Southern Cross University music students not only get to perform at major Australian music festivals and collaborate with like-minded creatives, but their mentorship experience from industry-leading professionals is second-to-none.
Among the talented and industry-connected Southern Cross University contemporary music staff is ARIA-award winning musician Brad Hosking – musical director and musician in Amy Shark’s band.
Amy Shark catapulted to international fame in 2016 with her hit single ‘Adore’ and has continued from strength to strength. Amy and her band recently won the 2020 ARIA Award for the Best Live Act of the Year.
“I’ve been working with Amy since 2011, and this was such an incredible award to win where everyone in the wider team is able to take something out of it, from the band on stage to the lighting crew, audio crew, the monitor engineers, stage technicians and everything that goes into putting on the huge live show – and it’s the award Amy and her immediate team were really hoping for,” Brad says.
Brad teaches the specialist songwriting and production units in the contemporary music degree at Southern Cross University, working with students on crafting their songs, and recording them in the state-of-the-art studios. And when he’s not touring with Amy Shark as her guitar/bass/synth player and musical director for the three-piece band, Brad has a commercial recording studio, Blind Boy Studios, where he works with artists perfecting their original songs, then recording and producing them. He is honoured to be producing one of Amy’s songs set to be released in 2021.
Southern Cross University offers the Bachelor of Contemporary Music at its flagship Lismore campus close to Byron Bay, and Coomera Creative Campus on the Gold Coast.
The music degree’s origins in the heart of the NSW Northern Rivers, one of the most creative regions in Australia, has long been a place that national and international artists call home. It is a destination for musicians performing at major festivals or recording at some of the region’s most iconic studios.
Brad says Southern Cross has seen a massive increase in the number of students looking to pursue the Bachelor of Contemporary Music in 2021, with many talented musicians and aspiring songwriters and producers already auditioning and interviewing successfully.
He says Coomera Creative Campus will host its final round of online auditions in the last week of January, with Lismore Campus auditions wrapping up on 8 February ahead of Session 1 in 2021.
Southern Cross University’s music studios and rehearsal and performance spaces are world-class, with Lismore’s iconic Studio One29, concert performance hall, dedicated bass, drum, vocals and ensemble studios for solo and ensemble tuition, and full live audio and video streaming and recording for concerts, seminars and guest artist workshops. Coomera campus boasts a 200-seat lecture theatre, an 80-seat 80 black box auditorium for teaching and performance, two large recording studios, and five other recording studios with rehearsal rooms and isolation booths, dedicated music computer labs and edit suites.
“There are so many benefits these students gain from studying this course. One of the biggest things is all of the staff they’re learning from are industry professionals including technical staff, who are going on tour, playing at and producing events such as Bluesfest, and the things they’re going to be learning are all immediately industry current which is a real positive thing,” Brad says.
“Students have access to the studios 14 hours a day, 6 days a week.”
Brad says Lismore and the wider Northern Rivers region have seen a peak in interest from budding musicians in Sydney and Melbourne looking to move to the creative regional hub.
“Location is a huge benefit for students, with Lismore and Coomera campuses in the incredible corridor between Northern Rivers, Gold Coast and Brisbane, with exciting networking capability for students with industry.
“We have strong links to industry events, and major festival connections such as Splendour In The Grass, Bluesfest, Groundwater, Blues On Broadbeach, and Cooly Rocks On festivals where many students gain placement experience during their degree. Students have access to numerous performance opportunities and partnerships, paid gig opportunities, we organise shows for students, and host APRA AMCOS songwriters’ workshops featuring visiting artists.”
The course is designed and delivered by current industry professionals, with Southern Cross University music graduates now making waves across the globe – from indie rock band WHARVES hailing from Lennox Head, and singer-songwriter BUOY, to musical director of ‘The Voice’ Scott Aplin, award-winning producer Matt Fell, Matt Smith of Thirsty Merc, and US country music number-one hit songwriter Phil Barton to name a few.
For more information about studying the Bachelor of Contemporary Music in 2021 visit the Southern Cross University website.
