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Bachelor of Music
Undergraduate studies focus on the Bachelor of Music program which provides professional skills, training and development in a range of specialisations and is designed to:
- Prepare students to become professionally qualified musicians
- Equip students to perform with confidence as a soloist or member of an ensemble
- Enable students to gain professional registration in music education (with the Bachelor of Education)
- Provide an understanding of the western tradition of Art Music and selected music of other traditions
The first two years of the program provide the foundations in techniques, history, technology and popular music for the specialisations in the final two years of the program - Performance, Music Education, Composition and Musicology. Students have on-to-one lessons with instrumental and vocal specialists and participate in one or more of our ensembles - orchestra, wind symphony or chorale - and attend practical classes and concerts.
The first two years also provide the opportunity for students to take electives in preparation for specialisations in education.
Completion of the Music/Education dual degree enables graduates to apply for registration with the Board of Teacher Registration.
An honours degree is awarded on the basis of a student's GPA in the final two years and involves taking two courses in research methodology. Students who are awarded first class honours can be considered for scholarship to enable further (postgraduate) study.
Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education
The dual degree BMus/BEd is a five-year program that is tailored specifically for students wishing to pursue a career in music education and which will qualify them for professional registration. This program offers students two years of intensive training on the chosen instrument (including voice), and three years of dedicated music education courses. Students in this program have the option of nominating music as both teaching areas (Area Curriculum Study and Second Teaching Area) in the professional year and thereby have the opportunity to qualify for teaching positions in both primary and secondary music classrooms.
Students who wish to pursue a career in music education outside the parameters of the BMus/Ed have two options:
- A Bachelor of Arts degree (three years) with the Graduate Entry Bachelor of Education (an additional eighteen months).
- The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education dual degree (five years).
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts provides a wide range of options for students to pursue studies in music. Students may be involved in:
- Music making - choir, orchestra, instrumental ensemble. (An audition may be required in some cases.)
- Music education - aural methodology, pedagogy studies, conducting for choral and instrumental groups.
- Music history and traditions - studies in Art music, popular music, ethnomusicology, women in music.
- Music techniques - aural studies, composition, the development of stylistic writing. (Introductory courses are available for students who have a limited background in music.)
- Music technology - studio techniques, sound recording and editing, notator programs and computer based composition.
Some students take one or two courses for interest and others make up a single (8 courses) or double (16 courses) major. Arts students can undertake a fourth year of study to qualify for an honours degree which can lead to postgraduate study as in the BMus.
Many Arts students who do majors in music go on to an Education degree to qualify for a teaching career. It is possible to choose music as both teaching areas or it can be combined with another area of interest.
Bachelor of Music/Arts
This is a 5 1/2 year degree which allows students to complete a BMus combined with in depth study in one or two areas in other Arts disciplines.