Music for Media
In addition to critiquing music students’ work in music and film through the Elder Conservatorium, the Institute teaches a course called Music for Media.
Music for Media, including music for film, television and video games, is the fastest-growing music market in the world. It’s also one of the most creatively innovative fields, taking stylistic cues from every music genre and forging new ones to enhance the dynamic, shifting landscape of screen-based narrative media.
This course will begin with a survey of the creative and theoretical state of music composition in modern film and television, with emphasis on the disruptive influences taken from underground music making, specifically dance and electronic music.
Designed for would-be professional composers, the core of the course will be a series of hand-on workshops, giving students assignments in simulation of work they might be given on commercial projects, and emulating the iterative criticism and feedback they are likely to receive, with the goal of preparing them for the rigors of professional music production.
The course will conclude with a discussion of best business practices and self-promotion strategies, giving students guidance toward their first steps on a journey into a career in music for media.
"The first major difference I noticed in the course was it’s streamlined yet more hands-on approach. Most other courses covering similar content often tries to deal with it’s subject matter from a theoretical or software perspective instead of a creative aspect. Another difference was how feedback was very direct and both harsh enough to incite improvement and passive enough to still be facilitating growth and our skill level. Tom is an excellent lecturer who is able to point to his own experiences in class and in discussions, as well as appreciate Australian and meme culture."
Nick Butterfield