Bachelor of Music Performance (Degree with Honours)

The Bachelor of Music Performance Honours 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.

The Bachelor of Music Performance Honours offers specialisation in:

• Improvisation
• Repertoire (Western art classical music)
• Practical Composition

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.

Qualification for the award requires satisfactory completion of all subjects listed below.

As part of the commitment to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music’s activities, Honours students are obliged to take part in orchestral projects as determined by the Coordinator of Honours.

Semester 1

Selection into the Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) requires completion of the three-year Bachelor of Music Performance, or equivalent, and successful completion of an audition. Successful applications will be able to demonstrate:

• a high standard of performance and/or composition within the principal study area
• a broad knowledge of the repertoire of the principal study area
• a facility in written and verbal expression sufficient to undertake the course

Audition

Repertoire and Improvisation applicants are required to perform three (3) pieces demonstrating their skills as performers and/or improvisers. The audition program should be no longer than 20 minutes and not all pieces may be heard by the panel. Practical composition applicants are required to bring a folio of their compositions to the audition as demonstration of their current highest standard of composition. CDs and DVDs may form part of the folio.

Interstate and country applicants maysubmit a recorded audition/folio of compositions.

Research Statement

Applicants are required to submit a 150–200 word statement related to their proposed area of research.

The statement must:

• address the reasons for the choice of subject area
• give an indication of the current state of research in the chosen area
• address the reasons for the choice of topic and
• provide suggestions relating to the research methodology.

All applicants must satisfy the University’s English language requirements to be eligible for a place.

The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music offers a wide range of study options including:

Graduate Research programs:

• Master of Music - specialisations available in Performance, Conducting, Composition, Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Music Therapy.
• Doctor of Philosophy - Music

• Master of Music (Performance Teaching) - a new specialist coursework degree enabling graduates in Western classical and contemporary music to work as performer-teachers in a variety of situations including community, private provider and further education settings and as instrumental/vocal instructors in schools.
• Master of Music (Opera Performance) - a new specialist coursework degree, offered in conjunction with Victorian Opera, delivering elite-level training for opera performers.
• Master of Music Therapy - a coursework program leading to professional registration as Music Therapists (RMT) with the Australian Music Therapy Association (Inc.).
• Master of Music Studies Intensive Mode - designed for music professionals in educational organisations who wish to enhance their expertise in ways directly relevant to their work.
• Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music - an intensive mode program providing advanced level training in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) therapy.
• Graduate Certificate/Diploma in Music - designed for university graduates in any field who wish to undertake university-level study in music. Specialisations available in Practical Study, Composition, Musicology and Ethnomusicology.

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.