Music
The music degree at UNSW is designed for ambitious, open-minded, and intellectually curious students, preparing graduates for a long and fulfilling career in music. This comprehensive program emphasises technical and stylistic proficiency, engagement with a global music scene, and collaborative learning. Students develop relevant skills through flexible, individually tailored study pathways, making full use of the university environment to support a successful music career.
The degree may be undertaken as a single or dual program, and can be combined seamlessly with other degrees across the university, including Arts, Education, Computer Science, Science, Advanced Science, Engineering, Media, Commerce, and Law. Students enrolled in other UNSW programs may also integrate music courses into their study plans.
Pathways for studying music at UNSW
There are several ways to study music at UNSW:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music: A three-year undergraduate degree open to all styles and genres. The program welcomes musicians of all genres, styles, and instruments, to study performance, composition, musicology, sonic technologies, and music pedagogy, with the option to specialise in these areas after completing first-year coursework.
- Bachelor of Music (Honours): High-achieving UNSW students may undertake an additional Honours year, graduating with two degrees. This option is also available to students from other institutions who hold a Bachelor-level degree in music.
- Bachelor of Arts: Offers a major designed for students who wish to qualify as music teachers in NSW secondary schools, and a major and minor with more flexible structures.
- General Education Courses: Available to all UNSW students, regardless of their primary degree.
- Post-Graduate Research: Supports a vibrant community of researchers working on a thesis, including those that combine a scholarly dissertation with creative practice.
Careers in music
A music degree at UNSW provides the foundation for a wide range of professional pathways. Graduates pursue careers that combine artistic practice with education, research, and industry engagement. Potential careers include:
- Arts administrator
- Classroom music teacher
- Composer
- Performer
- Music studio teacher
- Sonic artist
- Freelance musician
- Music researcher
Exploring new approaches to music at UNSW
Students at UNSW engage with music from diverse perspectives, developing both technical and expressive skills that foster confidence and artistic conviction. Through collaboration with peers and professional musicians, students gain insight into music’s historical contexts and cultural transformations.
The program supports high-level aspirations in performance, composition, research, and teaching. Students participate in ensembles, attend masterclasses, build core musical skills, and receive individual instruction through one-to-one lessons.
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To study Music at UNSW in the Bachelor of Fine Arts you must pass an audition and apply through UAC or UNSW Apply Online. You are also encouraged to apply for the Portfolio Entry Scheme. Please note that there are deadlines for UNSW applications and for the Portfolio Entry Scheme.
To learn more about our application process, please see the ‘UNSW music auditions’ section below.
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Auditions may be submitted at any time. Submissions are assessed at the end of each month, and applicants are typically notified of the outcome early in the following month.
Whether specialising in traditional areas such as performance or composition, or pursuing other musical practices, all forms of music are welcome. Applicants are encouraged to submit a recent recording that best represents their musical practice.
Please submit materials according to one of the following categories:
Performance
Applicants intending to focus on performance must submit two contrasting pieces. These may differ in tempo, technical difficulty, expression, style, or other musical elements. Each piece should be between three and five minutes in length and presented as a video recording.
Composition
Applicants intending to focus on composition must submit two contrasting scores, each accompanied by an audio file (preferably in mp3 format). Audio may be MIDI-based or a video recording of a live performance. It is also recommended that applicants submit two contrasting performances on their primary instrument or voice. If not accepted as a composition specialist, applicants may be considered for performance.Other musical practices
Applicants working in other musical areas should submit two contrasting examples of their practice. Submissions may include video, audio (preferably in mp3 format), and visual materials (PDFs).All applicants must also submit the following:
- Unaccompanied song: A short song of your choice, preferably a traditional or folk song, with a minimum duration of one minute. This is used to assess pitch accuracy.
- 500-word personal essay: A reflective piece about a topic of interest outside music. The essay helps assess written expression and provides insight into your broader interests and personality.
- CV/Resume: A brief overview of your musical and extracurricular activities. Extensive experience is not expected.
- Reference: A short written reference from someone familiar with your musical work.
For enquiries about your audition or the music degree, contact the Convenor of Music, Associate Professor Michael Hooper: m.hooper@unsw.edu.au
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Music (MUSCP1)
All students begin the music degree as Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music students, with many choosing to stay in this specialisation for its flexibility and wide range of electives. From the second year, students can transfer to other music specialisations:Music creative practice (MUSCQ1)
Focus on performance, composition, and creation. Push your skills to create innovative performances. Collaborate in ensembles and one-to-one lessons. With mentor support, produce original works to showcase at public events. Entry to this specialisation is by application; for more information contact Dr Sonya Lifschitz.Sonic arts (MUSCS1)
Combine ideas with practical skills to explore new sonic technologies and develop your career in electronic arts. Work on projects that enhance your sound design, sequencing, mixing, editing, and post-production skills. Create immersive audio-visual environments and multi-speaker surround sound projects in industry-standard studios, using specialist sonic arts software. This specialisation is overseen by Dr Adam Hulbert.Music pedagogy (MUSCR1)
Develop your unique teaching style for beginners, advanced students, children, and adults. Learn to enhance others' abilities by refining your own skills. Observe expert teachers, gain practical experience in instrumental and vocal instruction, and understand broader approaches to music education. This specialisation is overseen by Dr Kim Burwell. -
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music enhances your core music skills and knowledge while allowing you to specialise. You can combine your music specialisation with subjects offered across the university.
Our degree options
We offer the below undergraduate courses with a specialisation in Music:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music
- Bachelor of Music (Honours)
- Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours)/Fine Arts
- Bachelor of Commerce/Fine Arts
- Bachelor of Computer Science/Fine Arts
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Arts
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Education (Secondary)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Engineering (Honours)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Media
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Law
- Bachelor of Science/Fine Arts
Students in all specialisations can also pursue qualifications in music education.
Music Studies within the Bachelor of Arts
UNSW offers undergraduate courses with a major in Music Studies as part of the Bachelor of Arts:
The Music Studies program is designed for students with less formal musical training and does not require an audition. It is ideal for those seeking a broad engagement with music within a liberal arts framework. The majors can be combined with a wide range of other areas of study offered across the university.
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Arts/Law
- Bachelor of Arts/Education (Secondary)
- Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours)/Arts
- Bachelor of Commerce/Arts
- Bachelor of Computer Science/Arts
- Bachelor of Economics/Arts
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Arts
- Bachelor of Environmental Management/Arts
- Bachelor of Fine Arts/Arts
- Bachelor of Media/Arts
- Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine/Arts
- Bachelor of Science/Arts
- Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics)(Honours)/Arts
- Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Arts
Music Studies (Intensive) provides a more comprehensive range of prescribed music courses and is intended as basic preparation for careers in music teaching. This course is undertaken within the B Arts/B Education (Secondary).
A minor in Music Studies is also available in the following degrees:
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The Bachelor of Music Honours is an additional year of study that may be added to the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music. It provides an opportunity to complete undergraduate studies while also beginning a pathway toward further research. Honours students undertake a substantial project and are supervised by a member of the music academic staff.
Entry into the Honours program is by application. Students interested in pursuing Honours should contact either the School of the Arts and Media’s Honours Coordinator or the Convenor of Music. Full information about honours is included in the SAM Honours Handbook.
Recent honours projects include:
- A Flock in Flight: Poignancy and Self-Revelation from a Particular Musical Gesture in the Works of Takashi Yoshimatsu
- Applicability of formal methodologies to contemporary studio teaching: an exploratory study of Dalcroze, Kodaly and Suzuki
- At the piano: pedalling in Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, and hommages to Ravel
- Colours of the music: Investigating the impact of coloured lighting on emotional arousal in piano performance
- Conceptions of musical ability
- Coping with Music Performance Anxiety: The Use and Effectiveness of Strategies Implemented by Musicians
- Coping with music performance anxiety: the use and effectiveness of strategies implemented by musicians
- Copyright and musicians: Qualitative study about emerging musicians’ knowledge of copyright
- Film, Music, and Emotion: The Multidirectional Diffusion of Emotion between Stimulus and Related Context
- How to Handel Ornamentation: Free Ornamentation of Baroque Da Capo Arias with a Focus on two Selected Works by George Frideric Handel
- Informing music studio teaching practices: a critical investigation of theoretical, empirical and professional literature
- Music Playing its Part: Music Censorship in Afghanistan
- Piano memorization: concepts and strategies for the pre-professional pianist
- Practice skills and their acquisition in Higher Music Education
- Reconceptualising the Heritagisation of Western Classical Art Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage
- The Mind and Body on Soothing Music: Examining existing research on why we relax when we hear soothing music
- Tonal Signifiers: A Comparative Analysis of Solos by Jimmie Blanton and Joel Quarrington
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Higher degree research in music at UNSW spans a wide range of subjects, including musicology, ethnomusicology, composition, performance, music psychology, popular music, music aesthetics and music education. Students may move between disciplines within the School of the Arts & Media, allowing for interdisciplinary exploration and collaboration.
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The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music is a full music degree, with courses that include creative work (which, for most students will be performance), musicology, music theory, and electives. The University Handbook provides detailed information about core courses and electives. In addition to music-specific subjects, students can choose electives from across the university, or, if enrolled in a dual degree, complete courses from their second program.
The music degree is designed to be flexible and to support your interests, allowing you to choose the right balance of creative, musicology, and theory courses.
Our main creative courses are called ‘Music Craft,’ and we have six of these, which are spread across the degree. Each includes:
- a lesson subsidy for one-to-one lessons with a teacher of your choice
- a masterclass
- an ensemble
- a studio class
The studio classes cover skills including:
- staging a performance
- music and electronics
- improvisation
- graphic scores
- conducting
- composition
We run about twenty ensembles each year, including orchestra, gamelan, pop fusion, and jazz. You can expect to be part of an ensemble for most of your time as a music student.
Musicology courses are spread across the degree and the core courses include research and writing skills, music history, and ethnomusicology.
Music theory is taught in courses called ‘Music Literacies’ and these cover skills in notation, tonal music, jazz and contemporary music.
We offer nearly 20 electives, which are taught in a wide variety of ways and which include: music psychology, popular music, philosophy of music, jazz, music history, orchestration, studio teaching pedagogies and electronic music.
At the end of the program is a course called ‘Critical Practice in Music,’ where students put together everything they have learned, working in groups to develop an ambitious and purposeful project.
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Our courses are taught by highly experienced music academics and industry leaders who bring specific expertise for particular courses. Many of the ensembles are led by musicians who are also active performers, composers, and conductors.
Instrumental study is guided by a teacher you select, with one-on-one lessons designed to support your development and musical growth.
Students also make their own ensembles, create bands, collaborate on performances, and contribute to a strong sense of community. This informal learning environment plays an important role in shaping musical identity and fostering peer support and it also helps students to prepare for careers in music.
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It varies greatly! Most students are on the campus (music is taught at Kensington) 3–4 days a week, attending a mix of lectures, tutorials and rehearsals. Students may also spend time working individually in our practice rooms.
Ensembles usually rehearse between 4 and 6 pm and most students participate in at least one ensemble each term. Full-time students typically study two or three courses per term, each with its own assessments. These assessments are completed through tutorials, group work (including rehearsals), and independent study.
Masterclasses are held three times per term on Friday afternoons, bringing students together for shared learning and performance experiences.
Students enrolled in a dual degree will mix music with courses from the other degree, mostly taught in nearby buildings.
Many students are active in UNSW societies and campus life often includes meeting friends, forming new connections and rehearsing together. A large number of students also undertake paid work outside the university.
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Yes! Each term, the music program offers courses designed for students who are not enrolled in a music degree but have an interest in music. Some of these are General Education courses, open to all students across the university.
A few courses – such as MUSC1804, MUSC1805, and MUSC1806 – require performance skills. The Ensembles course (MUSC2706), which involves participation in two ensembles, requires permission from the Ensembles Convenor, Professor Dorottya Fabian.
To find out which music courses are available in a given term, contact the School of the Arts & Media for up-to-date information.
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At the end of each term, student ensembles present public performances, which are listed on the School of the Arts & Media events page. In addition, Honours students give individual recitals in September.
All performances are open to the public, and everyone is warmly invited to attend.
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In addition to classrooms for teaching, the music program offers a range of specialist facilities, including performance spaces, practice rooms and dedicated rehearsal areas. Many of these spaces are equipped with pianos, amplifiers, drum kits, music stands, screens and other essential equipment for music study.
There are two fully equipped recording studios, along with technology for immersive audio production. Students also have access to the Technical Resource Centre, which provides a wide range of equipment – such as cameras, microphones, and lighting – for use in creative projects.
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You can visit the Esme Timbery page to find out. Many of the music performances take place in this space.
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For questions about studying music at UNSW, contact the Music Convenor, Associate Professor Michael Hooper. To arrange a meeting, send an email with a brief outline of your interest or enquiry.
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Staff
Music research at UNSW encompasses analytical, cultural, philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and practice-based approaches. We're leaders in performance, composition, musicology, pedagogy, ethnomusicology and music psychology.
In addition to the core academic team, the program collaborates with a broad community of musicians and scholars who contribute to teaching and performance.
