Kā Toi Whakaari

Music

Develop a rewarding career creating, producing or performing music.

Our highly respected music programmes will equip you with the skills, knowledge and performance experience needed to become a confident, capable and creative musician.

You'll learn from internationally acclaimed jazz, contemporary and classical musicians in a supportive, collaborative environment, alongside students from all over New Zealand who want to pursue a career in the global music industry. One-on-one coaching, ensemble projects and collaborative opportunities will inspire you, hone your skills and connect you to leading local and international musicians.

When you join us at Ara, you’ll become part of New Zealand’s vibrant, exciting music scene where home-grown talent is celebrated and you’ll have extensive opportunities to build a rewarding and satisfying creative career.

Our Bachelor of Music is available with three pathways:

Music Creation

This pathway focuses on writing music - everything from contemporary songs and advertising jingles to film scores and gaming soundtracks.

Music Performance

This pathway focuses on the performance of music – of any genre, both live and in the studio.

Music Production

This pathway focuses on the production of music, both live and recorded.

Disability Statement

If you think you may require modifications in order to undertake the practical components of a particular course of study, we encourage you to discuss these with us so we can give them careful consideration.

As it may take time to consider and implement any modifications, please contact disability@ara.ac.nz as early as possible prior to the course starting. We’ll also need to check that there’s no risk of harm to you or anyone else before making a final decision.

Throughout this process we’ll communicate with you in a clear and timely manner.

Creating a safe space for learning

Some of the content of this programme may pertain to current real-world issues that could evoke strong feelings or impact on the wellbeing and academic performance of learners who have experienced corresponding traumas in their own lives.

Performers / Broadcasters entertain, inform, engage, and create empathy with their audiences. These interactions bring forth discussion, can foster creative solution development and, most importantly, stimulate the creation of change in the world. This could mean drawing attention to and facilitating dialogue about topics that can be difficult, such as sexuality, gender, abuse, cultural appropriation, or racism.

We recognise that our learners bring with them diverse lived experiences. It is our role to create a safe environment for learning to allow for real emotions to come to the surface, and for students to feel well informed and well supported in the process.

Some of our strategies for supporting learners to engage with difficult content include:

Providing trigger warnings that allow learners to prepare emotionally for the content or propose alternative content or an alternative learning activity.
Providing resiliency or intimacy training as required
Providing access to wellbeing and counselling support services

It is difficult to anticipate all the topics that might be potentially triggering for learners, and therefore we encourage learners who are experiencing an emotional reaction to content to talk with their tutor or utilise Ara’s support networks.