Master of Music (Music Performance)

The Master of Music is a research degree that prepares students for specialist careers in musicology, ethnomusicology, composition, performance, or music therapy. The degree takes 18 months full-time (three years part-time) to complete.

Instrumental and vocal candidates present two major public recitals and conducting candidates prepare and conduct an ensemble in two major performances. Performances are normally presented at the 12 and 18 month points of candidature. Candidates will receive regular individual tuition and participate in the weekly Performance Class and Postgraduate Seminar.

Further performance opportunities are available through ensemble electives, including chamber music and ensemble activities offered in partnership with the Australian National Academy Music (ANAM). Students can also undertake electives in Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Research Methods and a minor thesis option is also available.

Conversion to PhD

Students may apply for conversion from the Master of Music (Music Performance) to the PhD (Music Performance) after a minimum of 9 months. Students must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the equivalent of the first (probationary) year of the PhD including:

• A result of H2A or above for the presentation of a public recital of 70 minutes’ duration for which they have provided program notes;
• A result of H2A or above in the subject Research Essay or Minor Thesis.

MMus students who hold an APA are able to carry the APA into the PhD candidature. Tenure of the APA is backdated to the date of enrolment in the MMus.

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Apply the best practices of local, national and international standards in their professional career in their chosen specialisation;
• Pursue an informed program of independent further study in their chosen area of specialisation in music;
• Provide leadership in the profession in their chosen area of specialisation in music;
• Use current technologies and assimilate the potential of emerging technologies to facilitate and heighten the dissemination of skills, knowledge and information;
• Value and participate in projects requiring team-work.

On completion of the Music Performance stream, students will have:

• Developed instrumental or vocal skills to the level expected for entry into the performance profession;
• Expanded their knowledge of repertory and style.

Full-time and Part-time study options are available, however the Conducting specialisation can only be undertaken on a full-time basis.

Recital 1 is undertaken over the first two semesters of candidature, culminating in a recital at the end of the second semester. Recital 2 is undertaken over the final semester of candidature. Students are required to undertake Postgraduate Seminar and Performance Class throughout the three semesters of their candidature; this includes attending a minimum of 27 classes for each subject. Electives are usually undertaken in the first two semesters of candidature.

Candidates enroling in the Master of Music (Music Performance) commencing prior to 2014 are enroled as follows:

Candidates undertake TWO electives from the following list of options, or the minor thesis:

Candidates enroling in the Master of Music (Music Performance) commencing in or after 2014 are enroled as follows:

Candidates undertake TWO electives from the following list of options, or the minor thesis:

To be accepted into the Master of Music, students should normally have a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree, or four-year Bachelor of Music equivalent, with a final result of first-class honours or high second-class honours.

Application Procedure

Further details regarding how to apply are available via the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music website: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu.au/mmus

Students are encouraged to provide as much detailed information in support of their application as possible and to discuss their application with a member of the Academic Staff prior to submission.

Certified transcripts of academic records at any tertiary institution other than The University of Melbourne must be forwarded with the application. If the transcription is not in English, a certified translation must also be provided.

Audition

Applicants for the Performance stream are required to undertake a fifty (50) minute audition. Applicants currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Music (Honours) subject Recital are permitted to use their final recital examination as their audition. For further audition details, please refer to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music website: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu.au/mmus

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 will impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit.

Research Masters degrees at the University of Melbourne seek to develop graduates who have a capacity for defining and managing a research project characterised by originality and independence. Their training equips them for more sustained and original work at the doctoral level or for applied research positions in a wider variety of contexts.

The University expects its research masters graduates to have the following qualities and skills:

• An ability to initiate research projects and to formulate viable research questions;
• A demonstrated capacity to design, conduct and report independent and original research on a closely-defined project;
• An ability to manage time to maximise the quality of research;
• An understanding of the major contours of international research in the research area;
• A capacity for critical evaluation of relevant scholarly literature;
• Well-developed and flexible problem-solving abilities appropriate to the discipline
• The ability to analyse research data within a changing disciplinary environment;
• The capacity to communicate effectively the results of research and scholarship by oral and written communication;
• An understanding of and facility with scholarly conventions in the discipline area;
• A profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of research and scholarship;
• A capacity to co-operate with other researchers;
• An ability to manage information effectively, including the application of computer systems and software where appropriate to the student's field of study.