A Diploma of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Performance, a Diploma of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Music Production, and a Bachelor of Music in Entertainment and Arts Management will be on offer in this Victorian location, with course applications open now.
The expansion to Melbourne comes after five years of careful planning. According to AIM’s Dean, Professor Ian Bofinger, it marks the beginning of a larger vision. ‘We’re ready to move on and become a national provider. Melbourne’s just the first one of our next campuses. We’re looking to increase across Australia.’
This is a confident step for the creative learning institute, which began in 1968 as the Sydney Spanish Guitar Centre. The school evolved in the early nineties to offer a wider range of music training, and achieved accreditation and registration as a higher education provider some years later. AIM now offers music diplomas, music degrees and graduate music studies, and also has as a Dramatic Arts Department with Acting and Theatre Making courses in its Sydney location.
AIM Melbourne will be focused on delivering music courses and has developed a campus in the heart of Melbourne city, one block from Southern Cross station, purpose built for performance and music training.
‘In the centre (of the building) there’s a three story concert hall, and surrounding that, four floors of teaching rooms, lecture rooms, and production suites,’ said Bofinger.
The central concert hall will offer a variety of live entertainment opportunities for Melbourne music lovers throughout the academic year.
AIM’s primary goal as an educational institute is to prepare musicians and performers for the cutthroat entertainment industry. This manifests in practically minded programs that incorporate current trends. Having creatively-active teachers is an important step towards achieving this goal.
According to Bofinger, ‘We’ve got industry current staff teaching a program that really is all about preparing the students to go out into the real world, rather than a theoretic world.’ The majority of AIM teachers are casual, and work concurrently as industry performers, professionals, creators, and composers. This ensures that AIM courses remain up-to-date and relevant in such a fast-changing industry.
Lessons, workshops, and masterclasses within AIM are designed to mimic real world practices. Music history and theory are then applied in meaningful ways to strengthen each student’s practical skills and knowledge. Relevancy is the key, with courses able to be tailored towards individual student needs.
Unlike other providers that focus on classical studies, AIM is one of the few educators that views contemporary music studies as a valid and scholarly pursuit. According to Bofinger, ‘Probably our (AIM’s) biggest strength is our contemporary music and our contemporary focus.’ This unique dedication towards teaching modern practices and forms provides students with a solid educational background that in turn leads to a wide variety of careers in the current industry.
While AIM alumni can most easily be seen in performance roles, there are many behind-the-scenes jobs that graduates have also embraced such as event and artist management, lighting and sound art, film composition, production, and other creative or business positions. With reference to possibilities within the entertainment industry Bofinger stresses, ‘It’s not just that narrow band of top forty on stage.’
Admission to AIM is a multi-stage process. As well as a review of educational transcripts, potential students must also attend an interview. ‘If they’re a performer they’ll come and play in front of a panel. They’ll be asked a few questions about their general knowledge, and be interviewed just to see what their goals are,’ said Bofinger.
For those interested in applying to study in Melbourne, the new Melbourne campus will be having an open day on 18 January. This is a valuable opportunity for potential students to explore the educational facilities firsthand and collect relevant course information. A variety of panels, workshops, masterclasses and talks will run throughout the day, including practical instrument sessions, a discussion on the music industry of today, an introduction to music production, and overviews of each course. Performances from past and present AIM students will take place in the concert hall.
For AIM, the expansion to Melbourne is an exciting development. By taking up residence in Australia’s ‘live music capital’, the institute plans to enhance the already active music and performing arts scene by giving local musicians an opportunity to reach the next level of professional practice.
Bofinger cites the success of AIM Sydney as a hint of what’s to come for Melbourne. ‘AIM Sydney had a huge impact across Australia … look at the success of our students in shows like the Voice where the finalists are our graduates or current students. We’re hoping to make a similar impact (in Melbourne).’
With AIM’s practical contemporary focus and Melbourne’s raw musical talent, this may well be the case.
Applications are currently open for all AIM courses starting in 2014. Find out how to apply here or call 1300 301 983 for more information.
Find out about AIM courses in Melbourne here, or Sydney courses here. Visit the AIM website for general information.
The Melbourne Open Day will be held on 18 January 2014 at 120 King Street, Melbourne City from 10am-3pm. Visit the open day information page for more details.
