Diploma of Music Performance

The Diploma of Music Performance at Collarts is a 40-week course for musicians who want to turn raw talent into a working set of professional skills. You will spend most of your time making music: one-to-one lessons on your principal instrument or voice, ensemble rehearsals, performance workshops, and theory and aural classes that sharpen how you hear and respond to music. Styles range across contemporary popular music, and you will be playing with other students from day one, not sitting in lectures about music.

This is a diploma, which sits below a bachelor degree on the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is delivered over 40 weeks and is made up of units of study, each carrying credit points. Assessment is practical: recitals, ensemble performances, recordings, and written or aural tasks. There is no research thesis at this level, but you will complete a final performance project that pulls together what you have learned. The diploma is a common pathway into a bachelor degree, and credit may be granted for completed units, so ask Collarts how much of the diploma counts towards further study.

Collarts is a specialist creative arts institution in Melbourne, a city with a dense live music scene, recording studios, venues, and festivals. Study here puts you close to that industry. Work-integrated learning takes the form of performances, industry projects, and contacts with working musicians and producers. Teaching staff are practising professionals, and the small-cohort setting means you get direct feedback rather than being one of hundreds in a lecture theatre.

Skills you build include stagecraft, improvisation, reading and notating music, rehearsal technique, basic recording and production, and the discipline of preparing for a gig. You also learn how to work in a band, take direction, and present yourself as a musician. The course suits school leavers and mature-age students who want serious performance training without committing to a full degree straight away, and players who need a structured environment to lift their standard. International applicants need to meet English requirements, and the Student visa comes with work rights of 48 hours per fortnight while studying. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) may be available depending on your circumstances. Check the official page and the CRICOS register for current details on fees, entry requirements, and intake dates.

• Performing musician in bands, solo projects, or session work
• Live and studio session player
• Music teacher or instrumental tutor in private studios and schools
• Songwriter or composing for film, TV, and advertising
• Music director or band leader for live events
• Venue and festival performer across Australia's live music circuit
• Entry-level roles in artist management, booking, and music promotion
• Further study: bachelor degrees in music performance, composition, or music industry