| Australia has opened its first country music academy within a Queensland high school in an attempt to improve the genre's credibility among young people.
Teacher Geoff Walden said he believed the centre at Gympie State High School was the first of its kind in the world.
"We are hoping that Gympie will be the launch pad for many careers in the country music industry," he said.
Country is the second biggest-selling style of music in Australia, according to the Country Music Association.
Mr Walton said country music was more popular than rock and pop in many parts of Australia because of the "frontier mentality" of Outback inhabitants, similar to that which produced the US country music scene.
But he acknowledged some school pupils did not take the genre seriously.
"They associate it with twangy, hillbilly music and don't realise there are many different styles within the genre," he said.
Classes will teach young people the basics of song-writing, video production, marketing and management alongside their usual curriculum studies.
Mr Walden hopes to expand the scheme with the help of the Australian Institute of Country Music so students will be able to take a degree in country music at the local university.
The Country Music Association of Australia already runs short intensive courses to help young up-and-coming musicians progress in their music careers.
Gympie, two hours north of Brisbane, is well-known for its country music associations - the city hosts the annual National Country Music Muster every August.
澳大利亚开设世界首家乡村音乐学院
澳大利亚昆士兰的一所高中开设了全国第一个乡村音乐学院，力图提高乡村音乐形式在年轻人中的影响力。
杰夫•沃尔登老师说他相信金皮州立高中的这个乡村音乐中心是世界上第一个乡村音乐学院。
“我们希望金皮成为乡村音乐事业腾飞的起点，”他说。
据乡村音乐协会说，乡村音乐是澳大利亚第二大畅销的音乐形式。
沃尔登说，在澳大利亚的许多地方乡村音乐比摇滚和流行音乐更受欢迎，这是由于内地居民所特有的“拓荒情节”，它和美国乡村音乐产生的背景类似。
但是他承认有些学生对待乡村音乐的态度不太严肃。
他说：“他们把乡村音乐和似弦声的山地音乐混为一谈，而且他们没有意识到乡村音乐中有许多不同的种类。”
除了学习日常课程外，年轻人们还将学习歌曲创作、电视制作、市场营销和管理等课程。
沃尔登希望在澳大利亚乡村音乐学会的帮助下扩大办学计划，这样学生们可以在当地的大学获得乡村音乐的学位。
澳大利亚乡村音乐协会已经开设了短期的强化课程来帮助那些有前途的青年音乐家拓展他们的音乐事业。
金皮的乡村音乐协会很出名，金皮位于布里斯班北部，距布里斯班两小时车程。一年一度的国家乡村音乐会每年8月都在金皮举行。
in an attempt to: 力图
twangy: 似弦声的
hillbilly music: 山地音乐
up-and-coming: 有前途的
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