Wollongong cellist turned composer Joel Moir had to pivot his music career direction. Photo: TAFE NSW.
When a freak accident in 2019 left Wollongong cellist Joel Moir with a traumatic brain injury, he knew it would be a long road to recovering everyday functions, and a music career seemed a distant dream.
He was in North Queensland preparing for a performance residency with his family music group, The String Family when, while visiting a waterfall, he slipped and hit his head. He was airlifted to hospital and spent a month in an intensive care unit as he came to grips with the impacts of his injury.
“My life was flipped upside down. I had to learn to walk again, talk again … Many of my neural pathways were broken, which now wreaks havoc in every aspect of my life,” he says.
“Disruption pokes its head up in everything I do – from my manners to using words, to instantly knowing who key people in my life are. I’ve had to go back to basics.
“The brain injury changed my response to stimuli like light and noise. I was unable to reliably read music or play the cello for extended periods, so I knew my career as a professional performer was over.”
But while performance has gone on the back burner, education and retraining with TAFE NSW has not only assisted Joel’s recovery, it has gifted him a new career in his beloved music industry.
After years of rehabilitation, Joel turned to TAFE NSW to start a new career as a composer, studying the Certificate III in Music (Creation and Composition).
“When you’re performing, you have to be able to replicate the same exact standard each time, which is problematic for me. And while I can still think and work through problems, real-time things are difficult,” he says.
“I still have a deep love of music, so now I am gaining new practical skills and knowledge to start a career as a composer … Composition means I can work at my own pace, using methods that work for me, at times that work for me.”
Captured days before Joel’s accident, this photo shows The String Family – Joel, his wife and two children – in action. Photo: Stephen Jorgensen/All Saints Photography.
The journey taught Joel there’s more than one way to string a fiddle, and the talented composer has just released his debut compositions onto Apple Music and Spotify – a milestone he says is “really satisfying”.
“Returning to study and beginning this new journey has given me a new purpose and a fresh lease on life. It’s teaching me there are other ways to have a career in music and not just be a performer.
“My studies have helped piece together a picture of how the music industry works outside of just performing. For example, composing, digital music creation, the business of music, copyright, royalties, and using recording equipment.”
TAFE NSW Media, Arts, Design, and Entertainment head teacher John Kilbey says TAFE NSW has a long history of delivering a pipeline of talented musicians to the industry and also offers opportunities for a fresh start or career twist.
“As in Joel’s case, studying music here can also help you pivot your career direction and develop a fresh skillset to suit your stage of life and circumstances,” he says.
Joel says study has brought music back into his life, and he hopes his story will inspire anyone thinking about it to take the plunge.
“I don’t regret anything because I’m now in a position where I’m excited about this current chapter of my life – making music, which is different to how I was feeling a few years ago,” he says.
“I encourage anyone out there who has acquired, or been diagnosed with, disability to dig deep and overcome your fears and just do what you can to start a new chapter for yourself.”
Listen to Joel’s compositions on ReverbNation.
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