TAFE Queensland powers the Gympie Muster for three decades

For 30 years, TAFE Queensland’s Diploma of Music – Sound Production (CUA50820) students and teachers have been at the heart of this iconic Queensland festival, shaping unforgettable experiences for audiences while building their careers.

Held in the Amamoor Creek State Forest near Gympie, the Gympie Music Muster has grown from humble beginnings as a community fundraiser in 1982 to become one of Australia’s premier music festivals.

In 2025, the Muster attracted around 60,000 people from 28 –31 August, with 10,000 fans packed into the iconic Optus Hill Stage to see acts including Daryl Braithwaite, Troy Cassar-Daley, James Johnston, and Kasey Chambers.

With its mix of country, blues, rock, roots, and international artists, the Muster is both a celebration of homegrown talent and a platform for discovery.

Add in a powerful community spirit - including nearly $30,000 raised for charities - and it’s easy to see why this four-day festival highlights the Australian music calendar.

TAFE Queensland’s connection with the Muster began in 1996, when teacher Ian Taylor took his students to the festival to give them a front-row seat to the music industry and let them learn by doing.

At the time, he didn’t realise that he was laying the foundations for a tradition that would shape hundreds of careers, inspire lifelong friendships, and create an industry family unlike any other.

Ian continued leading students to the Muster until 2017, when he passed the torch to his former student, a current Music and Production Teacher, Heath Storrie.

Heath first attended the festival as a TAFE Queensland student in 1999, and two decades later, he continues to guide new generations through the same experience that launched his own career.

Since then, the Muster has long been a springboard for talent, such as Jay Van Lieshout, who was taken to the festival as a student in 2000.

Like Heath, Jay credits the Muster as the moment he knew where his career was heading, and today, he’s the general manager of IJS Productions, which provides the audio production for the event.

Every year, students who start out coiling cables, managing sound checks, or helping stage crews walk away with more than just practical skills. They leave with confidence, professional connections, and the knowledge that they’ve contributed to one of Australia’s most beloved festivals.

This year was particularly special. Ian Taylor returned, working shoulder to shoulder with Heath, 15 current diploma students, and 15 past students who returned to give back.

All 31 crew members on site could trace their journey to their diploma of sound studies at TAFE Queensland’s South Bank campus.

The sight of multiple generations of students, all collaborating and passing on their knowledge, speaks to the program's strength. It’s more than training - it’s a community, or as some call it, the “TAFE Rockschool Family.”

For students, the Muster is no small gig. They camp on-site for six days, working across six stages, and are immersed in every detail of live event production - from bump-in to bump-out, to audio, lighting, vision, and backstage logistics - it’s all hands-on deck.

The Gympie Music Muster is more than just a festival for TAFE Queensland - it’s a unique experience that symbolises what happens when education and industry work hand in hand.

It showcases the unmatched dedication of teachers like Ian and Heath, the power of industry partnerships, and the life-changing impact of giving students authentic, real-world experiences.

For nearly 30 years, this partnership has prepared students not just to find jobs, but to build careers - and in many cases, to return and help the next generation do the same.