Thistlethwayte liked what he saw and heard from Ballarat High School’s VET music students, rating them in the top echelons for talent and music programs he has mentored.

Students spent two intense days working with singer-songwriter Thistlethwayte and professional producer Grant Windsor, who has worked with the BBC Orchestra and artists like Carole King and Jamie Cullen.

“This program brings the focus back on creating content and ideas yourself,” Thistlethwayte said. 

“There’s a lot of information out there if you want to learn how to play an instrument – private lessons or on YouTube. There’s media out there promoting reality and TV shows, which are very popular in the idea of making you a star. Ironically, the glue in any long music career is creative content, making their own songs.”

Songmakers’ Program is a federal government initiative run by the Australasian Performing Right Association, sending a songwriter and producer pairing into schools nationwide to mentor music students.

They first focus on the craft of songwriting, working in small teams, before really bring a song to life and learning how to fine-tune and develop arrangements.

Students work to tight deadlines, just like artists and producers in the music industry, and the result is a radio-quality version of the song.

“This is a very important age in development as future professionals,” Thistlethwayte said. “The program also shows the myriad of other ways of getting into the music industry – you could be a composer for a movie score, a songwriter for other performers, a producer. These skills are excelled and condensed in a shot-gun approach in this course.”

BHS instrumental music coordinator Bryn Hills said the school respected all styles of music, from grungy punk to concert pianists. He said Thistlethwayte and Windsor brought passion for what was possible.