Graduate Certificate in Music Studies

Develop a solid foundation to excel in your musical profession

The Graduate Certificate in Music Studies is designed to suit your needs and professional goals. Develop foundational knowledge in your chosen specialisation, engage in lectures and one-to-one lessons in your chosen genre. Group discussions encourage curiosity, learning independence, creativity, and pedagogical agility.

With a mutual respect for style-relevant demands and the artistic choices of both your students and peers, you'll learn to consider genre differences as complementary, rather than oppositional.

Our lecturers have extensive experience as performers, teachers and researchers across the spectrum of styles and genres. 

Students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Music Studies may transfer directly into the Master of Music Studies at the end of Trimester 1, dependent upon satisfying admission requirements.

Specialisations

• Pedagogy
• Performance
• Music Studies
• Composition
• Conducting

Pedagogy / Performance

The Voice Pedagogy specialisation at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University is recognised and respected across the world. Develop your teaching skillset with a focus on experiential cross-training design while building your knowledge and personal experience of singing across a range of styles. Balance your life and studies with flexible online options.

The Voice Pedagogy courses are designed for both emerging and experienced singing voice teachers working in one-to-one private studio, group classes, early childhood music, choral and community music settings. We draw on the strengths of existing classical and contemporary training models to build voices without boundaries.

Build your teaching skills, pedagogical knowledge and experience through an in-depth study of the entire vocal instrument including:

• Neuroscience
• Whole-Body Anatomy and Physiology
• Laryngeal Biomechanics
• 'Singers' Physical and Psychological Well-Being.

Grow and enhance your pedagogical agility to encourage your own students to:

• build health and longevity through vocal economy and efficiency regardless of style choice;
• develop practise habits that enhance the "whole" voice, thereby providing your singers with skills to access to all areas of range and style-related elements;
• help your students achieve their singing goals by refining your skills in the diagnosis and correction of vocal inefficiencies in your own and your students singing performance.

Composition / Conducting

The Conducting specialisation caters to a wide variety of emerging conductors on their pathway to a diversity of opportunities. The program is designed to support all conductors eager to develop skills, experience and confidence in a way that complements their unique aspirations.

Regardless of your knowledge and experience on entry, you will develop your conducting skillset with a focus on exploring existing technical fundamentals, refining your individual technique, challenging existing habits and developing your own personal style. You will undertake one-to-one lessons, addressing both your general development, and specifically exploring your ongoing ensemble conducting. There is great flexibility for one-to-one lessons which can be held in person, online, or a combination thereof.

For instrumental conductors, the majority of the program is self-directed study with guidance rather than being classroom-based. Coursework involves exploration into the pedagogy of conducting, current research specific to the genres in which you work, and self-reflective journaling. Choral conductors have the opportunity to undertake some of the fundamental coursework in the Voice Pedagogy specialisation to gain an in-depth knowledge of the human voice.

By building on your existing skills, knowledge and experience the program is designed to help you grow and enhance your ability, and therefore confidence to:

• develop a musical and conducting vocabulary, allowing you to convey your thoughts and feelings confidently in both performance and academic settings;
• refine a personal conducting style that is efficient and effective with the tools and confidence to artistically engage with a variety of performance genres;
• achieve your specific goals relating to conducting, empowering you to take the next step on the professional ladder, set yourself up for further academic study, complement your work in community, or supercharge your ensemble conducting at schools.

To be considered for the Conducting specialisation, it is expected that applicants are regularly conducting their own ensemble/s (whether professional, community or educational) to ensure regular, ongoing conducting practice. Questions about this can be directed to the Head of Conducting.