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Why I chose NMIT's Bachelor of Australian Popular Music over all the other music degrees

From someone who can't hold a note, I have great admiration for those who can. My daughter constantly tells me I am flat and I shouldn’t be allowed to sing in public (which of course I don’t). Even so, my life is full of music (it’s on all the time at home!) and I get a lot of pleasure from it. I also have great admiration for those who want to make a career as a musician as it is a tough and competitive business. When I talk to students I usually ask them what other training they are going to do to supplement their income. They look at me bemused but the reality is that most musicians spend a lot of time doing jobs such as bar work or driving taxis just in order to survive.  But this is about to change.

NMIT’s Bachelor of Australian Popular Music acknowledges that to make a comfortable living just as a musician is difficult however it is based on the premise that if you have a wide range of music related skills you can increase your chances of spending most of your time within the music industry. It may mean one day you are working as a sound engineer, the next as a session musician and the day after, performing in a band.

The NMIT Bachelor of Australian Popular Music is different from other music degrees in that is has been designed to reflect the music industry and to give students skills that will enable them to participate successfully within it.
There are four compulsory and equally weighted streams; music practice, music tools & language; music technology; and music, culture & creativity.  Students will have to work equally hard in all areas in order to pass.

NMIT commenced a first and second year group this year. Due to the course structure, students can articulate from the Advanced Diploma of Music Performance into the second year. This is a great bonus as there is a reduction in the amount of fees being paid. The course is a full fee course however eligible students can apply for FEE-HELP. I wanted to ask some of the students why they chose NMIT over all the other music courses around. 

A Pathway from Certificate II to Degree

- Clayton Howard

Clayton grew up in a musical house and he studied music up to year 10 however, he never thought he would pursue a career in it. Instead he had his eyes set on being an architect. After year 12 he left central Queensland and had a one year exchange in Brazil, which exposed him to Latin music. When he returned, he completed two years of a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Melbourne before he dropped out choosing instead to study music.

As he had no formal training, he enrolled into NMIT’s Certificate II Music Foundation at the Fairfield campus.  He found that the course gave him excellent music foundations but not enough to really learn his craft so he continued on with the Certificate IV and then the Advanced Diploma. An important thing he got out of the course was that there was more to life than wanting to be a rock star. The chances of it happening are fairly slim and the music industry has many other interesting angles.

Clayton had started to think about becoming a music teacher. His timing was perfect as NMIT was about to begin its Bachelor of Australian Popular Music. He considers himself a contempory singer. NMIT’s degree is the only one that caters for his style of music. Having spent the last three years at NMIT, he was familiar with the campus, facilities and staff. He felt comfortable staying on. An added bonus was that he went straight into second year as a result of articulation arrangements with the Advanced Diploma.

Now, only two weeks into the course, he is finding it an exciting challenge. Having had experience studying at a university, he can vouch that the course is a “real” degree. There is already a lot of work and he is feeling the pressure. The teachers all have experience teaching at tertiary level and bring this with them into the classroom. As well, many facilities have been upgraded for the degree program and he especially likes the Mac lab. Clayton prefers to sing and play his own compositions.  And strangely or not so, he is noticing that some of his latest compositions have a country and even Latin feel to them.

Clayton Howard

Back to NMIT after all those years

- Mike Smith

Music has always been part of Mike’s life. He even did two music subjects in VCE.  It was therefore logical he would continue studying music at a tertiary level. After year 12, he went straight in the Diploma of Music Performance at NMIT’s Collingwood campus. However, he never actually finished the course because he failed to complete just one subject. This hung over him like an embarrassing millstone for seven years.

Between 1999 and 2006, Mike worked a lot of different jobs while teaching private students and performing. Even though he was spending a lot of time on his music he felt he wasn’t getting any better and began to lose interest in it. A stint doing night shift almost stopped his music completely.  Deciding his love of music was more important than his job, he quit and was lucky enough to get a job as an instrumental teacher in a primary school. This re-inspired him and he began to think about his career options within the music industry.
The first thing he needed to do was to complete the Diploma.

In 2006, he contacted NMIT and found that the subject he had not completed was the one upgrade subject he needed to pass in order to enter the degree program. Not thinking about doing the degree however, he re-enrolled into the Diploma program so that he could receive the qualification. During the course, Nick Haywood came into the upgrade class and spoke to them about the degree, which planted the idea of applying for it in his mind.  One night while driving home, Mike heard a piece of music on the radio performed by a band in which Nick was playing bass.  When he got home there was a message on his answering machine from Nick offering him a place in the degree program. Mike took both incidences as a sign of the direction he should take and he accepted the offer.

Now, Mike feels that his life has flipped back 8 years. He is back studying music and even his instrumental teacher is his old guitar teacher. At the moment he is thinking about doing his Dip Ed and considering he has been teaching private students since he was 16, he must be doing something right.  He is hoping the degree will start his career in the music industry as well as make him a much better musician (he is a guitarist and singer but sees himself equally talented at both). And he also plays keyboards. He feels he is in a very different space from the Diploma course. It is definitely a degree standard course.

Mike Smith

Daniela Gallinaro

Daniela completed the Diploma of Music Performance at NMIT’s Greensborough campus in 2000. She tells me they were the best two years of education she had which was largely due to the staff and fellow students. They worked hard and learned a lot but developed strong bonds that are still there today. Another bonus was all the industry contacts she made which were a great help when it came to finding employment.  Daniela had gone straight into the course after year 12 and when she finished the Diploma, she decided to have a break from studying. She spent the next couple of years working as a music teacher in primary schools as well as the usual - playing in a reception band doing weddings, parties…anything!

In 2003 and out of the blue, she received a letter from Nick inviting her to come back and complete the Advanced Diploma.  She didn’t hesitate and went back to Greensborough.  She then went back to her old work and played in a reception band. Then out of the blue again, she received another letter from Nick. This time it was inviting her to do the upgrade subject for the degree. Once again, she didn’t hesitate and in June 2006, she completed the upgrade subject. From there it was a simple step into the second year of the degree. The degree is a perfect fit for her nature because it has a large practical component. She had looked at other degree programs but they were too classical for her.
 
Daniela began playing the piano at seven and has always seen her future connected with music. Since leaving NMIT in 2000, she has been employed in the music industry but she sees the degree as a way of improving and widening her options. After three weeks into the course, the degree has been more than what she expected.  She is very happy with the large amount of practical work, which is like TAFE but when she is in a lecture or sitting down to study, she definitely feels as though she is at university.

Daniela Gallinaro

Straight from year 12

Zach Schinder

Zach is the baby of the group, coming straight from year 12. I was interested in why he chose the course, as unlike the others he had no previous experience at NMIT. He was like so many other year 12 students looking at all the options available. So what was the deciding factor?

Zach did year 12 at Strathmore S.C. last year. Throughout his secondary schooling, he had been actively involved in school music and drama productions. He thoroughly enjoyed his time and developed good friendships with both students and staff. A big influence on him was the music co-ordinator, the fantastic Yew-Wooi. She organised Nick Haywood to come out to the school to speak to the music students about the degree program. Zach knew of Nick because he had seen him play at Bennett’s Lane so he was keen to hear what he had to say. He made a big impression on the students and several began talking seriously about applying.  However it wasn’t until VTAC applications opened that Zach decided he wanted to study music at a tertiary level. He put NMIT down as his first preference.

Zach was impressed by the course structure and the four areas of study. At one time, he had thought of being a sound engineer. The degree course would teach these skills, which would be a bonus. Zach had actually visited NMIT’s Fairfield campus while at high school to look at the drama/sound engineering facilities. Even then, he had liked the grounds and the friendly feel of the campus. He was blown away by the sound recording studios.

Zach did his research and looked at several other music courses but he kept coming back to NMIT.  It was the course structure and the quality of teaching staff (who were all prominent in their field of music and experienced tertiary teachers) that kept winning him over. Even the fact it was full fee didn’t put him off. Zach has taken up FEE-HELP, which he sees as being very similar to a HEC’s loan.

So far, he has enjoyed everything. He sees it as the best of both worlds in that it is intellectually challenging yet very practical. The diverse nature of the course makes it more interesting and he is learning aspects of music which he knew nothing about and enjoying it.  All the students must do a weekly concert performance which, after 3 weeks into the course, is proving to be very demanding and exciting. He enjoys the peer appraisal that happens after each performance and has already noticed the improvements in himself and others.

Zach Schnider

For further information contact:
Marnie Long
Student Recruitment Officer

Email: MarnieLong@nmit.vic.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 9269 1251