Tasmanian 14- to 17-year-olds...we need you!

Gen Z what?

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is establishing a leadership and advisory group of 14- to 17-year-old Tasmanians who like music. It’s called the Gen Z Collective – well, until you come up with a better name.

We don’t care what sort of music you like. You certainly don’t need to know anything about orchestras. You don’t even have to pretend to like classical music. But if you do – that’s great too!

We’re imagining Tasmania’s orchestra – your orchestra – in 2035 and beyond. In 2035, we’d like you and your friends to be regulars at our performances and events. But to make that happen, we think there’s a bit of work TSO needs to do. So, we’d like to start with asking you to help us think about orchestra experiences that are interesting, exciting, and fun – events that you would definitely want to come to with your friends.

Reckon you can help?  Read on…

What do I have to do?

We’d like to bring you together four times a year for a discussion. Each Gen Z Collective group discussion will be facilitated by one of our friendly team. They’ll let you know some questions in advance to give you time to think about what you’d like to say.

Throughout the year, we’ll organise some tickets for you and a friend or family member to attend different TSO events. We’ll also get you to think about our social media and digital concerts. We’ll ask you to write down what you think.  Things you love, things you… didn’t love. What you’d do differently. And why. At the meetings we’ll have a discussion based on all members’ feedback and the TSO team will make notes.

In the lead up to the final meeting, we’ll ask you to imagine that you’re in charge of the TSO and you are going to create a TSO experience for your friends. Imagine you have all the musicians, instruments, staff, and venues of the TSO to utilise – plus any other secret ingredients you can think of. Then, at the meeting, we’ll hear all the different ideas and chat about them. Don’t worry, it won’t be scary to present your idea – by that point, we’ll all know each other well and we’ll keep it informal and supportive.

Do I get paid?

Yes.  You will be paid an honorarium of $400 for the year to cover your attendance at four meetings and some preparation time. You will need to complete one slightly boring form to ensure you can receive your payment – but we’ll give this to you and help you with it if needed.

Additionally, TSO will provide two free tickets to a range of different events throughout the year.

We will provide a travel allowance for any non-Hobart members to join us in person for Meeting 4.

What about the details?

• Membership: 8 members
• Age range: 14-17
• Meetings: 4 x per year @ TSO (1 Davey Street, nipaluna / Hobart) – or by Zoom for non-Hobart participants. Meetings should run for about 90 minutes. There’ll be snacks.
• Term: 2 years
• Honorarium: $400 per year 

How do I apply?

We want to keep it simple.  Just send an email to the boss - Caroline. In the email, we’d like you to do four things:

1. Write a short paragraph about yourself.
2. Tell us about your favourite music and what you like about it.
3. Complete this sentence as honestly as you can. “I think orchestras are …”
4. Tell us why you’d like to be a member of Gen Z Collective.

Deadline?

Make sure you send your email to Caroline by Sunday 12 May.

Then what?

We’ll review all the applications and be in touch to arrange a 15-minute chats / interviews with shortlisted folks (these chats won’t be scary – trust us).  We’ll also let you know if you’re not on the shortlist this time and why. Most likely it will be to do with numbers, and having a balance of genders, locations and experiences. Rest assured, we’d love to have everyone – so please keep trying in the future! 

Stuff your parents or guardians may want to know…

All TSO people involved in the Gen Z Collective have current Working With Vulnerable People cards. TSO regularly works with young people – all meetings and events will follow the principles and protocol of keeping young folks safe in all ways. Parents or guardians with any additional questions can drop a line to CEO Caroline Sharpen with any questions at all, big or small.