Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies

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Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies

African Music and Dance Outreach Courses
(Education, Community Development, Documentation)

Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies
These are upper level undergraduate modules with postgraduate equivalents, and are closely linked with the African Music Project. In the Education module students are introduced to current issues in curriculum development and develop pedagogical materials for teaching African music and dance. The module on Community Development equips the students with skills needed to run community programmes and introduces them to the fields of public-sector ethnomusicology and arts adminsitration. Both the Education and Community Development modules involve placements in schools and community arts centres. The Documentation module involves acquisition of practical skills in data collection and analysis, as well as the production of short ethnographies.

Paulos Msimango Memorial Scholarship in African Music and Dance

Bursaries are available from this fund to students who demonstrate exceptional performance skills and financial need. Several bursaries are awarded each year. If you would like to contribute to the fund contact the African Music Project

African Instrument Collection

This is a growing collection of instruments including timbila xylophones from Mozambique, mbira from Zimbabawe, kudu horns, umakhweyana and ugubhu bows and panpipes from South Africa, amadinda xylophone from Uganda, a variety of drums, harps, rattles and bells from Ghana.

Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies

Study Abroad and Exchange Possibilities

In the past our students have been invited to participate in exchange programs in Denmark, Sweden and Germany and Ghana. Visitors from overseas institutions frequently come and study for a semester or a year.

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Career Opportunities

There are career opportunities in performance, promotion, production, education, research and community arts. Our graduates are able to develop African music and dance programs for schools and community centres as well as set up their own community and school projects. Students also have the opportunity to work in the outreach programs of the African Music Project including the teaching training programme, research and documentation unit, and annual African Music and Dance Showcase. Many students during their studies undertake various performance opportunities in South Africa and abroad.

Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies

Opera and Choral Studies
Students who aspire to study Opera and Choral Studies at the Opera Studio and Choral Academy (OSCA) have an opportunity to gain much performing as well as academic experience during their years of study. Many of our graduates have been successful in securing bursaries for overseas study and are already highly regarded professional singers. The combination of extensive academic study together with stage and performance experience has enabled our students to hold their own with the best in the world. The following degrees and diplomas are offered which allow a student to specialize in either Operatic Performance or Choral Studies:

In addition, OSCA now offers a Music Foundation Programme to students who have been less fortunate in acquiring musical knowledge at secondary level.
The modules in all these degrees and diplomas are tailor made to equip a young singer or choral conductor with the necessary knowledge and experience to excel in the fiercely competitive world of classical music. Students study the history of vocal music from 400 AD to the present, in addition to music theory modules in all years of study; they participate in choral rehearsals and performances; they are taught how to become good voice teachers; they study the piano, which is an essential tool for a singer or voice teacher; they are taught how to move on stage; and they are given opportunities to appear in costume interpreting operatic roles. Perhaps most importantly, they are given a thorough introduction to the pronunciation and grammar of the main operatic languages, namely Italian, German and French.

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Dip Music Perf. Classical or African Music & Dance or Opera or Choral Studies

Career opportunities after having studied at OSCA are many. A singer can either become a soloist or can be employed as a chorus member by any of the many opera houses in Europe or the rest of the world. Such soloist or chorus positions are highly paid and consequently sought after. If the singer prefers to remain in South Africa s/he can be employed here too, although such employment is often not of a permanent nature. However, many singers manage to make a comfortable living by being freelance artists in this country. Versatility is a key factor in creating a demand for yourself. Apart from performing, a graduate can also land a teaching job at one of the many schools or tertiary institutions throughout South Africa, and so help to prepare the next generation of great voices for which this part of the world has become renowned.

For more information contact Mr Andrew Warburton (phone: 031 260-2105)