In this unit of study, students will acquire research-based performance, songwriting and recording skills based around a combination of repertoire areas relating to diverse genres of contemporary music. Students will work collaboratively in order to gain a greater level of understanding of performance and songwriting skills relating to diverse content areas, and will commence exploration of creative and technical facilities.

In this unit of study, students will continue exploration of diverse repertoire areas as commenced in Semester 1, with a specific focus on the communication of musical ideas and collaboration in rehearsal and studio settings. Students will both perform as “session” musicians for each other’s work, and also learn to lead the ensemble in performing an original song of their own for one week. Instruction on techniques for writing and performing music on particular instruments will support students in developing and arranging original music, directing its performance and recording the result. Students will perform and reflect on their own music and the music of others. This unit will culminate in a live performance showcasing repertoire developed over the course of the semester.

Students will bring their composition, performance and music technology skills together to complete a variety of collaborative projects during the course of the semester. Students will be challenged to write with different collaborators each week with weekly tasks exploring different genres and creative ideas. The aim of this class is to equip students with new songwriting methods in their “toolkit” which they can draw from in their own original works. They will produce a high-quality demo recordings in a studio environment. Throughout the semester, students will engage in analysis and assessment of their own work and the work of others.

In this unit of study, students will focus on three areas: generating effective lyrics, composing and recording instrumental tracks, and writing and recording toplines. In doing so they will build creative, technical and research skills. They will continue to build their ability to generate musical and lyrical material, and their familiarity with recording studios (both at the Con and home set-ups). They will also develop collaborative skills, through working together both in person and on line.

This unit of study provides students support to plan and create a major work at the culmination of completing previous principle study units, Contemporary Music Practice 1, 2, 3 and 4. Students will create a “concept EP’ throughout the semester that they write, perform and produce themselves. This concept can be many things – an aesthetic, a focus on an instrument, the creation of a persona, a specific lyrical theme, and so forth. Students must adhere to this over-arching concept through the creation of their EP. This process will be supported by ongoing instructor and industry feedback, as well as written critical self-reflection. Students will be asked to consider, justify and situate their practice and production of music within both broad and specific contexts. At the conclusion of this unit, students will have developed a cohesive body of work (approximately 20-30 minutes of music).

In this unit, students will be supported in developing a capstone project (20-30 minutes of new music) representing the culmination of skills developed over the course of all prior units in Contemporary Music Practice. In developing this work, students will interrogate the nature of innovation in their own original music. Students will experiment with a range of digital music techniques via practical activities. They will also investigate various means of presenting their music to the outside world. This will include consideration of online music cultures.

In this unit, you will be focused on creating a portfolio of work as the culmination of your CMP courses. This course will focus on recording a full-length EP to a professional standard. Unlike year 3, which had conditions and limitations built into the EP you recorded, this semester will be about developing a product that you think fully reflects your identity as an artist. The course will focus on developing your distinct artistic voice through composition, arrangement, studio performance and production. It will also look at ways in which to think about and record your process. The finished product will be of sufficient quality to be added to rotation on community radio such as FBI or RRR. There will be weekly 2-hour seminars which will be devoted to focused feedback on your work.

In this unit, you will focus on ways in which your EP - which you recorded in the previous semester - can have a public-facing outcome. In particular, it will look at ways in which your music can have a visual or performed identity through video, live performance and artwork. It will also look at how to publicise your music through streaming services, record labels, booking agents and publishers. This semester particularly focusses on creative ways in which you can promote your recorded work. This course will be made up of lectures from industry professionals, as well as 2-hour seminar sessions to receive feedback on your work.