Olivia Foy is a Bachelor of Music student at Monash University, specialising in Creative Music technology. She sat down recently to talk about her experiences in the degree, including its highlights, unique points, and where she saw herself after completing university.

Monash has a renowned music program – and, for greater flexibility, you can even pair the degree with Arts, Commerce, Education, Laws or Science. As with all Monash degrees, it comes with a global reputation; Monash sits in the top 1% of universities globally. You can learn more about Olivia’s experiences at Monash (and subsequently around the world!) below.

What attracted you to the Monash music course?

There are so many options these days with universities and independent music institutions. I knew that I wanted to study music, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. After doing a lot of reading, I decided to choose Monash in order to major in something that I loved whilst also having the opportunity to learn about other music areas such as ethnomusicology. The range of subjects is fantastic.

What’s your music background?

I have an interest in so many different instruments and I’m always wanting to learn. I grew up learning how to sing, play the piano, and the flute from quite an early age. I started learning the guitar and drums when I was in high school. When I was 12 I began writing songs with the help of my first guitar. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I started creating and recording my songs on my computer. I also have a ukulele, mandolin, and a banjitar that I like to play with just for fun!

Can you tell us what you love the most about the course?

Aside from loving the breadth and diversity in the subjects that we can take, I love that the course has a relatively small cohort in comparison to other study areas at Monash. The Performing Arts Centre is quite small and you’re almost always guaranteed to bump into friends there.

Tell us about your trip to NY

In my second year, I had the opportunity to take an overseas unit of study. Around 40 Monash Music students went to New York to attend NYU’s summer music program. It was an incredible experience to be there with friends, meeting other music talents from around the world. Many of us went to the US prior to the program starting, allowing us to travel and sight-see. We also had the opportunity to explore on the weekends and in the afternoons after class. The great thing about New York is that the music culture is so diverse, and there were opportunities for everyone to attend gigs and concerts. Although I didn’t attend any gigs in the duration of the program, I went to the Warped Tour festival to see some of my favourite bands the weekend prior to the program starting.

The music technology rooms at NYU were amazing. NYU students are so lucky to have twelve recording studios and computer labs at their disposal. In particular, the new James Dolan Studio space is a top-notch facility. It houses classroom spaces, an incredible control room, a live room large enough to accomodate a small orchestra, and a vocal/drum isolation booth. The music technology summer intensive program covered a lot of what we had already covered at Monash, but we also went into a lot more history of the technology. Our major project for this program was to write, record, and perform an original song.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I have a few dreams that I would love to become reality. I would love to be an artist, producer/engineer, or songwriter. Perhaps even all of them. Regardless of which path I take, I believe that my destination is Nashville, TN, one of the biggest music cities in the world and renowned for Country music.

Are you pleased you decided on a double degree?

I am happy that I decided to do a double degree of Education and Music as it allows me to explore more options in the future. It is also just another great opportunity for learning, which is something that I’m always happy for!

Give us a bit of insight into CMT – what is it like and why did you decide to major in it?

CMT is an acronym for Creative Music Technology. I would say that it is probably the most diverse music major that you can study at Monash! I decided to major in CMT because of my song writing and recording background. Creating music has always been what I loved to do most.

In the first two years, classes were split between Digital and Studio sessions. In Digital class we learned how to use digital audio workstations such as Ableton, Logic, and Pro Tools to create our own songs, create a score for short film, and to create a live set that we were assessed on at the end of each semester. In Studio class we learned about hardware gear, recording techniques, and mixing techniques. This year in third year, our major project is to write, record, mix, and master an album.

I love that everyone in the CMT is so diverse in their talents and where they want to be in the future. We have a lot of people who want to be artists, some want to be studio engineers, others want to be hardware and software developers. The CMT course has so many possibilities in both what area of technology you want to follow and also in what kind of music you want to make. In my year level, there is an incredible mix of genres. We have EDM/Pop, Chillwave/Synth Pop, Metal, R&B, and Country Pop. It is truly fascinating to be able to listen to and create all of these different styles of music in the same place!

What’s the atmosphere like in the School of Music at Monash – is it a tight knit collegial group? Are the lecturers encouraging? Do they inspire you?

The atmosphere at the School of Music here at Monash is always lively. As previously mentioned, it is a relatively small school with a small cohort, so it’s like everyone knows everyone, students and staff included! Classes are quite small and you’re likely to have most of your classes with the same people. This is great because it really creates a sense of community and it’s so easy to make friends.

The music lecturers and tutors are really passionate about what they teach and it really comes across in their delivery. In particular, my CMT tutors are very encouraging and inspiring. They have made some massive achievements in their music careers that I look up to. Since our classes are so small, we are really like a family. We all support and encourage each other in our musical endeavours. It is so exciting when your friends get booked for shows or their new song gets played on the radio!

To learn more about Creative Music technology and the Monash Bachelor of Music, visit https://arts.monash.edu/bachelor-of-music/

Music auditions are open until the end of February 2018 for the Semester 1, 2018 intake, so students can apply for the Bachelor of Music or its associated doubles throughout the Change of Preference period. Students can book an audition here.