Centre For Young Musicians

The Open Music Academy offers 9 weekly lessons during each school term across the year. For the most part, lessons are held on Saturdays in Elder Hall or the Madley Building.

Lesson duration - Beginner: 30 minutes, Intermediate: 45 minutes, Advanced: 60 minutes

The fees quoted above include participation in masterclasses, workshops, ensemble activities and performances. 
 

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Bursary application form

Regional Scholarship Program
The Open Music Academy is proud to announce its Regional Scholarship program. The State Government supported program will provide bursaries & travel support for regional and remote students to travel to Adelaide for Open Music Academy events based at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. The program is intended to enable students, their teachers and family members to attend Open Music Academy events including 1:1 lessons, workshops & masterclasses and public performances. Students of all levels are welcome to apply and advanced students will also be eligible for our Local Stars program.

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Donor funded scholarships
The Open Music Academy and the Elder Conservatorium of Music have a few instrument based scholarships provided for each year by generous donor gifts. The scholarships are merit based and will be advertised at the beginning of each year. As the program develops, more opportunities for scholarships will arise.

String ensemble (Junior and Intermediate)
In these groups string students in the Open Music Academy are invited to come together in regular ensemble sessions, in which they will learn the fundamentals of string ensemble playing. There will be a focus on key string skills such as intonation, bow strokes and tone production as well as general musicianship skills such as aural awareness, rhythmic precision and communication in a group. These ensemble sessions will help all students to develop their skills to the next level in a fun, supportive environment. If you are unsure which ensemble is best for you, please contact us for further information.

Junior Wind / Brass ensemble
In this group the junior wind / brass students in the Open Music Academy are invited to come together in regular ensemble sessions, in which they will learn the fundamentals of wind / brass playing. There will be a focus on key skills such as intonation and tone production as well as general musicianship skills such as aural awareness, rhythmic precision and communication in a group. This ensemble session will help all students to develop their skills to the next level in a fun, supportive environment.

Advanced wind and brass ensemble
This group covers essential elements of brass and wind ensemble performance at an intermediate to advanced level. Students will cover a range of repertoire and will learn how to blend their sound, perfect group breathing techniques, harmonise and develop secure group intonation, and broaden their stylistic awareness.

Vocal Musicianship
In these sessions, all Open Music Academy students are invited to join together in a choir, led by highly experienced vocal teacher Fiona McArdle. Singing is a crucial foundation skill for all musicians- it develops aural awareness, listening skills, security of intonation and a sense of phrasing. Through these sessions all students will develop a new level of confidence and positivity in their singing skills, as well as improving their general musicianship and ensemble skills.

Guitar ensemble
An opportunity for guitar students to come together in a small ensemble to develop group listening skills, rhythmic precision, blending of sound and enjoy the special tone world of group guitar repertoire. Led by Caleb Lavery- Brook, the group will cover a broad range of repertoire from pop through flamenco to classical.

Chamber music groups
This activity is for intermediate and advanced students who would like to play together in small chamber groups, which will be offered coaching during the ensemble sessions on Saturdays. Playing chamber music is an excellent way to improve musicianship, listening and leadership skills, as well as being great fun. Please note that while we will make every effort to find a suitable group for all interested students, it may not be possible to place every student in a chamber group immediately as we will be matching students by age and level as well as instruments.

These sessions will be available to all levels of musicians in the Centre for Young Musicians. Students will access their creativity, moving away from conventional music notation, supported by creative workshop leaders with experience in Australia and the United Kingdom. Through the creative music making sessions,  students will find that their musical confidence, communication skills and listening skills are all improved, supporting the development of their overall general musicianship.

Intermediate and Advanced Open Music Academy musicians will be given the opportunity to play side by side with Elder Conservatorium of Music students in rehearsals with the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra or Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra. There will be additional opportunities for Beginner level students to link with these ensembles, to broaden their horizons and interact with the next generation of South Australia’s professional musicians.

Our informal performance sessions present an opportunity for all Open Music Academy students to develop their confidence as performers by playing/ singing a piece in an informal, supportive environment. It is very important for students to have regular performance opportunities to maximise their motivation and progress. Like every skill, performing also becomes easier with practice, and these sessions are designed to help our students to develop a positive attitude to performing. An accompanist is provided for these sessions.