http://www.monash.edu.au/schools/mus/
Room 101 Performing Arts Centre, building 68, Clayton campus
Telephone:
(03) 9905 3231
The School of Music - Conservatorium teaches, researches, and promotes public
outreach in four fields of musical endeavour: performance, composition,
musicology and enthnomusicology. Students specialise in one or more fields, but
gain experience in all four areas in a unified way.
Students with a strong musical aptitude undertaking this specialisation are expected to acquire an assured performance technique and an awareness of the history of performance style and practice. Students in the first-year develop their chief practical study skills as well as interactive musical skills in orchestral, chamber or other ensemble groups and accompanying skills in appropriate cases. Throughout the program students are examined on both solo and ensemble or orchestral work, culminating each semester in ensemble or solo performance events, which may be organised by the students. There is continuous assessment in performance units.
In fourth-year honours, each student is required to present a recital with his or her own program notes and a research essay on a topic related to the program or an associated aspect of performance practice.
The performance units MUS1980/MUS1990, MUS2980/MUS2990 and MUS3980/ 3990 are semester units that are examined by means of journal entries and examination. MUS1980, MUS2980 and MUS3980 are technical exams that have specific requirements as set out in the technical syllabuses. MUS1990, MUS2990 and MUS3990 are repertoire exams, the material for which is decided upon in consultation with the student's studio teacher and instrumental/vocal coordinator. Two examiners are present at all exams with the option of a public recital at third-year level.
Students undertaking this specialisation can expect to acquire the experience and skills to develop a career as a composer. The program offers individual supervision of students' compositional projects and encourages work in various media, including traditional, electronic, and contemporary solo and ensemble combinations. Honours students will prepare a folio of compositions and arrange an annotated concert performance of their works. The School of Music - Conservatorium organises a number of large and small instrumental and ensemble choral groups and encourages performances of student compositions.
Those who do not have sufficient music theory knowledge should read about the `bridging course' above or see the administrative officer at the school.
Students who choose either of these specialisations or a combination of both can expect to develop their knowledge and understanding of music to prepare themselves as musicologists and/or ethnomusicologists, studying the music history of various genres, research methods and aspects of systematic musicology such as performance practice, analysis, aesthetics, criticism, music sociology and psychology of music. Students at honours level present a thesis of 15,000 to 18,000 words on an approved research topic in musicology. They may then proceed with masters-level coursework in other aspects of musicology.
In the ethnomusicology stream, students make detailed area studies of
selected music cultures of Asia and/or Africa, and may learn to perform in an
Indonesian gamelan and in other Asian and African traditions as appropriate for
a particular unit for which a student enrols.
The school has an extensive collection of musical instruments and ensembles
that includes an early music collection comprising a complete consort of
Renaissance shawms, crumhorns, recorders and various keyboard instruments, a
complete Javanese gamelan orchestra, Sudanese bamboo calung and angklung
ensembles, a Ghanaian African drum ensemble, a Chinese orchestra, a
piphat/mahori orchestra from Thailand, a large collection of Indian
instruments, and a set of Japanese instruments. It also contains an extensive
music archive, including the Sumatra research archive, Japanese music archive,
the Australian music collection, the Australian Archive of Jewish Music, and
the Louise Lightfoot Collection of Dance in South Asia.
The school fosters the cultivation of music on campus and presents many
concerts, lecture-recitals and other performances which music students are
expected to attend.
For details of the following courses, see `Outline of studies' earlier in this section:
Previous page | Next page | Section contents | Title and contents