The Music Theatre focus area at AMPA offers an intensive and highly practical program, producing unique and professional performers, ready for any and all of the challenges the music theatre industry will throw at them.
Course Overview
Bachelor of Music (Performance)
Duration:6 Trimesters (2 years) full-time or part-time equivalent. Fee-HELP:Available CRICOS:057024K
Associate Degree of Music (Performance)
Duration:4 Trimesters (1.3 years) full-time or part-time equivalent. Fee-HELP:Available CRICOS:057023M
Undergraduate Certificate in Music
Duration: 1 Trimester (0.3 years) full-time or part-time equivalent. Fee-HELP: Available
AMPA’s innovative undergraduate degrees merge high-level performance and practical training with academic rigour and unparalleled industry insight. Students can personalise their degree based around their individual musical interests and aspirations.
Unlike many institutions in Australia, AMPA remains focused on individual, one-to-one learning. This means that music students are entitled to receive a 60 minute lesson per week as part of their Principal Study unit, along with an additional 30 minute lesson as part of Second Study. The option of taking a Second Study is particularly unique to AMPA, and a valuable tool for students with more than one skill eg. piano/voice or singer/songwriter. Focus Area: Music Theatre
Within this intensive AMPA program, students undergo technical training across the three core areas for Music Theatre: singing, dancing and acting. This combined with consistent performance and practice opportunities, produces unparalleled triple threat performers. Alongside this rigorous practical training, students receive tuition in music history, industry and performance technique enabling them to graduate ready for the highly competitive and demanding music theatre industry.
Study Areas
1. PRINCIPAL STUDY: All students receive 12 x individual, 1 hour lessons, on a chosen instrument or voice for every trimester in the course.
2. MAJOR STUDIES: Develop the necessary technical and artistic skills in a variety of Dance genres and coordinate movement with vocal and acting skills. Examine acting techniques applicable to character driven performance, communicating on set, and developing techniques in using body and voice in characterisation.
3. PERFORMANCE STUDIES: Weekly performances on stage in a live environment with professional sound and lighting.
4. ACADEMIC STUDIES: Gain the technical knowledge required to become a versatile professional. In stages 5 and 6 students transition to more practical based units to prepare for the industry and postgraduate studies.
5. ENSEMBLE: Improvise, experiment and collaborate with students in the music theatre ensemble led by industry seasoned musicians.
6. ELECTIVES: Music Theatre students can choose electives to complement and refine their degrees from classes such as: Production, Music Industry, Jazz Improvisation, Music and Media, Song Writing, and more.
Course Structure
Teaching Faculty
The AMPA Teaching Faculty are highly experienced educators with extensive industry and professional experience. Excellence of instruction and rigorous training ensure that AMPA graduates are equipped for successful careers in a highly competitive industry. Staff continue to mentor and network with students after graduation in order to support their continued growth and career potential.
View the AMPA Teaching Faculty
Course Progression
Students can transfer from the Associate Degree into the Bachelor Degree at any of the below transfer points.Students that have started in the Bachelor Degree also have the option of exiting after 4 trimesters with an Associate Degree.
Career Outcomes
Music Theatre graduates go on to become professional performers, directors, and stage managers, as well as tutors, session musicians, and marketing and administration professionals in arts councils and creative industries. Additionally, graduates are qualified to undertake postgraduate studies in a range of areas including: teaching in secondary schools, TAFE and universities/colleges, arts management, creative industries or further music studies.
Admissions
Entry Requirements: Completion of HSC or equivalent OR completion of at least one full time year of tertiary study OR as a mature age student. Provisional admission may be granted for students limited educational qualifications.
Admissions Process: Three-Part Performance Audition (Singing, Dancing and Acting) + Interview + Musical Knowledge Test
For further information on admissions procedures, please refer to Section 3.1 of the AMPA Student Handbook.
