Course description
Recognising that not all students interested in musical study wish to commit themselves to professional training in a Bachelor of Music degree, the Faculty of Music offers a Diploma in Music (Practical).
The new generation Diploma in Music (Practical) is studied concurrently with a new generation undergraduate degree - Arts, Science, Commerce, Biomedicine or Environments - and provides University of Melbourne students the opportunity to engage in one-to-one instrumental and vocal tuition. The Diploma has been specially structured over a 3-year time frame to allow for concurrent completion of both Bachelor and Diploma courses. Students also have the option of studying the Bachelor and Diploma courses over a 4-year time frame.
The Diploma comprises a three-year sequence of practical, ensemble and elective subjects, studied alongside Bachelor of Music students, giving you the opportunity to build valuable friendships and networks in a challenging musical environment. At the conclusion of the course, you should have acquired advanced practical abilities that compare with the end of the second year of the Bachelor of Music course. Through elective subjects, you should also have a basic understanding of the historical and theoretical knowledge that forms part of advanced musical training.
Objectives: On completion of the Diploma in Music (Practical), students should be able to:
* contextualise their performance practice on their chosen instrument within the best practices of local, national and international standards
* demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the practice of music performance
* pursue musical skills independently, with rigorous methods of inquiry in their instrumental specialisation
* make critically informed responses to new musical ideas in their instrumental repertoire
* show critical intelligence in self awareness in the dissemination of skills and knowledge in their specialisation
* work competently in a musical setting both alone and in groups
* communicate effectively and persuasively in all forms of musical discourse relating to the area of their specialisation
* be capable of further development and advancement in the area of their specialisation
Course Structure & Available Subjects: The Diploma consists of a sequence of 6 Music Performance subjects over three years, a set of applied skills electives, which include ensemble and chamber music subjects, and 2 Academic/Music Studies elective subjects, which can include core history and theory subjects from the BMus.
To allow for concurrent completion with a New Generation undergraduate degree, the Diploma in Music (Practical) has been structured to allow some subjects to be taken within the breadth component of your main degree. These subjects count towards both the Bachelor and Diploma courses.
Diploma students are also permitted to enrol beyond the standard 50 point semester load with subjects from the practical component of the course. This "overload" has minimal impact on your overall commitments each semester as the contact hours and assessment requirements have been designed in the context of this course structure.
