In March 2023, The Music Writer’s Lab heads to Adelaide for the first time — introducing an inaugural edition of the South Australian Music Writer’s Lab, in partnership with MusicSA and the MDO.

Spurred on by the success of 2022’s edition of The Music Writer’s Lab, this venture in engaging with the South Australian music community will commence during Adelaide’s busy festival season.

The Music Writer’s Lab will connect up to four emerging music writers with leading industry critics and journalists, who will mentor and work alongside lab participants to develop their professional writing abilities.

The program will culminate in a 4-day writing workshop at WOMADelaide, as participants develop and craft written critical reviews, with select pieces published in the new South Australian music publication The Note, and MusicSA’s website.

As with the 2022 phase of The Music Writer’s Lab, the 2023 edition will include a mentorship element as well as a practical, written element. The pairs of mentors and the aspiring writers will connect frequently across the course of the program, developing the mentees’ original works and providing constructive feedback to bolster their final output.

Applications for the South Australian Music Writer’s Lab are now open to emerging writers, 18 years or older, with culturally, gender and ability diverse individuals highly encouraged to apply.

The successful applicants will be chosen by a panel including professional music industry writers, our facilitator from The Music Writer’s Lab, and other relevant music and journalism industry professionals.