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Season 2, Episode 5: Arts and the Teenager, with Bridie Malone, and Guest Interviewer Jo Malone
67 Plays1 month ago
Most of us find the arts as children, whether it be through witnessing a fabulous performance, or an introduction from a cultured relative, or discovering the joys of getting lost in a good book. Many of us can pinpoint the exact moment in childhood when the arts bug bit us: for fourteen year old Bridie Malone, that moment was a little more recent. Bridie is joined by her grandmother, Jo Malone, in a meeting of the generations that proves that a love for culture can definitely be passed along.
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Transcript
Introduction to Georgia Malone's Podcast
00:00:04
Speaker
When we consider the impact the arts has had on our lives, it's often retrospective. We look back at what we have experienced to consider how it has shaped us. For this episode of Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing, we flip the angle to consider how the arts look to someone just getting started.
00:00:24
Speaker
Today, we welcome 14-year-old Bridgette Bridie Malone, Georgia Malone's beloved niece and fledgling artistic polymath, to have one of her typically animated conversations with one of her favourite people in the world, her grandmother, Jo Malone.
00:00:41
Speaker
After a holiday hiatus, it's great to get back to the interviews as we consider the role of the arts in the life of a teenager. Enjoy
The Arts and Life Choices: A High School Perspective
00:00:50
Speaker
the chat.
00:00:55
Speaker
Hello, Bridget Mary Dawn Malone, aged 14. Thanks for joining me on this chat about all things in your life, particularly arty things. Given that I'm your grandmother and I know a bit about you and what you do in general terms, I really thought it would be fun to talk about your perspective on what you think is important in the arts, about your relationship with the arts and what the arts means to you and how you think it's shaping your choices when you're going into high school university making big major life decisions.
00:01:27
Speaker
So most of the people on the podcast are looking back um on what has influenced their lives and their careers while you're at the beginning of yours. So there's no pressure at all, no pressure.
00:01:40
Speaker
you might be doing so sort of projecting into the future. I just really want to know, i mean, conversations go on around you all the time about the art. So let's just have a chat about you and what you like and what you don't like and and I'll throw in a couple of Aunty George questions along the way just to make sure we don't fly off onto odd tangents I mean we will and if we do that's great love love your tangents okay love your story so tell me Bridget what is it that you do or that you would consider being part of the arts in your life
00:02:18
Speaker
I do guitar and drum lessons. So um I do music. I do singing lessons with my mom and I also do musical theatre classes at um a place called Young People's Theatre in downtown Toronto. And I'm looking into a drama program for high school and also a musical theatre program for high school.
00:02:42
Speaker
ahve I've heard, rumour has it, you're like, To read a bit. and Oh, yeah, that too. I like to read and write. So what are the things that you write? What do I read? I read a lot of, like, fantasy books. I'm i'm reading more classic novels lately. Right now I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird.
00:03:01
Speaker
Wow. So that's good. um And writing, I don't do as much writing as I could on my free time, but um I just had to write a short story for school as you read he read it I did, I did. yeah How did that go down?
00:03:19
Speaker
that It was um very time consuming because I really wanted it to be really good. Yeah, dad edited and it was a lot it was a lot of effort and a lot of things to change once dad looked it over. He's a brutal editor, your father.
00:03:38
Speaker
He is. He went, do you want me to tell you um all of the things or just the things you can change right now without rewriting the whole thing? So it was a little intimidating, but I think it worked out pretty well. And while um we're reading it in my class, like everyone has to read everyone else's short stories. So while I don't think everyone in my class will appreciate it as much as I appreciated writing it, was still fun.
00:04:05
Speaker
That's okay. That's good. Everyone's going to like everything. definitely not. And it's one of those things where it can be about your audience. if you If you know your audience and you want them to like it, then you write something for them. But I think with that story, you wrote something for you. So you'll publish it one day.
00:04:26
Speaker
It'll be a bestselling book in the bestselling book of short stories. Oh, yeah. Sounds good. Yeah. Yeah. So I know you' you've been to a lot of musical theatre and a lot of shows and a lot of live performances and stuff. Yes. In your relatively short life. can you Is there a moment? Is there kind of, I know for me there was, and I think back and I go, oh there was that moment I went, oh, wow, this is important. I love this. It brings a, you know, it makes me cry. it makes me, it fills my heart. It makes me feel amazing and I want to do more of this. Did you have, do you have a moment in your,
00:05:03
Speaker
your life so far where you've thought, oh, wow, this is amazing. I need to need to know more about this or I want more of this? Well, i
Impactful Theatre Experiences
00:05:11
Speaker
remember I remember when I was really little, like when I was four or five going to see Seussical and I thought it was like the coolest thing ever. And I think I brought the program in for Show and Tell one day. Yeah. um But like more recently, because after COVID, we weren't really going to the theatre or plays as much. So after it, um we went to see Hamilton and the beginning of act two, we came in late, we were in the washroom, we came in late and it was just so cool. And I was like, oh my gosh, that's that's amazing. this This is so cool.
00:05:48
Speaker
And I want to do more of this. It's a pretty epic and i I reckon that probably a lot of people will be saying and Hamilton will be their moment, whereas, you know, Dad's was probably, um and and a lot of your your dad's age, it's all about cats.
00:06:07
Speaker
ah hey Everyone goes, oh, cats, cats. I didn't really know what was going on when I watched Cats. I would think I was very confused and a little scared. um Yeah, catch Catch was an interesting one. yeah i think I was a little too, um i was too young to grasp it. bowling How old were you I think I was like six or seven yeah or something. i don't I'm not exactly sure. But I was too young to know what was happening.
00:06:37
Speaker
Yeah, fair enough. I had no idea what was happening. Yeah. So it's Hamilton for you. And I think more people will be saying the same kind of stuff because it is epic. I remember we watched it on the, we saw it first on Disney Channel, I think. We subscribed specifically to see Hamilton because we were encouraged to do so and it was amazing. Even Grandad, who's not an arts person, couldn't believe it. He just said it was because it was all subtitled and you could read every word. It was amazing. was fantastic. And I've since seen it live.
00:07:15
Speaker
so Yeah, we we watched it on Disney Plus before um we saw it live. And I think that also helped me know what was going on because we could just pause it and I go, Dad, what's happening? And he would tell me. So I was very prepared to see the...
00:07:31
Speaker
the musical, and quite often, before we go into a musical, I'll get Dad to give me a a synopsis of what's gonna happen, or, um, yeah, ah I'll just know the basic plot, so I kinda have some idea of what's gonna happen, cause sometimes it is a little trickier knowing, figuring that out, but, um, like, we saw we saw we Will Rock you Yeah. a couple Last week, it was um oh boy it was a bit ridiculous.
00:08:02
Speaker
i kind of didn't know. I knew it was going on, but not well. ah Well, it's probably a little, is it more I mean, I haven't seen that, so I can't really comment, but is it was a so more simple storyline than Hamilton?
00:08:17
Speaker
Well, yeah, it was, but it was trying to, it was the it's the musical with all the Queen songs, so it was linking together all the Queen songs. And the music is great, just the plot, it's linking together all the Queen songs, so it doesn't make much sense.
00:08:33
Speaker
Yeah, it was it was very silly. A whole different experience, yeah. Definitely is, yeah. Of all the things you do, what is it that, you think what do you like the best? you know i mean? What's your favorite thing to do?
00:08:50
Speaker
or does it change? If I'm doing something and I'm doing well at it in that moment, I'm like, oh, I love this so much. This is my favorite thing. And then the next moment, if I'm struggling with it, I'll go, oh, no, I hate this. So I feel like it does depend on the moment. Off the top of my head, reading and writing is my favorite because, you know, I can usually do both of those with the ease.
00:09:12
Speaker
um And I do really like playing guitar and drums, but at least for drums, I'm definitely not the best at it. And um it does take quite a bit of patience.
00:09:23
Speaker
ah Yeah. It's one of those things, isn't it? The more time you put into it, the more you practice it, the more you do it, the less difficult it becomes. Well, yeah you know the more accomplished you can become at a technical level.
00:09:36
Speaker
I definitely read more than I practice. my musical instruments, I always forget to practice and then it's time for my next lesson and I go, oh no, I didn't practice. Wow. um Yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker
My teachers like me though, so I haven't done anything too wrong yet. Oh, that's good. That's good. One of the things that I was going to talk about is um the the the difference between actually performing doing performance yourself, so like the performances you do at YTP and in school productions and things like that. um So the difference between actually performing and watching somebody else perform, he that do you get as much pleasure out of each or, um you know, do you like that sensation of being on the stage and having an audience appreciate what you're doing and applauding?
00:10:31
Speaker
um I feel like I think When i am performing, when I'm the one doing it, I get a lot more anxious and it's a lot scarier. But, I mean, when I get on stage, it's never scary. It's just the anticipation, the build-up to it.
00:10:48
Speaker
Um... And when I'm in the audience, when I'm watching someone do something, quite often what's going through my head is trying to figure out, like, the mechanics of how they're doing that or, you know, how much they would have practiced or all that kind of stuff or whether I could do it, you know, that kind of thing.
00:11:07
Speaker
Yeah. So, like, well, I could do that. Yeah. Yeah, that would be a really good role for me or couldn't do it. Yeah, like that. Yeah. And do you sing along?
00:11:19
Speaker
Um, india I think more in my head out of respect for the people sitting next to me. Cause I think if I was in a theater and someone started singing along, i would get very annoyed because I want to hear the professionals singing. And like, I paid for these tickets. What are you doing person beside me?
00:11:42
Speaker
If like at we will rock you, there was a moment like everyone was singing along because ever Everyone knew the songs. I think there's a time and a place. Yeah, yeah. And it's that kind of show.
00:11:54
Speaker
From what I can understand, it's that kind of show. It is. That's a lot of the point. It's like going to Mamma Mia and not singing along like, hello. Have you even watched that without singing along? Exactly. Exactly.
00:12:06
Speaker
part of the whole experience. So you you mentioned then that you feel a bit anxious when, you know, you're anticipating a performance or somewhere where you have to get up in front of people. But I've seen you do that and you when you do perform, you perform with great confidence and great, um you don't, you don't see that anxiety because you well um it's all a ruse uh it's there i promise you um yeah it's there so how do you so you
00:12:42
Speaker
You know, when you say that you have some anxiety, how does the, know, your involvement or your engagement with with with the arts, with reading, with writing, with performing, um with practising, how does that, does that help you if you're feeling anxious or, you know, is that something that you you use as ah a way of dealing with feeling a bit i anxious? Yeah.
Arts as Emotional Release
00:13:10
Speaker
Yeah, so I think the arts are often like a bit of an an escape. So if I had bad day, also play piano, by the way. So if I had a bad day, might come home and play some piano and that'll just like be a bit of a release or I'll read and then I can just like imagine I'm in a different world or something and it helps. It does help.
00:13:38
Speaker
Yeah, fantastic. Yeah, i think I think people need to understand, and the world needs to understand that more about the fact that the arts is or being involved in a creative process, whether it's consuming it or creating it, is so much more than just having fun.
00:13:58
Speaker
It actually um connects with us at a much deeper level, at a much fundamental human level. So um you've been doing a lot more singing now and with with your guitar.
00:14:10
Speaker
Yeah. and And how is it having your mom as a teacher as your teacher? um Good. I like when she when she's teaching me, i like imagining how she is with her her students. She is a teacher. um i think it's funny, a little funny. But, yeah, she's a very good teacher. So I think I learn a lot from her.
00:14:32
Speaker
and i think shes stopp like very beneficial Do you think she's tougher on you than she is on her other students? Or does she give a break? I don't know. I think I'm more comfortable about whining to her than her students probably are. so I don't, I'm not sure.
00:14:50
Speaker
feel like she, I think she might go a little harder on her students than me. Cause I'm not getting graded. What we do is just for fun.
00:15:01
Speaker
So she's really pushing her students. I think she pushes me a little less. Yeah. Yeah. So you you think, do you think, um, I mean, you're so you've grown up surrounded by your mum as a music drama, theater musical theatre teacher and your father in theatre. So you've been surrounded by um the creative process and a creative world since the day you were born. Yeah.
00:15:29
Speaker
So do you think you have to make it? Is this something that you can do just for fun or is that something you think you feel compell compelled to make it a career is it? compelled not to make it a career? I'm not really sure. i mean, right now i have no idea what I want to do for a career and art is just something i do for fun. um i think there might be a little bit more pressure because you know, my parents are both these great actors and musicians. So that, and so is my brother. That's, that does add to it. So while the arts are an escape from the anxiety, they also add to it a little bit. It's a give and take situation.
00:16:11
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not sure. I think I could imagine having a career in the arts, but I'm not sure if that's exactly what I want to do. yeah Well, you've got, you've got,
00:16:24
Speaker
you know, nearly a lifetime to make your mind up about what you want to do. And um it's always it's always a great option. You see lots of people who take on um more serious kind of careers like law or medicine or whatever and and more often than not their downtime is involved in playing a musical instrument or singing or performing in amateur theatre or whatever.
00:16:51
Speaker
So yeah it's there's a room for both, isn't there? There are there is yeah, yeah, for sure. yeah Yeah. Here's a serious question. I mean, not that the other questions haven't been serious, but what do you think? I mean, looking at looking outwards rather than just you and what you're doing and whatever, what do you think your local community and the world needs more of now?
00:17:16
Speaker
And what do you think? Is there a role for the arts in in making the world better? A better place?
Arts Uniting Communities
00:17:23
Speaker
um That's a very good question. If you look at the community, I know it's a big question. So you look at your community and you look at the world and what's happening in the world, which is probably not good to look at.
00:17:33
Speaker
But anyway, if you think about what the arts could contribute or how it can make a difference, what do you think that might be, what what that might look like?
00:17:44
Speaker
There's so much like sadness and hate in the world, and the arts is such a happy thing when it's used for good, i guess. um So it is it's a release, it's an escape, and so many people who are struggling use it like that, and I think that it plays a great role in doing that.
00:18:07
Speaker
And then there's also the fact that many artists... you know, they can use their platform for good. They can stand up against all of the terrible things happening in the world.
00:18:18
Speaker
Um, yeah, there's so many good things that people in the arts can do to support the arts from support the arts. And then also everything that's happening. Well, it's interesting when people come together in times of crisis, more often what they, they, what they often do as a community is sing.
00:18:40
Speaker
Yeah. You know, whether it's, you know, rigid religious songs or, you know, anthems or, um you know, just songs that mean something to their community, they you know, their wherever they are in the world.
00:18:55
Speaker
Yeah, the arts is such a ah unifying thing. it's usually I think it can be something that everyone can get behind, you know. Everyone likes watching TV or listening to music. So everyone everyone supports the arts in little ways, even if they're not as big of a supporter as you are. Yeah, yeah.
00:19:19
Speaker
Well, I think we should, um you know, um I mean, I've always been interested in art as protest groups So, you know, sort of you go through art galleries and you see some of the the best art in the world. Picasso's Guernica is a protest against war, but it is so emotionally moving and you go, it really makes you question the realities out of that there. So it's um um it's fascinating how arts, you know, in in in ah all its forms can
00:19:53
Speaker
or or provides a social commentary um and makes people think about the realities of what's out there, but also brings community together to um to support each other. yeah So tell me more about um when we talk about the arts, what is your your perception from where you are now 14-year-old thinking about um thinking about and being asked all these huge, well-defining questions, what do you consider to be the arts? I mean, what does that mean? If somebody says the arts, what do you think of?
00:20:30
Speaker
Well, I think of singing and dancing and, um you know, visual arts too and all that kind of stuff. And it's really interesting because now there's so much art done online.
00:20:43
Speaker
Like you don't just have to play an instrument to be able to make music. You can go on platforms or you can... Create music or yeah there's so many different ways to share arts. so I think the exact definition of the arts and everything it has within it, it's always changing. It's very fluid and it's also depends on your opinion. Like someone could see something and think it's art and I could disagree. So it's really depends on the reciprocant of the art piece, I think.
00:21:18
Speaker
oh So it's it's that separation between the art being produced and the audience. It's for that when you think about street art, I mean, for so long it was always perceived as graffiti and, um you know, ah like vandalism, and now it's become this enormous arts art movement.
00:21:42
Speaker
Yeah. So it's on the streets every day. You see it all the time but it's kind of really um all-encompassing. So as as you say, it changes and it's fascinating to see how it changes. and And with ah i I think it'll be interesting to see where that creative um expression ends up with AI.
00:22:07
Speaker
Right.
AI's Role in Arts and Education
00:22:08
Speaker
AI is crazy. I mean, being in um my class, so many people just use AI to do their assignments.
00:22:19
Speaker
Yeah. ah We were doing a novel study and we had just finished the final project for that novel study. And then our teacher told us we had to do another assignment for it right there, right then in class.
00:22:34
Speaker
We had to answer this question like handwritten on a piece of paper. we weren't allowed computers or um a copy of the book because she was concerned at how much AI we had used throughout on the comprehension questions.
00:22:49
Speaker
Wow. It's like, so AI is really, people are becoming dependent on ai And I've seen videos of people going, wow, I can't believe this song is ai Like, I love this song.
00:23:02
Speaker
It's just, it's used so much more. And yeah, it's a little concerning for the arts. Do you use it? No, um not really.
00:23:14
Speaker
I think I've used it to pick a random number for me before, but I don't really use AI. Yeah. And can you, can you pick it when? It's not a good thing to be like too dependent on, right? Cause it's not the most accurate source for anything.
00:23:32
Speaker
No, cause it's dependent on what people put in, I suppose. But um can you pick it when other people have used it? Can you, Go, that's been produced by AI or there's something about that that makes me think it's AI?
00:23:46
Speaker
I would love to say yes, but it's getting really good. Yeah. um yeah I mean, going back to the short stories, I was reading one of the kids in my classes, his short story, and the first half of it – It was atrocious, his grammar, the writing, everything. And then the second half, everyone in the class knew the second half he wrote with AI. So sometimes it's so obvious, like it's just sticking out. And then sometimes you look at something and you go, wow, look at that piece of art or wow, look at that writing or article or something.
00:24:23
Speaker
And it's AI and you don't even know it because it's getting like really like concerningly good. Yeah, yeah. Well, be interesting. You'll be able to see how it develops and how, um you know, how much impact it actually has. I mean, it it obviously is producing lots of wonderful things in the world and speeding things up in lots of different fields.
00:24:47
Speaker
You know, well, my view my view, if I can be allowed to have a view at this point, is that um it just needs to be acknowledged. So it's like a footnote.
00:24:59
Speaker
to this This article was written using, you know, 50% AI or fully AI or was written without, i you know, this copyright, that the author is original content or whatever. So if you go read it and know where how it's been generated, then you read it in that knowledge and you can take it on... um on that basis, but at the moment it's just all pervasive and and everyone just assumes. And if its something's well written, they go, well, this is obviously AI. well Or if it's badly written, either So it makes it harder to do things well without people questioning your every move. Mm-hmm.
00:25:45
Speaker
I had a friend who, her story, everyone everyone went, oh no, you used AI. And she went, no, no, no, I really didn't. Like, this is just my thoughts. This is my own thinking all laid out on the page. And they went, no, you used AI.
00:26:01
Speaker
So yeah, it's it's tricky. a handle or so um yeah yeah People are so ready to assume it is AI. Like everything good is now AI.
00:26:13
Speaker
just because some good things are yeah well anyway it's it's in our lives now so we have to um and look at everything in in that perspective and and see how it all develops yeah we do so coming back to um at you so when you just come back from just gone home Into that from the beautiful sunshine and and rolling surf and bright, sunshiny hot days on the beach in Perth in Western Australia and now back into heavy snow in Toronto and freezing cold.
00:26:53
Speaker
Yeah, oh I get a snow day tomorrow because there was so much snow. so much snow. So much snow. It's like it's crazy. It's blocking our door a bit. Not fully, but like a quarter of our door is blocked by snow.
00:27:08
Speaker
and That's after we shoveled. We did a first shovel and then more snow came down. Crazy. So you had to do another shovel. Well, keeps you fit. We're going to have to shovel multiple times. It's not fun. Yeah. um so when you were here, um your yeah your extended our extended family is full of musicians and creatives with the Blue family, the Blue Jeans, the Lyndon and Maddie and Dan and and lint Lindsay and Don and everyone, they all play. And you you got to sing.
00:27:43
Speaker
So yeah was that fun? it was It was very intimidating. i was very intimidated. i was very scared to mess up because being in a room with all of those talented musicians, even though they're all related to me and they were going to support me no matter what, was a little bit very terrifying.
00:28:05
Speaker
But was it fun? It was fun in the moment after the anticipation when we were performing for you. was fun. But before it was when we were rehearsing, was really scary.
00:28:24
Speaker
Well, that's all part of it, isn't it? though you're Being scared and it heightens the experience, don't you think? Yeah. Yeah. I think if you're not a little bit nervous before you perform, it it doesn't work as well.
00:28:39
Speaker
You need to be having a few nerves. yeah It fuels you. Yeah, yeah. It heightens that performance, yeah. So if you were if if you were in a band, what would you would you prefer to be playing at the drums, thing guitar or the or singing or singing?
00:29:02
Speaker
I don't know. Being in a band sounds scary, too. I don't know. um i guess I'd say guitar. Like, they all sound fun to do But all of those, there's so much depending on the drums and the guitar and the singer.
00:29:20
Speaker
i mean, if I was a better guitarist, I'd say guitar. ah Maybe a rhythm guitarist. Yeah, because then I wouldn't have to do all the solos. Those hurt my fingers. um um Yeah, rhythm guitarist sounds good or maybe vocalist, but not drummer because I'm not good enough at it.
00:29:40
Speaker
um I can do it in the school band, but in like an actual rock band or something that sounds like a lot of pressure.
00:29:51
Speaker
Yeah, well, once again, it's about practice. If that's what you want to do, just do more and more and more and more of it so you're getting better and better and better at it. add Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:03
Speaker
So we've we've been talking a lot about performant performing arts, and um which is something that you do a lot of, but you also have secret squirrel kind of things that you do you don't talk about so much, like,
00:30:20
Speaker
making hedgehogs and oh well crafty things. Yeah, crafty things. um Right now I have a school project where we have to make – Children's story, we have to write a children's story in French, and then we have to illustrate the story, and then we have to make a stuffed animal to go along with it.
00:30:48
Speaker
And my story is about a hedgehog whose ears get really, really cold, so he needs a hat, but he can't wear hats because his spikes go straight through it. So he ends up wearing a pair of earmuffs.
00:31:01
Speaker
It's a little bit ridiculous and probably very inaccurate. But, um yeah, I've been sewing a hedgehog all day. Right. Yep. I've been, um what I've been doing is cutting little pieces of of yarn and hand sewing them onto the, onto the fabric as little spikes.
00:31:23
Speaker
How many spikes are there? I haven't been counting. I should have been counting. a lot. More than 100, definitely. Too many. I don't want to think about how many there was. um spent a lot of time on it.
00:31:36
Speaker
I like doing crafty things. I have a sewing machine and I like sewing um and knitting and all that stuff. I don't knit very much though because it hurt my hurts my back for whatever reason. oh Like hunched over, I guess. Yeah, maybe you need a good chair.
00:31:52
Speaker
I do need a good chair. Yeah. So it sounds like your school is really supportive and encouraging in involving students in arts activities of all different kinds. So you are going through the excruciating process the moment of choosing your next school, your high school. Yes, very excruciating.
00:32:22
Speaker
So... this So tell me about the different options and and why and what what is good because it seems to be that we've got very much performing arts um focus. You're not going to a school that's specialising in science or you're looking at schools or maths. oh Well, no, mind you, your maths pretty good, aren't they?
00:32:48
Speaker
I mean, i didn't do very well in my last math test, but that's because I didn't want to study. Because at the time, my philosophy was, if I study, I'll have to acknowledge how little I know, and I don't want to do that. So I didn't study. um I mean, wasn't wrong.
00:33:06
Speaker
um um Yeah, so there's this one school called St. Patrick's, which is where my brother goes for enriched music and drama. And I would go there for the enriched drama program.
00:33:20
Speaker
And then there's ah Wexford, which is where my mom teaches. um And I would probably do musical theater and vocal classes, which aren't offered at St. Patrick's.
00:33:32
Speaker
um But at St. Patrick's there is an AP English program that isn't at Wexford. what's an a english What's an AP English program? Oh, sorry. It's um advanced placement. So it's like harder.
00:33:45
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, so um it's a tricky decision because I've always really wanted to do um advanced placement English, but, you know, the vocal program and the musical theater program sounds really good. so And then I also have friends at St. Patrick's, but not at Wexford.
00:34:04
Speaker
Yeah, so it's <unk> a tricky decision. What's your gut telling you? i don't know. If I knew that, I would have made up my mind already, I think. Um, kind of St. Patrick, because really want to do, I do really want to do the English program, and then my best friend goes there, um, and it's a lot closer to home.
00:34:28
Speaker
But, I don't know, there's something about Wexford that, like, it's intriguing me, so I don't know. Yeah, it sounds really exciting and they based on the stuff that your mum's doing, it's um the the the the shows they do are extraordinary and that would really stretch you.
00:34:48
Speaker
So, yeah it's yeah, it's a hard decision. But, you know, whatever whatever you I'm sure whatever you choose, it will be the right thing and then hopeful you can you can build on that.
00:35:01
Speaker
um If you do one, then you can do... you know, if you do musical theatre outside of school if if you want to do the AP or yeah program. So, you know, anyway, i whichever way it'll work out.
00:35:15
Speaker
but and And I note that therere also that there's a very strong family um influence in by in either of the choices. Yeah. Though if I go to Wexford, my mum will be there and probably will teach me she'll be there for all four years of high school.
00:35:34
Speaker
And then, but if I go to St. Patrick's, I'll be in grade 9 when my brother is in grade 12. So, there'll only be one year overlap. So, that's also kind of in, that's part of the discussion. Yeah. um But, you know...
00:35:51
Speaker
I don't know. I don't really want to think about it. It's stressing me out a bit. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's hard. It's hard to make these decisions. But bottom line, it's not going to change. You can always, um you know, by the time you get, you'll be 14 when you start there, won't you? but Yeah. yeah Will you be 14? Yes, you will be 14 when you start. Yeah, schools are weird here. Yeah. so you know, you've got a lot of years to change.
00:36:20
Speaker
and then move and build on your experience and, you know, you can be like me and not actually hit your straps until you hit your 60s and go, oh, okay, all those weird and wonderful things I've been doing in my career in my whole life come to this point where all of those things that I've learnt, so this is what I'm good at and this is what I should continue to do, which is about so and that's a debate basically about supporting and...
Lifelong Connection with the Arts
00:36:49
Speaker
um um
00:36:52
Speaker
talking about what the arts means in our community and at at so many different levels, sort of from um from education, from in that zero to five early formative years where, you know, people kids are starting to understand and and enjoy music and dancing through primary school, through high school, through um tertiary and on into life. The arts are so important. So it's about making those connections all the way because a lot of people um cut the ties when they leave high school and when they go to university. So they might be doing musical theatre at at high school and then go off to do become a doctor and something and that all falls by the wayside. So
00:37:38
Speaker
so ah there's There's lots of things and that's that's where I see it anyway and and doing that through um encouraging people to support it the arts financially as well is a huge influence. So that took me a long time to get to that point but I did a lot of things and learned a lot of things along the way to get to that point.
00:38:00
Speaker
time Hypothetically, if you had a different family, do you think you'd be doing as much creative stuff as you do? Oh, that's a good question.
00:38:11
Speaker
um Probably not. i think, I mean, I'd like to think i would still be interested in it, but i don't think I would be taking guitar lessons and drum lessons and musical theater classes and having private vocal lessons with my mom and having done piano lessons. I don't think I would have gotten all of those opportunities or have had my...
00:38:36
Speaker
interest grow as much, I think I would still be interested in it, but I think it would be less, it would be a less active interest.
00:38:48
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Because a lot of lot of people go, oh my my folks are into that. I'm never, ever going to do that because it's, the you know, i so i saw their their careers and how hard it was or or whatever, or I'm just not going to do what my parents want me to do.
00:39:05
Speaker
Yeah. So it can it can have ah an opposite effect, yeah. And then you get people who um are amazing and have fantastic careers who've never who didn't have and any opportunities when they were growing up.
00:39:20
Speaker
They kind of discovered it when they went out into the world as adults. ah So it's it's interesting. It's interesting. I think and and it's ah it's about opportunity and having that opportunity.
00:39:33
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, it's like your dad had the opportunity to learn the saxophone with the maths teacher at Campbell High in Canberra.
00:39:47
Speaker
And, um you know, it was sort of they he basic that the maths teacher basically said, here's this musical instrument, who wants to learn to play? Really? Yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah.
00:39:58
Speaker
<unk> know that yeah Ask him about that. So he used to go and play the saxophone before school. That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. I knew he played, but like, I didn't know that was the story.
00:40:10
Speaker
Well, you ask him and him ah my um my my recollection may be ah inaccurate, so you can ask him to get the full story, but that's how I remember. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So, I mean, we, I used to take them to, to him and George to, to live performances all the time, because that was such a big influence for me, for my, my mum used to take me to live performances with, you ballet and music and,
00:40:36
Speaker
And it was such an important part of my life that I wanted the kids, you know, Toby and George, to have it as well. So it's great to see how it's gone down through the generations.
Audience's Role in Performance
00:40:48
Speaker
Your great-grandmother was not ah a musician or she was a performer in theatre, in repertory theatre, community theatre, and if there was a chance to perform, she would.
00:41:00
Speaker
She was just like that. and But she always used to say um performers need an audience and she was the audience. So when everybody was playing musical instruments and singing, she was the audience.
00:41:14
Speaker
And I think that's something sometimes we forget, how important the audience is. Yeah. um And it's important being an audience as well as performing because you can learn such a lot.
00:41:27
Speaker
Oh, yeah, because every performance is trying to say something, get a message across. So it's just interesting trying to pinpoint what that is. Yeah. And it's unique.
00:41:38
Speaker
Yes. You're in the room in that moment and whatever happens will never happen again. It's just, enough you know, it's beautiful thing. It is. really is.
00:41:49
Speaker
boom and yeah I was reading something the other day about, you know, looking at a great work of art on a screen or seeing it up close in real life and the difference, how the visceral sense of of that.
00:42:08
Speaker
um When I went to Renna Sofia in Madrid and saw Guernica up close for the first time, it was just breathtaking, a breathtaking experience. and one I'll never forget. It's beautiful.
00:42:22
Speaker
Right. I was going to ask you about writing and reading. The reading the writing you do, how much is do you think that's influenced about what by what you read?
00:42:36
Speaker
i think it's probably influenced quite a bit. um When I was little I really liked – not little, younger. When I was younger, I really liked writing all the fantasy stories um and stuff like that because I was so into Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and all of that. um And now looking back at it, I just realized i was just pretty much copying their plots. um But, you know, um yeah, it takes practice to not just copy someone else's work. Yeah, reading and writing have always been like a really big part of my life.
00:43:12
Speaker
Dad that always, a he kind of teases me because originally, i think until I was in grade three, I was only willing to read graphic novels or short little thin books, you know?
00:43:28
Speaker
um And then he convinced me to read Harry Potter. and
00:43:35
Speaker
he he's he does get a little cocky going, huh, I did that. you're i'm the reason you like to read now. Imagine I didn't make you read Harry Potter. and go, oh, well, yeah, I guess.
00:43:48
Speaker
Anyways, so yeah, it's it's always been it's always been there. I mean, we we have so many books, so many. Dad tracks them. Yeah.
00:43:59
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So you're you're reading, you said you're starting to read, you know, the classics? Yeah. um And how is that different, do you
Comparing Classic Literature and Modern Fiction
00:44:13
Speaker
think? How how do you think that experience, as ah as a reader, how do you think that experience is different to reading um sort of more young adult kind of fiction and fantasy?
00:44:27
Speaker
Well, I think, all the books written more recently, they all have a similar kind of formula. They're all kind of a lot more predictable. Yeah. Whereas a lot of the older books, a lot of the things come out of left field. You're like, whoa, I did not expect that to happen. Or or they're they're just about nothing.
00:44:51
Speaker
And you go, well, why is this a classic? um Like, Little Women. I really like it. It's really good. i'm i I keep forgetting I'm reading it.
00:45:03
Speaker
So I've been reading it for about three years. i think two or three years. a long time, Bridie. I know. I think it's, um yeah, definitely the longest I've ever taken to read a book.
00:45:16
Speaker
um I mean, it's pretty thick. I think I have about 100 pages left and I just keep forgetting to read it. I mean, um yeah, but. You could read it on your snow day.
00:45:27
Speaker
Oh, yeah, I'll read it tomorrow. Try to finish it. Um, but it's, it's so much text and it's considered such a classic, you know, two movies, um, two movie adaptations of it, but it's not about very much.
00:45:44
Speaker
And so I feel like the more recent books, they're just trying to fill in as much action or something has to happen every page. Something needs to be said. Something needs to be done. Whereas like,
00:46:00
Speaker
That is true for other books, but it's less. It's more just like going with the flow of the story. Yeah, I think. Yeah.
00:46:11
Speaker
In my opinion. i haven't read very many classics yet. i yeah, it's, I'm at the beginning of my classic reading journey. Um, I read Catcher in the Rye. I had that with me while we were there with you guys.
00:46:27
Speaker
Um, I really liked that one. I think now that's one of my favourites, I think. Yeah. ah Yeah. And you understand why it's a classic. Yeah, I think.
00:46:40
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, it's I think possibly... um when you consider something a classic, it more often than not when you drill down to what it's really about or the themes of it, yeah they're kind of universal and they um they transcend time and generations because the not necessarily the moral of the story but the heart of the story is something that is part of the human condition.
00:47:14
Speaker
Yeah.
00:47:16
Speaker
and makes us, it it doesn't matter how old you are or what generation you are, it's still relevant. And the use of language is um when you read some of the, you know, Steinbeck or Hemingway or anyone like that, you go, wow, the way they put words together is is just a beautiful thing.
00:47:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's ah a thing about older books, too. they The vocabulary is so much better, and you know the way they put sentences together is so much better than currently. The vocabulary and such is not as good.
00:48:02
Speaker
More recently, I don't think. i In my opinion, out of the books I've been reading... So do you think that that's because or um it's talking to an audience that's used to the instant gratification of of internet and Google and um TV um and movies and things that everything's kind of like in your face all the time? um where Yeah. Whereas the classics come from a slower time?
00:48:39
Speaker
Yeah, it's less to explain, less to take in. You kind of just understand it more quickly. And, ah you know, these days people's attention spans are so short.
00:48:54
Speaker
So, you know, unless you're really patient... not a lot
Engagement with the Arts Among Youth
00:48:59
Speaker
of people are going to want to go through and try to figure out what all the long words mean. I read ah a book last year and as i started reading it, I had no idea what like 10% of the words meant.
00:49:13
Speaker
The author was using all these fancy words. So what I would do was I had a sticky note next to my bed and every single time I didn't know what a word meant, I wrote it down. And then once I finished reading the book,
00:49:24
Speaker
I gave dad all my sticky notes and he defined everything for me. um So yeah, it was, it's trickier, but me personally, I like the challenge, but you know, I know a lot of people don't. They're just reading. It's very casual.
00:49:43
Speaker
They don't want to have to think too hard. So do you encourage your friends to, are they interested in reading the sort of things that you're reading? Um,
00:49:55
Speaker
I don't- I have two friends who really like reading. Um, I went to a friend's house yesterday and she has this massive bookshelf. And we talked about all her books for a little bit because it's just- it's so distracting. I couldn't- I couldn't have a conversation with her without, like, looking over at her books.
00:50:15
Speaker
Because she has such a- she has such a large collection. yeah. Yeah, so I try to encourage people to read, but so many people are just really, like, they're unwilling.
00:50:26
Speaker
We, last year we had to do reading logs for school, and someone asked if the caption of a TikTok video counted. oh So, you know, it's it's it's a bit concerning. It's a bit crazy how... um unwilling kids my age are um to read and to write. i Yeah, it's it's crazy to me Yeah.
00:50:55
Speaker
Yeah, well it's but it's like anything. it's It's kind of you've got to experience something first first to know whether or not you like it. It's about whether it's tasting food or going to a musical theatre. So many people that I know go oh, musical theatre, pfft.
00:51:11
Speaker
But when they actually see a musical theatre or go to a musical theatre, they realise what fun it is and how exciting it is and go, oh, okay, I get it now, you know.
00:51:23
Speaker
But usually it's because they they don't engage with it. They have never done it before, so they're just really almost scared to find out, I think, a lot of people. Yeah, well, trying new things is hard.
00:51:37
Speaker
so So many people are go, no it's not worth it. And I mean, while it is, they don't know that because they never tried it. Yeah. Close your eyes, just hold your nose and jump in. both it Yeah, I know. I know.
00:51:51
Speaker
But then so do you see that because you you are by definition a good teacher, you know, a teacher as in not in a formal teacher way, but the way you communicate and the things that you do is that you're a natural teacher and a natural leader.
00:52:08
Speaker
Do you
Leadership and Influence Through Arts
00:52:09
Speaker
see that that's something that you can influence people with, whether in a formal classroom setting or just as a as ah as a person through your friendships and the things you do?
00:52:21
Speaker
Can I influence people? um I'm not sure. Sometimes. I mean, I think everyone in my class respects me. I'm not, like, even the people I'm not really friends with, they go, oh yeah, that's Bridget. We'll not mess with her. Because everyone's just messing with each other.
00:52:39
Speaker
um um so I'm not sure if I have such power to influence people. I wouldn't say I'm particularly popular. i have a good group of friends, but, like, I'm not widely i'm not I'm not the most popular um but like everyone's chill with me so i i I maybe have a bit of influence but I probably have more influence with adults than kids yeah um I'm better at talking to adults than kids I think given my experience yeah
00:53:19
Speaker
Yeah, because my kids, and I don't know what they're talking about half the time.
00:53:26
Speaker
Especially hockey kids. All the kids who play hockey in Canada, they they sound ridiculous. They're like, oh yeah, bud. Just gonna go hop on the ODR?
00:53:36
Speaker
think That means outdoor rink, by the way. um but it's ridiculous. So, you know, talking to adults is often a better option than talking to kids.
00:53:48
Speaker
And I'm not sure if I have much influence on either, but I'd like to think I have a little, maybe. Well, I think if if um it's it's interesting, you may have more influence than you realize if people respect you and your peers look up to you they might go,
00:54:06
Speaker
ah you know, I want to be like Bridget or Bridget um is an interesting person I want to find out more, then um you you may have more influence than you realise, you know. And Aunty George was a bit like that when, you know, the the and incredible impact she had by by being and being understated and not being um not being on the stage but being behind the stage, you know, the
00:54:38
Speaker
the virtual stage for people in the arts. So by encouraging and supporting other people, that's where her influence came in and that's a way that you can change the way people think and or encourage them to um in in their skills. So, yeah, so it's it something worth thinking about, you know, because your mum and dad both do that through the through their teaching and through their work.
00:55:07
Speaker
And I think you have definitely have the um the skills to do that. Definitely worth developing. That's quite the compliment, so thank you. I mean, yeah, I'm thrown into a lot of leadership roles at my school.
00:55:22
Speaker
Yeah. um You know, i'm I'm a student ambassador, so I give tours of the school. um I got to emcee the Christmas concert. I'm given a lot of things because – Well, quite honestly, I'm one of the only ones responsible enough to do it.
00:55:42
Speaker
So the teachers all trust me now. um Yeah. They're going to miss you when you go to high school. They are. o But, you know, um high school will be good, hopefully. Just got to choose which school.
00:56:00
Speaker
Yeah, I think you'll love it. I think you'll love the um the excitement of all the the variety and the variety that you get in high school. It'll be good for different teachers.
00:56:12
Speaker
before we go just tell me what you're excited about at the moment in your life and and what you're looking forward to um in the things that you're doing.
00:56:24
Speaker
No, no. What am i looking forward to? Like within the arts or anything? Well, anything really. But given our conversation, ah and it's bound to win involve some level of creativity.
00:56:39
Speaker
Right. um Or not. I'm looking forward to, I like the song I'm learning in my guitar lessons right now, so I'm looking forward to my next guitar lesson.
00:56:51
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. What's the song? Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers. Okay. It sounds like a fun song. it's It's a sad song, but it's really pretty. Okay. um And my a musical theatre class got cancelled today because of the snow, so I'm looking forward to it next week because we're all presenting songs.
00:57:19
Speaker
Great. And while I'm not sure I like the plot we're coming up with for our show, I'm still looking forward to it. that's they They're kind of immediate things and something that you can look forward to the the now so that you don't have to think about the snow. do you get out there and make snowmen and people and throws throw snowballs or is it just too cold for that?
00:57:43
Speaker
Well, it's not all that cold. It's just the snow is the wrong kind of snow. We got powder snow. You need packing snow to make snowmen. It's good tobogganing weather, but um
00:57:54
Speaker
pardon my dad that is hard to, because, you know, you could just build a snowman in your backyard, but if you want to go tobogganing, you got to get your snow pants on and go down to the park.
00:58:07
Speaker
So, you know. Are you going to do that? Maybe if Cormac will go with me. Yeah. But he probably won't, so probably not. Yeah. Okay.
00:58:17
Speaker
Well, I think we've just, I don't know, is there anything else that you want to talk about? is there Have you got any burning desire to tell the world about how you feel about the arts and the influence and the and how it affects you and your peers and your place in the world?
00:58:36
Speaker
I mean, just small questions, but is there anything you want to add that we haven't really talked about or you think is important to you? Because a lot of these questions and lot of things we talk about coming from an adult perspective with much broader exposure, yeah but yours is a unique position. So can you imagine if you took all the arts out of your life, what would it look like?
00:59:01
Speaker
I'd have to find new hobbies. Because if someone asks me what I like to do, I say reading, writing, and listening to and playing music. So I don't think I would have anything to do. um i think my life would be quite... No, I literally... Like, my list of hobbies is so short.
00:59:24
Speaker
It's just that. So my life would be very dull without the arts. I think. i think that's, and I think that is a very good way for us to wind up our conversation.
00:59:37
Speaker
think so. Yeah. i Thanks so much, Bridie. I just, I love, I love that you're, you get so much out of the arts and and your participation and your consumption of it.
00:59:50
Speaker
And I think that will contribute you to being a well-rounded and fabulous human being. Thank you. Well, thank you. Thank you, Bridie. Thank you. Love Love you too.
01:00:07
Speaker
It's such a joy to hear my daughter and my mother speak on such a shared wavelength. And it makes it very clear as to why Georgia had Bridie on her list. for people to talk to about the arts.
01:00:18
Speaker
We can only imagine the conversations those two might have had. Thanks to Joe Malone for stepping in into those very big shoes and to Bridie for taking on a very adult responsibility. We'll see you next month for the next instalment in this season of Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing.
01:00:34
Speaker
I've been Toby Malone.
01:00:40
Speaker
Thank you for listening to Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing. This podcast is dedicated to the enduring, impactful and dynamic memory of Georgia Lindsay Malone. We produce and maintain each episode in Georgia's honour to keep the ripples moving.
01:00:56
Speaker
Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing is produced and engineered by Toby Malone with the support of co-producers Joe Malone and John Carter. Original theme music by Lyndon Blue.
01:01:07
Speaker
As for where this podcast is based, let's let Georgia get the last word. This podcast was made on Whadjuk Noongar Budja, a place I'm very privileged to call my home, and I acknowledge and honour all Noongar people that have been making art on this land for tens of thousands of years, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
01:01:25
Speaker
Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. This is a GM Productions Project.