Have you ever sung "Day By Day" in your school choir? Have you ever hummed "Colours of the Wind" quietly to youself? Have you ever blasted out a seemingly confident "Defying Gravity" as your Fokker Friendship Turboprop hurtled down the runway towards takeoff?

If so, you should probably get out your cheque-book and make a cheque for 25 cents out to "Stephen Schwartz", as he is the man behind such musical triumphs as Godspell, Pocahontas, Pippin, The Baker's Wife and, of course, Wicked.

Even though I was primarily at the APRA Song Summit as a "teacher" for the Backstage Pass project, I'm sure I learned much more than I taught at the Summit. Sitting quietly up the back, as Stephen Schwartz analysed and gave constructive comments on various songs presented to him by Australian songwriters, I felt like I was a teenager arriving at Sydney Conservatorium for the first time, all over again. The fact that this man is so willing so share his knowledge, craftsmanship and experience with up-and-coming songwriters is inspiration for us all.

Stephen (in the stripes) is, in this picture, standing next to a magnificent man by the name of Michael Kerker. Michael has visited Australia several times, conducting workshops for up-and-coming songwriters, especially in the area of Musical Theatre. This great man has helped many young Aussies to meet and greet some of Broadway's leading lights. The Broadway Scholarship, that I often talk about on the School Spectacular, simply wouldn't happen without this man.

But surely the highlight, for me, of the Stephen Schwartz visit to Australia was the chance to see him, together with the Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra, Broadway superstar Liz Callaway, Michael Rose, Adrian Li Donni and our own superstar, Silvie Paladino, performing live as part of the Festival of Broadway in Sydney. Michael Kerker sat on-stage with Schwartz and asked insightful questions and we, the audience, were treated to an exciting combination of life stories, music-writing tips, and sensational music. The arrangements were wonderful and the performances were brilliant. As the audience of hard-bitten theatre goers rose to their feet, it was clear that this was one of those magical musical nights that will be forever etched in the memories of those of us lucky enough to be in attendance.

Can you imagine Silvie Paladino singing "Defying Gravity"? It was a sensational moment. Congratulations to Will Conyers, Kevin Purcell and everyone involved in this great event.

Thanks to Milly at APRA for permission to use this photo by Tony Mott.