As parent universities strive to produce work-ready graduates, tertiary music institutions are be... more As parent universities strive to produce work-ready graduates, tertiary music institutions are beginning to respond by changing their offerings. Consequently, vocational preparation, work integrated learning (WIL) and service-learning courses are becoming increasingly prevalent. For the majority of institutions, these are offered in the latter years of students’ undergraduate Bachelor of Music and Music Technology degrees. Some critics consider this is too late. Rather, exploration of what it means to be a musician needs to be encountered early in the degree in order to optimally maximise and engage with undergraduate training. In Australia, it is debatable whether young commencing students are generally ready to accept the realities of the music industry and/or supportive of vocation training. Traditional career goals such as orchestral employment are becoming less realistic, reducing linear career options, yet some tertiary music institutions with curricula aligned to these employ...
For the last two decades, the discourse surrounding the education of the professional musician ha... more For the last two decades, the discourse surrounding the education of the professional musician has increased as traditional forms of music employment become more competitive and the portfolio career has returned as an accepted mode of working for musicians. Criticism of the nineteenth-century conservatoire model, which in turn has led to the recommendation to embed an employability focus within degree programs that fosters the development of industry-prepared musicians. To date, however, there are few successful examples of this. This study investigates the design, development and delivery of the My Life as a Musician (MLaaM) vocational preparation strand of undergraduate courses that assist student musicians to prepare for their likely employment, both before and after graduation. The thesis makes an original contribution to higher education teaching and learning by documenting the processes involved in developing employability education within an undergraduate music curriculum. Da...
Community Music in Oceania: Many Voices, One Horizon makes a distinctive contribution to the fiel... more Community Music in Oceania: Many Voices, One Horizon makes a distinctive contribution to the field of community music through the experiences of its editors and contributors in music education, ethnomusicology, music therapy, and music performance. Covering a wide range of perspectives from Australia, Timor-Leste, New Zealand, Japan, Fiji, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Korea, the essays raise common themes in terms of the pedagogies and practices used, pointing collectively toward one horizon of approach. Yet, contrasts emerge in the specifics of how community musicians fit within the musical ecosystems of their cultural contexts. Book chapters discuss the maintenance and recontextualization of music traditions, the lingering impact of colonization, the growing demands for professionalization of community music, the implications of government policies, tensions between various ethnic groups within countries, and the role of institutions such as universities across the region. One of the aims of this volume is to produce an intricate and illuminating picture that highlights the diversity of practices, pedagogies, and research currently shaping community music in the Asia Pacific.
Designing a tertiary music institution course to create industry-ready graduates Woodwind special... more Designing a tertiary music institution course to create industry-ready graduates Woodwind specialist Diana Tolmie has performed in a multitude of musical genres instigated by a Churchill Fellowship and a Queen Elizabeth Trust Award. Consistent session work has
While full-time performance employment continues to be a highly desirable aspiration for many mus... more While full-time performance employment continues to be a highly desirable aspiration for many musicians within western cultures, its lack of practicality and statistical likelihood in current contexts has recently focussed attention on 'portfolio careers' as more feasible professional pathways for music students. Titled My Life as a Musician (MLaaM), this suite of compulsory courses exposes Queensland Conservatorium Bachelor of Music students to the issues of career survival and sustainability in the economical and technological volatile environment. While the main focus of their degree is refining the 'product', namely musical expertise, the overriding goal is to encourage the creative spirit in making well-informed decisions enabling educated predictions of career choices and/or viability of projects. As the first of its kind to be implemented in an Australian conservatoire, courses such as these have the potential to enhance entrepreneurial abilities in graduates ...
Currently the large ensemble course at Brisbane, Australia’s Queensland Conservatorium Griffith U... more Currently the large ensemble course at Brisbane, Australia’s Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) is pass/fail “compulsory-for-credit”—that is, part of the bachelor of music program for first- and second-year students. Performing ensemble options include the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra (QCCO), Queensland Conservatorium Wind Symphony (QCWS), the Con Artists (CA), Queensland Conservatorium Big Band (QCBB), and the Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra (QCSO). The first four ensembles apply a model rotating personnel per project (one to two concerts per semester), with activities held within the semester timetable. There is no room for event planning beyond the students’ three-to-four-year degree owing to the interruptive turnover of graduating students and minimal alumni participation. For the classical saxophone students, enrollment possibilities are with the QCWS, CA, QCBB, and QCSO.
Over the past two decades the topic of graduate outcomes has increasingly informed the discourse ... more Over the past two decades the topic of graduate outcomes has increasingly informed the discourse on the changing nature of universities. For conservatoires and university music departments the global shift in audience demand away from western classical music and jazz styles (traditionally the cornerstone tertiary music programs) to contemporary commercial music (CCM) has added an extra dimension to the graduate outcomes discussion with respect to vocation preparation and musicians’ portfolio careers. Few studies have tracked the career paths of music graduates across time with none focused on jazz/contemporary singers. This report discusses the findings from a snapshot study of Jazz/Contemporary Voice graduates (2001 to 2012) of one Australian conservatoire. The purpose of this research was to better describe this population of graduates in terms of employment outcomes, the dynamics of their employment activities, employment-seeking strategies and the relevance of university coursew...
Teaching for Learning and Learning for Teaching, 2015
Conservatoires have long adopted the master-apprentice teaching model to vocationally prepare stu... more Conservatoires have long adopted the master-apprentice teaching model to vocationally prepare students for linear-careers. Although currently undergoing reconsideration in Australia, the ethos of one-to-one teaching remains strong and is deemed highly valued by music students, teachers and musicians alike.
Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, 2014
Following a review of the Bachelor of Music program, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith Unive... more Following a review of the Bachelor of Music program, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University introduced a vocational preparation strand, My Life as a Musician (MLaaM) in 2011. This is a sequence of compulsory courses offered for one semester each year for the duration of the Bachelor of Music (three or four years), and Bachelor of Music Technology (3 year) degree. It includes a suite of tasks ranging from identifying personal career development and planning, small-to-medium business enterprise skills, to creative entrepreneurship and new venture management.
While it could be argued that musicians have been long conditioned to the current Volatile, Uncer... more While it could be argued that musicians have been long conditioned to the current Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) global environment, it appears the recent challenges are testing even the most resilient and adaptable, causing one to question future professional sustainability. The methodological practice of Strategic Foresight and the use of Hajkowicz’s Global Megatrends as a guiding framework is chosen to answer the question ‘what will musicians’ livelihoods look like in 2050?’. Resultant scenarios of musicians’ futures conclude that live performance will be highly valued and in demand, and largely enabled by private funding and repurposed resources. Music, and therefore musicians, will embrace diversity and innovation in physical and digital forms, broadcasting to a global public seeking a more human experience within a non-human environment. The interim decades may see an increasing inclusion of professional non-music careers within one’s portfolio of work, furt...
As parent universities strive to produce work-ready graduates, tertiary music institutions are be... more As parent universities strive to produce work-ready graduates, tertiary music institutions are beginning to respond by changing their offerings. Consequently, vocational preparation, work integrated learning (WIL) and service-learning courses are becoming increasingly prevalent. For the majority of institutions, these are offered in the latter years of students’ undergraduate Bachelor of Music and Music Technology degrees. Some critics consider this is too late. Rather, exploration of what it means to be a musician needs to be encountered early in the degree in order to optimally maximise and engage with undergraduate training. In Australia, it is debatable whether young commencing students are generally ready to accept the realities of the music industry and/or supportive of vocation training. Traditional career goals such as orchestral employment are becoming less realistic, reducing linear career options, yet some tertiary music institutions with curricula aligned to these employ...
For the last two decades, the discourse surrounding the education of the professional musician ha... more For the last two decades, the discourse surrounding the education of the professional musician has increased as traditional forms of music employment become more competitive and the portfolio career has returned as an accepted mode of working for musicians. Criticism of the nineteenth-century conservatoire model, which in turn has led to the recommendation to embed an employability focus within degree programs that fosters the development of industry-prepared musicians. To date, however, there are few successful examples of this. This study investigates the design, development and delivery of the My Life as a Musician (MLaaM) vocational preparation strand of undergraduate courses that assist student musicians to prepare for their likely employment, both before and after graduation. The thesis makes an original contribution to higher education teaching and learning by documenting the processes involved in developing employability education within an undergraduate music curriculum. Da...
Community Music in Oceania: Many Voices, One Horizon makes a distinctive contribution to the fiel... more Community Music in Oceania: Many Voices, One Horizon makes a distinctive contribution to the field of community music through the experiences of its editors and contributors in music education, ethnomusicology, music therapy, and music performance. Covering a wide range of perspectives from Australia, Timor-Leste, New Zealand, Japan, Fiji, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Korea, the essays raise common themes in terms of the pedagogies and practices used, pointing collectively toward one horizon of approach. Yet, contrasts emerge in the specifics of how community musicians fit within the musical ecosystems of their cultural contexts. Book chapters discuss the maintenance and recontextualization of music traditions, the lingering impact of colonization, the growing demands for professionalization of community music, the implications of government policies, tensions between various ethnic groups within countries, and the role of institutions such as universities across the region. One of the aims of this volume is to produce an intricate and illuminating picture that highlights the diversity of practices, pedagogies, and research currently shaping community music in the Asia Pacific.
Designing a tertiary music institution course to create industry-ready graduates Woodwind special... more Designing a tertiary music institution course to create industry-ready graduates Woodwind specialist Diana Tolmie has performed in a multitude of musical genres instigated by a Churchill Fellowship and a Queen Elizabeth Trust Award. Consistent session work has
While full-time performance employment continues to be a highly desirable aspiration for many mus... more While full-time performance employment continues to be a highly desirable aspiration for many musicians within western cultures, its lack of practicality and statistical likelihood in current contexts has recently focussed attention on 'portfolio careers' as more feasible professional pathways for music students. Titled My Life as a Musician (MLaaM), this suite of compulsory courses exposes Queensland Conservatorium Bachelor of Music students to the issues of career survival and sustainability in the economical and technological volatile environment. While the main focus of their degree is refining the 'product', namely musical expertise, the overriding goal is to encourage the creative spirit in making well-informed decisions enabling educated predictions of career choices and/or viability of projects. As the first of its kind to be implemented in an Australian conservatoire, courses such as these have the potential to enhance entrepreneurial abilities in graduates ...
Currently the large ensemble course at Brisbane, Australia’s Queensland Conservatorium Griffith U... more Currently the large ensemble course at Brisbane, Australia’s Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) is pass/fail “compulsory-for-credit”—that is, part of the bachelor of music program for first- and second-year students. Performing ensemble options include the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra (QCCO), Queensland Conservatorium Wind Symphony (QCWS), the Con Artists (CA), Queensland Conservatorium Big Band (QCBB), and the Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra (QCSO). The first four ensembles apply a model rotating personnel per project (one to two concerts per semester), with activities held within the semester timetable. There is no room for event planning beyond the students’ three-to-four-year degree owing to the interruptive turnover of graduating students and minimal alumni participation. For the classical saxophone students, enrollment possibilities are with the QCWS, CA, QCBB, and QCSO.
Over the past two decades the topic of graduate outcomes has increasingly informed the discourse ... more Over the past two decades the topic of graduate outcomes has increasingly informed the discourse on the changing nature of universities. For conservatoires and university music departments the global shift in audience demand away from western classical music and jazz styles (traditionally the cornerstone tertiary music programs) to contemporary commercial music (CCM) has added an extra dimension to the graduate outcomes discussion with respect to vocation preparation and musicians’ portfolio careers. Few studies have tracked the career paths of music graduates across time with none focused on jazz/contemporary singers. This report discusses the findings from a snapshot study of Jazz/Contemporary Voice graduates (2001 to 2012) of one Australian conservatoire. The purpose of this research was to better describe this population of graduates in terms of employment outcomes, the dynamics of their employment activities, employment-seeking strategies and the relevance of university coursew...
Teaching for Learning and Learning for Teaching, 2015
Conservatoires have long adopted the master-apprentice teaching model to vocationally prepare stu... more Conservatoires have long adopted the master-apprentice teaching model to vocationally prepare students for linear-careers. Although currently undergoing reconsideration in Australia, the ethos of one-to-one teaching remains strong and is deemed highly valued by music students, teachers and musicians alike.
Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, 2014
Following a review of the Bachelor of Music program, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith Unive... more Following a review of the Bachelor of Music program, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University introduced a vocational preparation strand, My Life as a Musician (MLaaM) in 2011. This is a sequence of compulsory courses offered for one semester each year for the duration of the Bachelor of Music (three or four years), and Bachelor of Music Technology (3 year) degree. It includes a suite of tasks ranging from identifying personal career development and planning, small-to-medium business enterprise skills, to creative entrepreneurship and new venture management.
While it could be argued that musicians have been long conditioned to the current Volatile, Uncer... more While it could be argued that musicians have been long conditioned to the current Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) global environment, it appears the recent challenges are testing even the most resilient and adaptable, causing one to question future professional sustainability. The methodological practice of Strategic Foresight and the use of Hajkowicz’s Global Megatrends as a guiding framework is chosen to answer the question ‘what will musicians’ livelihoods look like in 2050?’. Resultant scenarios of musicians’ futures conclude that live performance will be highly valued and in demand, and largely enabled by private funding and repurposed resources. Music, and therefore musicians, will embrace diversity and innovation in physical and digital forms, broadcasting to a global public seeking a more human experience within a non-human environment. The interim decades may see an increasing inclusion of professional non-music careers within one’s portfolio of work, furt...
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