The following talk was composed and presented by C.H.O.M.P. member Penny Christopherson at the Macedon Ranges Youth Development Network Inc. Annual General Meeting, held 16 September l998.

Being a non-profit, volunteer-run organisation, we're certainly not in C.H.O.M.P. for the money or personal gratification, but rather to help young people express themselves through the medium of, predominantly heavy, music. If, when I said the words 'heavy music images of angry young men creating indecipherable noise sprang to your mind, then C.H.O.M.P. still has a lot of stereotype-breaking work to do. Like any form of music, heavy music is as diverse and varied as the youth themselves, and it's intricacies can only by fully appreciated by really listening to the music, rather than dismissing it as pure noise.

Heavy music gets a bad wrap in society, being blamed for suicides and generally destructive behaviour in young people. All I can say is that it has been nothing but a positive influence in my own life, and that of others I know, by opening our eyes to the endless possibilities that abound when emotions are released via the creation of music.

I'm speaking from personal experience when I say that being a band member is a hugely positive way of channelling creative energy for someone that is musically minded. As the individual members grow and improve and "find themselves" on their chosen instrument, the music they create as a whole becomes something they can delight in playing - something they've accomplished, given life to and are proud to call their own. When three people are playing completely different things and something just clicks-the moment when music becomes magic, if only to your own ears, it's a pretty amazing feeling.

Being in a band isn't all fun and jamming though. You soon learn the high amount of dedication and commitment it takes just to organise regular rehearsals, get yourself there on time, maintain your equipment, and practice like crazy so your mistakes don't let the other members down. And when there's gigs to be organised, recording sessions booked, rehearsal space aquired, tape covers printed, biographies to be worded, fliers designed - the list goes on and on - you can see that the myth of the lazy musician is just that - myth. If musicians didn't have a sense of responsibility and good communication skills, functioning as a band would be impossible. Being a band member is an excellent way to learn responsibility, so when people come to us wanting to join or start a band, we encourage them as much as we possibly can, whether by helping them construct and distribute advertisements, or by spreading the word through C.H.O.M.P.'s growing network. We've united many like-minded young musicians so far, and we hope to continue doing so, with even greater results.

But there is one obstacle facing young musicians that even a great amount of talent and dedication can't overcome, and that's the price of musical instruments. Without the help and support of willing parents, it can be hard to get from the garage to greatness when you don't even have a guitar. Members of C.H.O.M.P.who are also band members have been more than willing to lend their own personal equipment to those in need, but of course this isn't always convenient.

One of C.H.O.M.P.'s aims is to purchase good quality,second-hand musical equipment, which will be loaned to bands or individuals for live performances,rehearsals or recording usage.

C.H.O.M.P. has also been involved in staging heavy music gigs in Melbourne venues and are currently negotiating with city venue Satan's Place, in regards to a regular C.H.O.M.P night. Before the inception of C.H.O.M.P., members were involved in staging a highly successful gig at the Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon, which was a benefit for a local youth group. We hope to stage more heavy-music-specific gigs in the area, especially in the Romsey/Lancefield part of the Shire, which receives very little attention.

Everyone knows that employment in rural areas is hard to come by, especially for people who have found that a conventional education is not for them. For these people, and anyone else that is interested, C.H.O.M.P. hopes to stage workshops in such fields as band management, setting up a P.A., journalism, and music industry related careers, to name a few. We will be working from the industry-approved Ausmusic Music Industry Skills modules, and hope to invite local "experts" in these various fields to conduct the workshops.

Although we admit that the participants in our workshops may not walk straight through the door to employment, we feel that they'll be well within reach of the door handle, as they learn a wide range of skills that will further their development in a general, not just music - related, environment.

In the last 12 months, C.H.O.M.P. has also been extensively involved in several local and Shire groups, including Music in the Sticks, Young Adults Kidding Around, Macedon Ranges Youth Development Network, Method Music/Arts - Arts Woodend, as well as participating in the Macedon Ranges Youth Suicide Prevention seminars.

When a C.H.O.M.P. member innocently suggested that we should publish a newsletter, I don't think he had any idea of the stress, creative enlightenment,swearing, highs, lows, and obscenely late nights that would, eventually culminate in the birth of C.H.O.M.P.'s very own music magazine. As none of us had really done anything like this before, putting together the magazine was an education in itself.

Armed with a newly-acquired dictaphone and pages of questions, we got to meet and interview some of our favourite bands, which was one of the most exciting parts of the whole experience. We received a crash course in editing, layout, design, journalism, reviewing gigs and recordings and Public Relations, to name a few, as we basically learnt as we went along. The magazine recieved contributions and has been sold to people far and wide, including Adelaide, Potts Point in N.S.W., and Canberra.

However, a less enjoyable aspect of creating C.H.O.M.P. magazine was the seemingly endless hours spent cutting and pasting single lines of type,arranging them by hand around photos and artwork,and generally doing things manually which would probably take less than half the time to finish with suitable computer equipment. This is why we're currently re-applying for a grant from local council that will be used to purchase a computer, printer and scanner, which will be housed on the C.H.O.M.P. premises, and be available for use by local artists and band members for their own needs. It will certainly make our job as Editors a lot easier, at the same time producing a magazine which will be attractive to advertisers, thereby increasing C.H.O.M.P.'s funds and capacity to fulfill its aims and objectives.

C.H.O.M.P.'s supporters also range far and wide. Although our core group of members are predominantly young people from the Macedon Ranges and surrounding shires of Hume and Mitchell, our executives and consultants come from all areas of the music and entertainment industry. We are supported by Victorian and National bands, promotion companies, music teachers, parents, venue owners,youth workers, as well as ordinary people who have a love for heavy music. But most importantly, C.H,O.M.P.is supported by the people we target the most - young people with a passion for the freedom and release that playing music offers. C.H.O.M.P.'s members know that they're not going to be exploited, used, judged or patronised. C.H.O.M.P. provides a down-to-earth environment where like-minded people can get together and share their passion for music.