Rikki Chaplin
Contact Details
Home: 07 3713 7707.
Mobile: 0419 644 430.
Email: chaplin-webb@bigpond.com,
Or: rchaplin@rbf.org.au.
Employment History & Experiences
I am currently employed for 15 hours per week at the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland in several capacities which I will elaborate on later. I also work as a freelance musician, both backing other artists for live performances and as a session player and record producer in various recording studios in Brisbane and surrounding areas. I have worked in the music industry as a solo performer and musician for almost ten years. However, my job at the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland is a comparatively new role, and allows me to use my Social Work degree which I gained in December 2000.
My Employment as a Musician.
I began my professional career as a musician and performer in 1994 at the age of eighteen. Because the nature of my work is essentially contractual, I had to create a small business for tax reasons. At this time, my father assisted me with the running of the business, including administration and bookings. He also ensured that I got to all venues and set up my sound system. This system was quite large at the time, and it is a point which I will address later.
I played in many RSL, bowls and leagues clubs for three years until I decided that playing to an audience who were primarily interested in poker machines three times a week for four hours a night was not my idea of a fulfilling occupation. Although I made good money, I had begun to gain experience in the recording studio and found this type of work far more rewarding. Another benefit of this was that I got to work in the studio away from my father, and therefore had the opportunity to develop some independence.
I was given the opportunity to learn about record production via several means. Firstly, I had been writing sequences, (or computerised backing tracks) with the help of the man from whom I bought my first sequences for my own performances. He had years of experience in the local music scene and was more than happy to assist me with the operation of the computer while I wrote the tracks from my keyboard. Because at this time, the most commonly used computer system for sequencing was not compatible with a screen reader, there was no option other than to work in this way. I learned a great deal about the composition of arrangements and how various instruments were played by writing these tracks, and in the end, most of the tracks I performed with were self-written.
The second way I gained my knowledge about record production was by spending time in the recording studio. In 1996, I recorded a demo along with my duo partner at a local backyard studio. It was comparatively small for a studio, but I mentioned to the owner that I would be very interested in learning about the recording process. He was aware of who I was through his involvement in the local country music industry in Brisbane, and new that I was going to enter a prestigious talent quest in the following year. He rang me several months after I recorded my initial demo and asked if I would be interested in working on my entry for the talent quest free of charge in his studio. I jumped at the chance, and spent several more months writing and recording backing tracks, learning about mixing and studio microphone techniques and just recording myself to see how I sounded. In subsequent years, I gained a lot of paid work from this studio, and I am forever thankful for the knowledge I gained from this time.
I produced my first full album for a good friend of mine in 1998. We attended a country music college course in Tamworth in January of that year, and I again casually mentioned that production really interested me. My friend rang me three months later and asked if I would be interested in producing his album. I was stunned, as I'd never had such a big responsibility before, but I took the opportunity with open arms.
Having decided to take this project on, I was presented with a life-changing challenge. My trip to the country music college was the first form of independent living I'd ever done, having come from a protective family. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and learned a lot about the good qualities that the majority of human beings in the world possess. I learned that it was okay to be interdependent, and my forthcoming trip to Bega, (located in Southern New South Wales), was an extension of this learning curve. Today, I would think nothing of flying to Canberra, getting a cab to the train station and linking up with the bus to Bega from there. However, my lack of confidence in my ability to plan meant that I wouldn't have even considered this option back in 1998. I was therefore met in Sydney by my friend and driven to his home in Bega.
Since this first album production, I have been involved in many projects. The digitalisation of recording studios has meant that the efficient operation of the computerised recording equipment is not possible due to the inadequacies of screen readers that are compatible with the Mackintosh computer systems. I'm not saying that the operation of the equipment can't be done. Indeed, there are several blind people who use pro-tools, (the internationally recognised recording program for Mackintosh computers). However, when you see how fast a sighted person can operate the equipment, it makes you realise that an efficient recording process, (which is what all clients are entitled to), is not achievable. This is particularly the case when recording full length albums with many instruments and complex mixes. The person who engineers my projects also produces himself, and has said that he really appreciates being able to concentrate on one task and let me take care of the musical arrangements for projects. He has given me the job on a couple of occasions of finalising the musical arrangements of his clients for him because he has had other projects that have demanded his time.
Since 1998, I have also left home and now run my business independently of my father, and get to all venues or studios myself. This has presented several challenges, including transporting my equipment and managing the administrative aspects of the business. I have a large keyboard which needs to be transported. Usually, my clients are happy to assist me with transporting it, which is an added bonus because it means I can be picked up as well. Alternatively, the engineer who I work with is happy to store the keyboard in his studio. This means that I can catch the train to the nearest point and either be picked up or get a taxi from there. I also have a smaller keyboard setup which I can transport on a train.
In terms of live solo work, I have elected to perform at venues where there is already a sound system available, or in intimate settings where I only have to carry a small amplifier or more compact sound system. After owning a large sound system and not being able to understand its configuration or to carry it independently, I would recommend as a blind musician and performer that how one can carry such equipment independently, and your own understanding of its operation needs to be considered when purchasing a sound system. Powered desks where all components such as effects units and graphic equalisers are in-built are great for this purpose, and there are some really good quality units on the market today. Such systems can be carried in a station wagon or mini-bus style taxi if that's the only way of getting to a venue. When the time comes for setting up, if staff members can assist you with the positioning of speakers and finding a table and power point for your mixer, the rest is easy if you have a powered mixing desk. Owning a trolley to carry the equipment into the venue is really important. That way, you can ensure that it is all accounted for.
For performances where I am playing for someone else, I am usually picked up from home. I have never had an issue with transportation in this situation, as I have usually recorded with the performer previously, and they seem to hire me based on the understanding that I will need assistance with transportation and setup.
In regard to administration, I keep it as simple as possible. I am not registered for GST, as I do not earn more than $50000 per year from the business. This cuts out a lot of unnecessary paperwork and complication. Secondly, I do not use programs such as Quicken or MYOB. I keep a record of my yearly tax for the business on my voice-note in a very simple form. I state whether the transaction was a deposit or withdrawal, how much it was for and for what purpose it was used or collected. The accountant does the rest. For those people interested in a more mathematical method of administration, go for it. However, if figures and complex computer programs bamboozle you, you don't have to do it that way. My advice would be to avoid registering for GST if at all possible. If so, make the completion of paperwork as easy as possible for yourself. Don't feel that you have to do it on your own. Again, if you want to, that's fine and good luck with it. However, there's never just one way of achieving something, and we all need to remember that for the sake of our self esteem.
My Job at the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland.
I commenced employment with the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland approximately three months ago. My job here was the result of six months of intensive searching. I had a job as a tele-marketer for seven months, but quickly found that I hated marketing and resigned in September last year. Although I completed my Social Work Degree in December 2000, I had decided to concentrate my energies on music in the ensuing two years. Due to the instability of this work however, I took on the tele-marketing job as a form of regular income. Upon resigning from this job, I decided that it was time to turn my attention towards an occupation which would depend on the knowledge I gained from my degree. I applied for many jobs in this field as well as an assortment of others and gained interviews for four positions. In all instances, I informed my potentials employers that I was blind. It sounds good on paper, but the time that elapsed between interviews felt endless, and the frustration at not getting further than the second interview really took its toll on my self confidence and on my relationship. I must point out here that having a supportive partner is worth more than money can buy. My wife Julie was a tower of strength and an infinite source of encouragement during this time. She supported my decision to resign from my tele-marketing job, despite the fact that we were reliant on her wage to pay the bills and the home loan.
In desperation, I finally signed up with RBF Training and Employment, (a division of the Royal Blind Foundation of Queensland). Some of the interviews I was granted occurred after I signed up, but they were primarily the result of applications I'd written without any assistance apart from with their presentation. Again, my wife gave me the most valuable input in regard to these applications. Julie is blind also, and has maintained a job as a telephone counsellor at Kids Help Line for the past four-and-a-half years. Her on-the-job experience was invaluable when writing applications.
>From the outset, my employment officer saw great potential in the idea of having a blind social worker employed at the Royal Blind Foundation. The position is one that I've always dreamed of, as I've always been interested in assisting other blind people to reach their full potential. Early in the year, he organised a meeting with the Foundation's client services manager, who is now my boss. It was an informal meeting, and originally, I had just intended volunteering so that I could gain experience and apply for more jobs at the same time. However, a miraculous turn of events led to me being offered my current job. Part time employment here gives me the best of both worlds. It allows me to work in several roles in the Foundation, including community training, low vision assessment, and the development of a mentoring program for clients. I also have time to pursue my musical career, which has kept me busy for most of this year.
A useful learning curve for me in terms of what I need on the job was the placements I completed as part of my degree. I learned that you need to be really up front about saying that you need adaptive technology in order to function fully, but that every job is different and therefore, you can't give specific descriptions of the assistance you will need. For example, there may be administrative procedures such as accessing or filling out printed files, photo-copying etc. However, these are minor issues and can usually be worked out. If you do not ask for help however, you can feel very isolated in your job or placement because you're often left wondering how on earth you'll get everything done. As these situations arise, it is therefore important to illustrate for your employer or supervisor the difficulties you are having so that you can either receive assistance or provide them with an opportunity to modify their procedures in general. Don't feel guilty if employers decide to modify procedures. The changes will probably make things easier for everybody concerned.
In hindsight, I believe that having an employment officer talk to potential employers before an interview can be very useful in some circumstances, as they do not have the emotional attachment to the situation that you do. Depending on your personality, this attachment can make you feel reluctant to put your foot down and say that an employer needs to be thinking about what you could contribute overall to a job rather than the incidental issues such as photo-copying or data entry. Personally, I would have felt like I was being egotistical if I had said this, when in fact that's probably what I needed to do. Therefore, I feel that an independent advocate can be really helpful in these situations.
In summary, I feel that it's really important to plan how you will go about any given task in a job, and to remember that there are a-thousand ways of achieving your goals. Interdependence is the key to success. State that although you can provide a rough idea of what assistance you'll need to perform your role to the best of your ability, there will be aspects of the job which can not be foreseen at the interview stage such as administrative tasks or policies and procedural matters. In the long term, it's what knowledge you can contribute to an organisation that matters, and any employer who refuses to recognise this is not worth working for.