Bachelor of
Music Industry (Major in Songwriting)

About the course

The Bachelor of Music Industry program is the most flexible and innovative music program in Australia. The program is designed to support emerging music professionals across all areas of the industry to work collaboratively, think innovatively, and create their own pathway into industry.  

Students choose one of the six pillars of the music industry as their major. These are: business, composition, music production, performance, song writing, and audio production.  Students then tailor the remaining 50% of their course by choosing from a pool of over sixty subjects. Students can add either two minors, a minor and electives, or just electives to their major study area.  

In addition to the majors and electives, all students undertake common core subjects in the first two years of the program.  This common core focuses on understanding the music industry, looking at the music industry from different perspectives, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, and looking at how to prepare themselves for the future of the music industry.   

The combination of the common-core, majors and minor/elective units prepares the student to undertake their industry-mentored capstone project providing them with the perfect transition to the music industry.  

Areas of elective and minor study include:  

• film and media composition
• performance
• music business
• business innovation
• advanced performance
• songwriting
• collaborative songwriting
• sound production
• professional sound
• game audio
• beat cypher
• music production
• innovation in music creation
• creating content for the music industry
• work placement

Major in Songwriting  

Year 1  

In the 1st semester of songwriting major students focus on the foundational concepts of melody, harmony, form and lyrics and participate in songwriting and performance workshops where their ideas are presented. Students will also explore the foundation elements of what a music producer does, how they do it, and why, through a series of workshops discussing the evolution of the music industry and the role of the music producer within it. Students will use foundational tools and techniques for DAW (computer) based music production focusing on the Ableton Live software package. Students will engage in activities including developing original demos, creating beat tapes, and engaging with professional music producers.  

In the 2nd semester students will extend their songwriting skills by exploring novel variations to functional songwriting techniques. Development of critical thinking and exploration of the songwriter’s distinctive artistic identity will be introduced into songwriting workflow. Students will also be guided through the process of producing a full-scale original track by engaging in activities such as analysing the production values of their favourite tracks; experimenting with a range of software-based production techniques; work-shopping the development of your original track; and learning how to mix your track and make it ready for online distribution.  

Year 2  

In semester 1 students will further explores the songwriter as an artist through in-depth study of and response to existing repertoire. Stylistic approaches to lyrical, melodic and harmonic content will be further analysed in popular music and students will be challenged to add greater technical and aesthetic depth to their own compositions.  

In semester 2 students will be introduced to songwriting to a brief for areas such as theatre, film, advertisements and community projects. Students will develop skills to interpret the external requirements of such projects. They will learn how to identify themes and respond critically to create artistically appropriate content that serves and engages across various platforms and mediums. Students will develop familiarity with the functional songwriting techniques of various styles and genres and apply them appropriately.  

Year 3  

In semester 1 students will gain a deeper understanding of the songwriting craft through the exploration of literature such as poetry, spoken word, short stories, existing lyrics and other texts. Students will identify various literary techniques and tropes and employ them in their own work. They will further develop their own artistic voice and processes by making connections with the wider world of art and culture.  

In semester 2 students will examine art, culture, society, and aesthetic principles and apply these contexts to inform their songwriting. By developing a broader cultural and artistic perspective, students will learn to solve complex songwriting problems and have the opportunity to present their findings and ideas both theoretically and practically. Students will be required to present both a folio of work and complementary aesthetic exploration to demonstrate how these broader cultural and artistic perspectives have informed their song writing practice.  

Students from other Major disciplines can join the songwriting cohort from 2nd year as part of their minor studies.  

Real-life industry experiences and facilities include: 

• access to our studio facilities including
• licensed 200+ on-campus music venue
• industry standard writing and production suites 
• access to our internationally renowned Artist in Residence programs 
• on campus record label Tremorverse Record 
• perform in a 200+ capacity live venue 
• produce your own creative portfolio 
• choose from a range of electives to broaden your expertise 
• collaborate with audio, composition and music business students in our world-class facilities 
• be empowered to apply practical and theoretical aspects of music to real creative projects 
• access to our Analogue Synth Collection 
• study with like-minded creatives and expand your industry network 
• learn from industry professionals 
• music business training 

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