Hamilton City Information Session
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Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts
BM1901
Course details
-
Feb 2025
- Three years
- Full-time or Part-time
- $8,220* per year
- Level 7
- Available for International Students. International Fee Guideline
- Hamilton City Campus
Summary
Students will develop their own musical voice and learn skills for a career on stage, behind the curtain, or in the production suite.
Music and performing arts students work alongside each other to learn technical, theoretical and professional skills while developing their expertise in their chosen endorsements. Through additional elective modules and large-scale projects, students have the opportunity to specialise in their chosen field as they move through the degree.
This degree has two pathways:
- Music (audio production, composition/songwriting, performance)
- Performing Arts (theatre)
Music
Along with technical, theoretical, and professional skills, students will explore audio production, composition/songwriting and performance, and develop expertise in one or more of these areas through elective choices and specialisation within the core modules.
Audio production
Capture and shape sound in innovative ways. Audio production students will learn:
- Audio engineering
- Mixing and producing
- Sound design
Technically engage with a wide range of music and multimedia contexts and develop a heightened sense of listening. Students will develop an understanding of the technologies and innovations of how sound is captured, manipulated, and reproduced.
Performance
Perform music in live and studio environments. Performance students will learn:
- Vocal and instrumental technique
- Performance stagecraft
- Vocal, instrumental, and ensemble performance
- Studio recording
Students will develop a rich understanding of musical interpretation and enhance their practical, creative, and critical skills to become a professional musician in a variety of performance settings. Students will have opportunities to learn from professional teachers to develop technical and artistic skills on their chosen instrument/voice.
Composition/songwriting
Expertly craft the elements of music. Composition and songwriting students will learn:
- Songwriting
- Music and multimedia
- Notation and recording technology
- Instrumental genres and styles including film/game music, classical music, and sound art
Gaining the expertise to create music as a standalone art form alongside video/film, theatre, games, and other emergent technologies, students will develop control of the technology needed to craft the elements of music for a range of musical genres.
Performing arts
Along with technical, theoretical, and professional competencies, students will develop further skills to be creative theatre practitioners.
Performing arts students will work on arena musicals to intimate plays, dance shows to cabaret, and explore:
- Acting techniques
- Voice and singing
- Directing and producing
- Movement and dance
- Stage management, set design, lighting, and sound
Students learn in real theatre environments from some of New Zealand’s leading directors, choreographers, actors, musical directors, and writers. Additionally, students will perform regularly within the Wintec music and performing arts scene and are encouraged to audition for and participate in community, regional, and national productions while studying.
What you will learn
In the first year of the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts, students will take three core modules:
- Music and Performing Arts Craft: Develop specialised skills
- Critical Methods: Understand the arts and the cultural world
- Professional Practice: Learn the ways of industry
To complement these modules, students will add two electives of their choice so they can broaden their creative toolkit—these electives include introductory papers on songwriting, performance, sound fundamentals, storytelling, moving image, design, photography, and more.
These courses will give students a secure grounding in their discipline's technical, theoretical, and professional skills while also exposing them to broader ideas about the arts and the cultural world around them.
View programme modules
Note: no value in the pre/co-requisite columns means there are no pre/co-requisites for that module.
Table A: Craft and core modules
| Module Code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAPA510 | Music and Performing Arts 510 | 30 | 5
| ||
| MAPA520 | Music and Performing Arts 520 | MAPA510 | 30 | 5 | |
| MAPA610 | Music and Performing Arts 610 | MAPA520 | 30 | 6 | |
| MAPA620 | Music and Performing Arts 620 | MAPA610 | 30 | 6 | |
| MAPA710 | Music and Performing Arts 710 | MAPA620 | 30 | 7 | |
| MAPA720 | Music and Performing Arts 720 | MAPA710 | |||
| CRIT501 | Critical Methods 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRIT601 | Critical Methods 2 | CRIT501 | 15 | 6 | |
| PROF501 | Professional Practice 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| PROF601 | Professional Practice 2 | PROF501 | 15 | 6 | |
| PROF702 | Professional Practice 3 | PROF601 | 15 | 7 |
Table B: Project modules
| Module code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRTV701 | Research Methods | CRIT601 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV702 | Freelance Project | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA610 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV703 | Capstone Project | COMM710 or DSGN710 or MAPA710 or CART710 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV704 | Art Education - Matauranga Toi | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA610 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV705 | Creative Work Industry Learning | PROF702 or equivalent | 15 | 7 | |
| DFNZ701 | Design Factory Industry Project | 75 credits at level 6 or pre-requisites may be waived at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated authority | 30 | 7 |
The 30 credit module DFNZ701: Design Factory 1 can be offered as an option within any Wintec degree programme, wherever the degree programme structures allows such an option. Admission into the Design Factory module is on negotiation with the Centre Director or delegated authority and selection into the module is in line with the Design Factory process.
Table C: Elective modules
| Module code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSGN502 | CMS Web Publishing | 15 | 5 | ||
| DSGN503 | Graphic Design Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRTV501 | Creative Special Topic 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRTV502 | Creative Special Topic 2 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA502 | Sound Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA503 | Lighting Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA504 | Songwriting | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA604 | Songwriting 2 | MAPA504 | 15 | 6 | |
| MAPA505 | Intro to Ensemble Performance | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA506 | Repertoire Studies 1 | ||||
| MAPA507 | Performance Studies 1 | ||||
| CRTV601 | Creative Special Topic 3 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| CRTV602 | Creative Special Topic 4 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| COMM502 | Storytelling, Myth and Ritual | 15 | 5 | ||
| PRNT501 | Screen Printing | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA504 | Screen Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| SCRN503 | Screen Technology One | 15 | 5 | ||
| JOUR505 | Media Law and Context | 15 | 5 | ||
| BMA0G210 | Illustration, Concept Media | DSGN510 or CART510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| DSGN602 | Motion Graphics | DSGN510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| DSGN603 | Type Design | DSGN510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| PHOT501 | Photography Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| PHOT502 | Photography Tech One | PHOT501 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 5 | |
| PHOT503 | Darkroom Photography | 15 | 5 | ||
| CART502 | Drawing Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| CART503 | Painting Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA606 | Repertoire Studies 2 | MAPA506 or equivalent proficiency | 15 | 5 | |
| MAPA607 | Performance Studies 1 | MAPA507 or equivalent proficiency | 15 | 5 | |
| CART602 | Eco Creative Practice | 60 credits level 5 including either CRIT501 or PROF501 | 15 | 6 | |
| DFNZ601 | Design Thinking Launchpad | 60 credits at level 6 or equivalent | 15 | 6 | |
| COMM602 | Feature Writing | 15 | 6 | ||
| DSGN604 | Surface Design | DSGN503 or equivalent | 15 | 6 |
Or other modules and packages of learning as agreed to by the designated media arts staff.
Design Factory NZ
In their third year of study, students can apply to study the 30 credit Design Factory NZ module. This experience teaches a range of problem-solving methodologies, which students will apply to a real-world challenge provided by an industry
partner. Students will work in a multi-disciplinary team alongside students from engineering, business, IT, sport and exercise science, media arts, and more.
Joining Design Factory NZ will provide students with the opportunity
to learn and work in new ways, prototype solutions to complex problems, and develop their soft skills of creativity, empathy and communication - all in high-demand for the workplace of the future.
Read more about Design Factory NZ here.
Career/further opportunities
- Live sound engineer
- Studio sound engineer
- Mixing engineer
- Mastering engineer
- Songwriter
- Composer
- Private instrument teacher
- Actor
- Lighting designer
- Stagehand
- Theatre technician
- Event co-ordinator
- Events management
- Software operator
- Session player
- Producer
- Performer
- DJ
- Sonic artist
- Music arranger
- Orchestrator
- Musical director (including school productions and/or community-based groups)
- Conductor
- Choral director
Graduates will be qualified to work in a range of theatre, music, media, and creative roles. Graduates will have developed transferable skills and professional attributes that will position them for many other jobs, they will have the skills to work collaboratively and creatively within the increasingly complex and dynamic creative industries.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts are positioned to pathway into postgraduate programmes at Wintec such as the Bachelor of Media Arts with Honours.
Student projects
Look through our graduate publications to see the work students create. In these, you will find short bios and images of student projects from across the media arts disciplines over the years.
Frequently asked questions
What can I expect from the class schedule and workload?
Expect to spend about 26 hours a week in scheduled classes. Some of these will be on campus, but students will also spend time on industry visits and working on client projects.
How much time outside of class will I need to spend on study?
Students are expected to do another 14 hours of independent learning on top of classes - in total the mix of class time and independent study should add up to about 40 hours per week.
What opportunities will I get to work on industry projects?
There are four project zones per year, during which students will work for up to three weeks with an industry or community partner on a cross-disciplinary project. Students will also do a work placement in second year and a major internship in their third year.
Undergraduate, semester, pathway, module and cross-disciplinary - what do these words mean?
Undergraduate means any study up to the level of completing a bachelor degree. Our academic year is made up of two main semesters, one from February to June and the other from July to November. We also have a summer semester for some classes. A degree is made up of a mix of compulsory and elective modules, modules are worth between 15 and 60 credits. A year’s worth of full time study is 120 credits.
Who will teach me?
You will learn directly from active practitioners who are composers, arrangers, directors, actors, studio producers, songwriters, sonic artists, classical and jazz performers. Meet the School of Media Arts team here.
Events
Disclaimers
Entry criteria
General academic admission
a) Candidates are required to have:
i. NCEA Level 3 comprised of 60 credits at NCEA Level 3 or above and 20 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above, including:
(1) 14 credits each at NCEA Level 3 in three approved subjects; and
(2) Literacy (10 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above made up of 5 credits each in reading and writing); and
(3) Numeracy (10 credits at NCEA Level 1 or above); or
ii. A relevant level 4 qualification; or
iii. Equivalent.
b) In exceptional cases, candidates with 60 credits at NCEA Level 2 across four subjects including 12 credits in a Language Rich subject, or equivalent, will be considered.
c) In addition, for admission into the BMusPA Composition and Audio Production endorsements, candidates will:
i. Have gained grade three music theory, or sit a music theory test as determined by the School, and
ii. submit a portfolio of work as specified below, and
iii. If shortlisted, may be required to participate in an interview and/or audition
d) For admission into the BMusPA Performance endorsement, candidates will:
i. Have gained grade 6 Practical Trinity College London, Royal School of Music London, Rock School London, or
ii. Attend an audition to demonstrate equivalent skills and abilities in instrumental performance.
e) In addition, for admission into the BMusPA theatre endorsement, candidates will:
i. submit a portfolio of work, and
ii. If shortlisted, may be required to participate in an interview and/or audition
UE 2020
Applicants who achieved University Entrance through NCEA in 2020 will be assessed under separate NZQA entry requirements that take into account the impacts of COVID-19. Candidates are required to have:
- NCEA Level 3 comprised of 60 credits at NCEA Level 3 or above and 20 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above, including:
- 12 credits each at NCEA Level 3 in three approved subjects; and
- UE Literacy (10 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above made up of 5 credits each in reading and writing); and
- UE Numeracy (10 credits at NCEA Level 1 or above).
Special admission
Domestic applicants aged 20 years or above who have not met the General Admission or entry requirements for a programme but whose skills, education or work experience indicate that they have a reasonable chance of success may be eligible for Special Admission. Special admission will be granted at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee. Such applicants may be required to successfully complete a foundation, bridging or tertiary introductory programme as a condition of entry into higher level programmes.
Provisional entry
Domestic applicants aged under 20 years who have not met the general academic admission and entry criteria for a programme but who can demonstrate a reasonable chance of success through other educational attainment and/or work or life experience may be eligible for provisional entry at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee. Provisional entry places restrictions on re-enrolment to be lifted if the applicant’s performance is deemed satisfactory by the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee.
Selection criteria
Selection will be determined on the basis of the candidate’s application and academic performance. An interview and written language test may also be required as part of the selection process.
English language requirements
a) Candidates who have English as a second language are required to have an International English Language Test System (IELTS) score of 6.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.5; or,
b) Equivalent.
Want to see full details of the entry criteria?
Don't meet the entry criteria?
Pathways
To check what you need to gain direct entry to a course, review the entry criteria available on each programme page. These assist you in understanding what qualifications or experience are typically required to gain entry. You can contact our team at info@wintec.ac.nz or 0800 2 Wintec at any time for further guidance.
Your first day
Are you ready for your first day of class? Check out your start date and where you need to be. You can also find useful information about studying at Wintec on our welcome page.
Semester 1 2025
Date: Monday 17 February 2025
Time: 10am-4pm
Venue: Events Room 1, City Campus
Itinerary:
- Welcome and staff introductions
- Tours, ID cards, and parking
- Lunch
- Class
Returning students
Please check your timetable for your first class details.
Prospectus (course guide)
The Wintec Prospectus (otherwise known as a course guide) outlines everything you need to know about Wintec. It contains information about the Wintec campuses, student life, and the programmes that are on offer.
Access your copy of the Wintec Prospectus
The Wintec Prospectus (course guide) is available by downloading the file - click on the document below to access the file. Alternatively, to request a copy via email or the post, please complete the form below.
Request an emailable or printed copy of the Prospectus
Portfolio
If you have not received NCEA credits in arts or visual design, do not meet the entry criteria, or are applying as a mature student, you may need to submit a portfolio/audition. You will be advised of this when you apply.
What do I need to submit with my application?
A 300-word personal statement: State why you wish to be accepted onto the music and performing arts programme. You could talk about the following: career goals and aspirations, musical experience, industry professionals/mentors, music and performing arts genres that interest you, chosen instrument or area of musical/performing arts strength (eg composition, production, instrumental performance, singing, acting, dancing). In addition, please include your CV.
Music portfolio: If you want to study music, include an audition USB or internet link with approximately five minutes of music that demonstrates your abilities in any/all of performance, composition, and production. This can include both cover songs and originals. Please note what your contributions are to the music (e.g. songwriter, performer). If presenting a performance, the work can be a simple home recording. Alternatively, you may audition at the interview; please state this clearly on your application.
Performing arts audition: If you want to study theatre performing arts, please prepare a song of your choosing (preferably from a musical theatre context) and a short monologue (minimum 1 minute) from any drama genre. You may also present a dance piece in any style. The audition process will ideally occur in person; however, video performances can be attached to your application where this is not possible.
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