Designing a tertiary music institution course to create industry-ready graduates

Abstract

While full-time performance employment continues to be a highly desirable aspiration for many musicians within western cultures, its lack of practicality and statistical likelihood in current contexts has recently focussed attention on 'portfolio careers' as more feasible professional pathways for music students. Titled My Life as a Musician (MLaaM), this suite of compulsory courses exposes Queensland Conservatorium Bachelor of Music students to the issues of career survival and sustainability in the economical and technological volatile environment. While the main focus of their degree is refining the 'product', namely musical expertise, the overriding goal is to encourage the creative spirit in making well-informed decisions enabling educated predictions of career choices and/or viability of projects. As the first of its kind to be implemented in an Australian conservatoire, courses such as these have the potential to enhance entrepreneurial abilities in graduates and improving employment outcomes.