The Arts Music Unit was originally established as the Department of Music within the Faculty of Arts at Sydney University in 1947, with its first student enrolments in 1948. It was the first music department in Australia to be set up within the context of humanities. The Bachelor of Music degree founded with its own Board of Studies in 1961, allowed students to develop skills as performers, composers and/or musicologists, whilst retaining Arts courses as an intrinsic part of all BMus studies. The Conservatorium of Music now offers a new (5 year) combined degree in Arts and Music. Students study at both the Conservatorium and Sydney University campuses. They can also major in music studies as part of their Bachelor of Arts degree. Free choice of Arts courses ensures an extraordinary and continuous diversity of student intellectual expertise and involvement.
Following the visionary direction of the Department's first Chair - Professor Donald Peart, an enormous legacy encompassing a vast range of disciplines still continues to be fostered and taught within the department. These can accommodate medieval and renaissance music, the musical traditions of Indigenous Australia, Japan or Indonesia, avant-garde music from Australia, Europe and America -as well as more orthodox studies of history, harmony and counterpoint centred in the European tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Alongside Peart's firm belief in the confluence of creativity and scholarship was the notion that music cannot exist until performed. His insistence that all department performance should be grounded in research sparked the development on campus of various innovative and significant musical groups and societies. Music Festivals, operas, weekly evening and lunchtime concerts have all been regular features in the Department's calendar.
The Pro Musica Society of Sydney University from its inception in 1949 pursued a policy of vigorous exploration and pioneering in music. Performances of significant orchestral, choral and chamber music dating from medieval times to the present day gave rise to groups such as The Renaissance Players, the Sydney University Chamber Choir, now Sydney Chamber Choir, the Early Music Society and the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra. The Renaissance Players is Australia's longest established professional early music group. They have been presenting performances of ancient music for more than 30 years under the inspired direction of their founder and long time teacher in the Department - Associate Professor Winsome Evans. In addition to their concerts they have recorded dozens of radio broadcasts, films and TV scores as well as releasing numerous CDs of medieval secular songs, dances of Spain and France, and traditional Sephardic music.
Peart's foundation of the Australian branch of the International Society for Contemporary Music in 1956 was a further indication of his commitment to an already well-established creative/scholarly ethos. Other Heads of Department such as the revered Peter Platt, who was appointed Professor of Music in 1975, continued to expand the ideals of their founding Professor, fostering a department richly engaged in the processes of deep enquiry and innovation in the fields of composition, performance or musicology. In 1976, Professor Platt working with the composer Ian Fredericks, set up the Music Department's electronic music studio - SUESS. The following year, Platt, (alongside musical directors Vincent Plush and Stewart Challender) was responsible for the establishment of the Seymour Group, formed for the performance of new music. With composers Peter Sculthorpe and Eric Gross also on the staff of the department, and the arrival in 1990 of Anne Boyd as Professor and Chair, many young and talented composition students flourished.
Western historical research received a boost by the creation of the Musicological Society of Australia in the Department under Peart's patronage (1963). From its first meeting the Society embraced research in both western and non-western music and this confluence became a vital characteristic of Australian scholarship when the Society later expanded into a national body with a membership of around 300. The current President of the Musicological Society - Associate Professor Nicholas Routley is also the Director of the Sydney Chamber Choir. Traditions of historical research have also been upheld in the Department by the well-published and highly acclaimed work of musicologists, Richard Charteris and Graham Hardie.
Since its inception, the original department has been engaged in studies of ethnomusicology, particularly in the areas of Australian Aboriginal, Japanese and Javanese music. Professor Allan Marett (following the studies of Alice Moyle and Trevor Jones) has played a major role in the development and research of ethnomusicology studies within the department for more than 20 years. The establishment of a student gamelan group initially led by Iwan Natapraja, was followed by the formation of Kyai Kebo Giro in 1992 by Sarah Weiss. Based in the Old Darlington School, this group became a focus for ethnomusicology programs as well as a performance ensemble.
Through its students Arts Music continues to produce an impressive list of alumni, a musical "Who's Who" extending across many countries and many fields, from teaching and research in all areas of education through to film, radio and journalism, music administration, to full-time composition and performance.
Arts Music is located in the Seymour Centre on the Darlington Campus. As well as housing various lecture, practice and tutorial rooms, the Unit also has its own library and computer lab. Concerts and lectures are held in the Old Darlington School (ODS), which is situated on the lawn between the Seymour Centre and Wentworth. The ODS also houses our collection of baroque instruments and the gamelan ensembles. Regular performances are also held in the Great Hall and the MacLaurin Hall on the main campus.
The computer lab is on Level 1 in the corridor which leads from the Stage Door to the lift. It comprises ten workstations networked together, each with a Mac computer, 5-octave keyboard, tone-generator, and set of headphones. Many applications are installed, including the Finale music notation writer, Soundedit 16, Protools, Cubase VST, Word 5.1a, Hypercard. The lab is managed by a technical officer. Check which days he is in when you are making arrangements to use the lab where you know you'll need assistance. Before you start using the lab you must sign a user's contract, after that you can make bookings which are on the door of the lab. Some of the terminals have internet access. General browsing is only permitted during periods of low demand.
The Music Library is located on the 5th floor of the Seymour Centre. It is a branch of Fisher Library, which is the central library for the College of the Arts and Humanities, and research library. The Music Library provides a range of resources and services to support teaching, study and performance in the Music Department. The library has a comprehensive collection of music scores and sound recordings (CDs and LP records), as well as videos, some cassette tapes and books. There are facilities for listening to audio material and viewing videos. The University Library catalogue is available on-line, as are other music databases such as the New Grove. Photocopying is by coin or copy card, no change is given, and copy cards can be purchased from larger libraries on campus. Material essential for course work is often held in Special Reserve for use in the library or overnight loan only.
Music Library home page
Instrumentalists play one or more instruments in solo recital, in accompaniment, or as members of orchestras, bands or other music groups to entertain audiences. They spend six to seven hours a day rehearsing and/or recording. They perform in both daytime and evening concerts and may spend some time on tour. Instrumentalists study and rehearse scores before performances; during performance they play music from scores or by memory. Some instrumentalists improvise, compose or arrange music.
Singers work in a special field of music, which offers a variety of opportunities depending on an individual's interests and talents. Two major areas may be pursued: Popular singers perform in popular idioms to entertain audiences. They study and rehearse music and special arrangements before a performance. They may entertain in a group or individually, on stage, radio and television, projecting forms of expression in voice using their own phrasing and special music arrangements to achieve an individual style of vocal delivery. Concert and Opera singers sing classical, operatic or church music in concert halls and theatres. They study and rehearse scores for performance as soloists or members of vocal ensembles.
Conductors conduct instrumental groups such as symphony orchestras, large bands, and/or they can work with choral groups. They audition and select members of a group and choose the music to accommodate the talents and abilities of the group to suit the type of performance to be given. Conductors become familiar with the complete musical score, conduct rehearsals, instruct instrumentalists concerning the rendition they require and endeavor to make optimum use of each instrumentalist's talents. They conduct performances in which they control such factors as balance, rhythm, dynamics and entries of particular instruments to create an effect consistent with their own interpretation of the score.
Exceptional ability is required to earn a living as a successful
performing musician. Talent, self-confidence, dedication, determination,
appearance suitable for public work, and an ability to get along with
colleagues and audiences are needed. The acceptance of irregular working
hours and long periods of time spent practicing or rehearsing are
prerequisites. It is usually necessary to travel extensively for full-time
work. A mastery of popular styles and programs and a flair for
entertainment are required of most soloists. Many musicians work in areas
unrelated to music to support themselves. There are good opportunities in
orchestras and bands for outstanding talented musicians who are dedicated
enough to succeed. Only a few manage to become soloists.
Composers create and write musical compositions. They invent melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures to express ideas and emotions in musical forms such as symphony, opera and song, as well as create music for film, radio, television and theatre. They apply a knowledge and understanding of harmony, counterpoint, orchestration or band arrangement, and of musical forms. Composers may specialise in one type of music or in compositions for particular instruments and some may write words to accompany the music (lyricists). They often work also as teachers of their acquired skills.
Arrangers transcribe musical compositions or melodic lines to adapt and modify them or create particular styles for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or for individuals. Persons with these skills may proceed to a number of jobs including music director, conductor, music teacher or record producer.
Musicologists are musicians with training in the skills of interpreting musical history, musical analysis and musical styles from all cultures and regions of the world. They generally work in an academic area either teaching at a tertiary level, and/or at the same time pursuing their own research interests for publication.
Music teachers in both primary and secondary schools aim to encourage students to develop an appreciation of all forms of music. They need to have exceptional communication skills and organisational abilities, combined with an enthusiastic and patient approach to the teaching of music. A proficiency in piano is also needed for classroom work as this forms a major part of their duties. Most music teachers in schools are also required to organise extra-curricular musical activities. These can include various concerts and recitals, as well as the organisation and rehearsals of any school musical groups such as choirs, bands or orchestras.
In primary schools, the curriculum is planned to create an interest and understanding of basic music concepts. Senior music courses are designed to enable students to continue a more detailed study of music. Music teachers provide opportunities for students to develop their own musical abilities at the same time as providing historical and theoretical knowledge of music. Teachers must also assist students to acquire the skills of performance, music reading, writing and listening.
Music teachers can also teach on a private basis to individuals or small groups in their homes or in the pupils' homes. These teachers usually specialise in teaching one instrument and prepare pupils for examinations, which are set by the Australian Music Examinations Board. They need, therefore, to be aware of the Board's requirements.
Arts administrators should have the ability to deal with people at all levels and have a personal involvement with one or more aspects of the arts. The field of Arts Administration can encompass a wide range of skills from fine arts and performing arts to business administration, accountancy, journalism, law and public relations.
Arts administrators perform a variety of management and administrative functions as staff members of performing arts centres, theatre, opera, ballet and dance companies, art galleries and museums, orchestras, community arts bodies, entrepreneurial organisations and funding bodies. Depending on the size and nature of the organisation, they may be responsible for budgeting and accounting, transport, booking and maintaining venues, publicity and promotion, and seeking outside sponsorship and government funding. They may negotiate with artists and performers and coordinate technical operations such as sound, lighting, stage management and security, box-office sales, distribution and sale of publications, public relations and catering. They may also be involved in commissioning and purchasing works of art or organising exhibitions.