USC launches Bachelor of Music course

Pictured: Dr Andy Ward

A university on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is looking to educate the next generation of artists and music industry professionals with the launch of a Bachelor of Music in 2022.

USC said the course will be focused on sustainable careers in an industry in need of new avenues for success during COVIF-19. It will be based on original music creation with a songwriting and music industry focus.

It will be taught by award-winning industry professionals and recording artists, the university said, including songwriter, producer and artist Dr Andy Ward, as well as Dr Lachlan ‘Magoo’ Goold and Dr Briony Lutterll.

Ward said the degree should arm students with a diverse knowledge of how the industry works, and how to navigate it ethically and sustainably in the years ahead.

“Australia’s music scene is a vibrant, essential part of our culture worth billions of dollars to our economy, but it has been reliant on live performance and touring,” he explained. “So not being able to move around geographically has been enormously hard for artists trying to earn a living.

“We hope to shape interdisciplinary musicians who can work anywhere. They will play a major part in supporting the inevitable re-emergence of the great Aussie music industry in the future, and will do so with collaboration and contribution to community in mind.”

The course is three years full-time or equivalent part-time. It is recommended students have the knowledge equivalent to that of a Year 12 music program. In addition, they will be required to submit a digital portfolio of work which can include video, audio or written elements.

Ward said by the course’s third year, students will be working towards producing singles for commercial release, playing showcases for industry partners, and producing event and video clips.

You can find out more information here, and you can watch Ward talk about the music industry and COVID-19 below.