Bachelor of Music Performance Honours (VCA)

A one year Honours year available after the completion of the Bachelor of Music or equivalent. The course allows students to pursue a range of studies to expand their music practice and focus on establishing a professional career.

The Honours program emphasises the development of individual student perspective. Through related units of study the Honours program provides advanced training in specialist, creative and communication skills which enable the graduating student to work in various professional and community contexts. The program is flexible in that it provides the student with a range of studies which form a bridge to a professional career as a practising musician. This flexibility is crucial in providing the student with the opportunity to make their own choice in determining future directions and ways of making music within the community. As part of the commitment to the School’s activities, Honours students are obliged to take part in orchestral projects as determined by Head of Honours and Head of Orchestral Studies.

The objectives of this course are:

• to further encourage the development of creative, vital musicians, sufficiently flexible to contribute to the changing needs of the artistic community;
• to further develop practical music skills to the highest possible level, combined with a comprehension of music and the other arts in a variety of historical, social and cultural contexts;
• to provide a comprehensive study of current musical practices within a fundamentally aural approach to learning;
• to develop a realistic awareness of the demands of the music profession, and
• to encourage interaction with the wider educational and artistic community.

Bachelor of Music Performance Honours (VCA)

Semester 1

Applicants should normally have completed the three year Bachelor of Music Performance or equivalent course and be able to demonstrate at audition:

• a high standard of performance within the principal study area, and
• a broad knowledge of the repertoire of the principal study area as well as a sufficient facility in written and verbal expression to undertake the course.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

At the completion of the Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) students should be able to:

• exhibit extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills and understanding of ethics as they relate to the practising musician;
• demonstrate an open and independent attitude towards contemporary cultural developments;
• demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the challenges for the professional musician in the 21st century;
• critically and creatively engage with topics of cultural significance across the broader community;
• work at various levels, both individually and as a team member, in a wide variety of musical environments, and
• understand and appreciate how the arts connect with the broader society and culture.