Music Composition
- Composition Course and Program Information
- A Creative Community
- Composition Staff
- Research
- Facilities
- Sonic Art Group
Composition Course and Program Information
Music composition at the School of Music – Conservatorium is offered as a major stream within the Bachelor of Music and at Honours, Masters and PhD levels.
Undergraduate Composition Program
The undergraduate program focuses on developing highly talented and committed students and is designed to give a strong foundation in composition in a number of areas including compositional technique, analysis and theory, repertoire study, as well as electronic and computer technology.
If you are interested in applying
for the Undergraduate Composition program please contact:
- Peter Mcilwain
Telephone: 03 9905 1330
Email : Peter.Mcilwain@arts.monash.edu.au
Undergraduate Application Procedure
Step 1: Consult University admissions Information.
Step 2: Composition Submission Form Download PDF
Step 3: Return the Composition Submission Form: due Wednesday 30th September, 2009.
- Note: If you
are submitting a composition portfolio and would also like to audition for performance, you will need to make a separate application for performance.
Step 4: Compile composition folio: due Monday 9th November, 2009. (Your folio can include both audio recordings and music scores of your work).
For advice on putting together your folio contact:
- Peter Mcilwain
Telephone: 03 9905 1330
Email : Peter.Mcilwain@arts.monash.edu.au
Step 5: Send your composition folio to:
- Peter Mcilwain
School of Music – Conservatorium
Building 68Monash University
Victoria 3800 Australia
Postgraduate Composition Studies
Outstanding students are invited to complete an Honours program that focuses on advanced techniques and technology applications.
At the postgraduate levels, composition candidates create a research-based folio of original work and prepare a critical commentary that serves to contextualise their compositional investigation.
Postgraduate Application Procedure
If you are interested in applying
for the Postgraduate Composition program please contact:
- Thomas Reiner
Telephone: 03 9905 3228
Email: Thomas.Reiner@arts.monash.edu.au
A Creative Community
A vibrant and creative composing community has evolved in the School that includes composers working in many areas of music. This highlights our approach that allows for expression and exploration in a wide range of musical styles and genres. Staff and students in the composition program are involved in many projects, and present their work in the wider community. Types of works created and performed in the School include:
- notated compositions for solo instruments, chamber groups and large ensembles
- electronic works for spatialised sound
- computer-generated compositions (including the creation of software with Max/MSP and Pd)
- music for film, dance and drama productions
- improvisation-based works
- sound installations
- works that combine the above.
Activities of composition students include the collaboration with performance ensembles and individual performers within the School. The School aims at the integration of composition, music studies and performance, and encourages a high level of creative interaction among students and staff.
Composition Staff
Composition staff comprises two permanent members:
Dr Thomas Reiner (Coordinator of Composition)
Dr Reiner's areas of specialisation are contemporary concert music, popular electronic music, music semiotics, and the study of musical time.
View Dr Thomas Reiner's profile
Peter Mcilwain
Peter Mcilwain's areas of expertise are electro-acoustic and computer music (including software design), compositional technique in sound spatialisation, and composition pedagogy. He also writes works for acoustic instruments including orchestral compositions.
In addition there are visiting lecturers as well as tutors drawn from the pool of past and present postgraduate students.
Composition Research
The School's increasing activity in research-based composition has seen both staff and students contributing papers and articles to a number of conferences and refereed journals.
Research is frequently carried out in collaboration with centres, organisations and institutions from outside the School. These include:
- Melbourne Composers' League (MCL)
- Centre for Electronic Media Art (CEMA)
- Interactive Information Institute (I-Cubed) at RMIT
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
- School of Music in Pitea (Sweden)
- Monash Centre in Prato (Italy).
A detailed discussion of composition as research can be found in the recent article 'The Research Status of Music Composition in Australia [PDF]'.
Recent and current research projects in composition include:
- 'A study of the interface of electronic, physiological and expressive performance timing in contemporary music.' Thomas Reiner
- 'An exploration of the integration and development of derived materials in contemporary composition.' Nissim Ben-Salamon
- 'Composition or instrument design: An investigation of the relationship between low and high level structure in interactive computer music.' Steve Adam
- 'Computer-aided music composition and performance.' Thomas Reiner
- 'Furthering indeterminacy in music composition.' Russell Goodwin
- 'Harmonic structures and directed motion in contemporary composition.' Peter Myers
- 'Music composition as an expression of research in feminist theory.' Melita White
- 'Space as a structural force in electro-acoustic and interactive computer music composition.' Robin Fox
- 'Strategies for the conceptual and aesthetic integration of team-based music composition, contemporary music performance practice, and music technology.' Steve Adam, Philip Czaplowski, Robin Fox, Russell Goodwin, Karen Heath, Peter Handsworth, Peter Myers, Thomas Reiner, Paul Todd
- 'Structural functions of electronic music: a collaborative recording project.' Steve Adam and Thomas Reiner
- 'Text and context in contemporary music.' Jane Hammond
- 'The application of physical interfaces for digital signal processing to music theatre performance.' Peter Mcilwain
- 'The exploration of contemporary practices in notation, improvisation, live electronic performance and music for film.' Anthony Pateras
- 'The investigation and development of compositional techniques for the spatial and temporal distribution of sound in electro-acoustic music.' Peter Mcilwain and Thomas Reiner
- 'The juxtaposition of musical styles as a compositional approach.' Philip Czaplowski
Facilities
The School provides and number of facilities that are available to composition students:
- a recording studio with computer-based hard disk recording (Mac G4),
- an electronic music lab with 4 channel monitoring and computer facilities (Mac G4),
- a computer lab with 10 workstations (iMacs) with Internet access.
Software supplied in these facilities include:
- Max/MSP
- Pd
- Sibelius
- Digital Performer
- Protools
- Metasynth