; my first rehearsal and concert with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra performing ‘Star Wars’, one of my musical dreams and at the same time playing with the best ensemble I have ever played with; a New Zealand tour and playing Mahler 2; and finally the virtuosity concerto competition.
How do you think the program helps to foster your musical career?
The program has fostered my musical career in a very significant way. It has provided me opportunities to meet, work and perform with professional musicians from Australia and New Zealand, and the auditions at the end of the year provide valuable practice for the future, as auditions are an extremely important aspect of a professional musicians career. Finally, it has given me experiences with ensembles of an extremely high level, teaching me about how to work as an individual section and as an ensemble as a whole.
As someone who is about to leave school and enter university, do you have any fears about working toward a career in the music industry?
I think that fear is the wrong word. Whilst the musical world is very stressful and high pressure, I believe that it offers more than any other job ever can. Whilst you undergo pressure before auditions, and the first time you play with an ensemble is always scary, it offers you the opportunity to work together as a team, as humans, and create incredible music. To me, there is nothing more worthwhile to do with my future!
What are your long term goals?
My long time goal is to be a professional trumpet player in a professional orchestra. I don’t mind where, but Melbourne would be pretty cool!
For more information on the MYM programs or to apply visit mym.org.au.
Images supplied.
