Helen has been able to take her passion for music and performance and connect with others, setting herself up for an exciting and challenging career across the arts sector.
Helen started out playing the violin at age seven. Having visited the University of Melbourne with her parents as a child, she always knew it was where she wanted to study. Helen enrolled in the Bachelor of Music (Performance), a degree that has enriched her talent and love of music, and enabled her to direct her own learning experience.
“You have the flexibility to study what you’re really interested in, and you become a more well-rounded student in that sense,” Helen explains. “You learn more about how the world works, because the university is full of so many different types of people.”
The Melbourne curriculum enables students like Helen to develop expertise in a chosen discipline, while exploring interests and developing skills in complementary or contrasting areas of study.
If students have a goal in mind, such as a specific career or graduate course, they can structure their degree accordingly from day one, but if they want to explore their options first, they have the flexibility to shape their degree along the way.
For Helen, the Bachelor of Music (Performance) meant she could foster her love of music, while also exploring how different study areas could diversify her skillset and prepare her for a wider range of professions. “I think from the very beginning I knew that I wanted to study something alongside music, so I applied to do a concurrent Diploma in Languages in Chinese. The services available to us as students, such as Stop 1, really helped me build what that would look like across the three years,” says Helen. "I also had the opportunity to do breadth subjects, which were a chance to learn about what’s outside the music industry, and to take those transferrable skills back into my music practice.”
The Melbourne curriculum enables students like Helen to develop expertise in a chosen discipline, while exploring interests and developing skills in complementary or contrasting areas of study.
Since completing her undergraduate degree, Helen has gone on to postgraduate study with a Master of Music (Research) and is a regular performer. “I’ve been able to meet new people and if we’re playing together, no matter what year they are, we’re able to watch each other play and get feedback from each other,” Helen explains. “A lot of the people I performed with throughout my undergrad, I still perform with today, so it’s been really nice to grow up together.” This studio-based approach, which encourages hands-on, collaborative learning, has supported Helen at every stage of her development.
The decision to continue to a postgraduate degree allowed Helen to pursue her dream of exploring a study area in depth, while leading to possible new career paths. “I’ve been able to meet new people and being a part of different faculties means I’ve been learning more and I’m able to have my studies bounce off each other.” This continuous learning means Helen can see where performance or teaching could take her, while also exploring opportunities in the arts sector.
“I have the overarching goal of teaching and performing, but as my studies have progressed, I’ve looked into arts administration, and how a career in that might align with one in performance. For me, that’s about sharing the joy of music. I feel like the different experiences I’ve had and the programs I’ve undertaken at the University have really widened my worldview, and it will continue to do so.”
A careers advisor once told Helen how people can have 35 jobs in their lifetime – something that’s becoming clearer to Helen as she’s discovered how different experiences can open up new paths to explore. As the global workforce is shifting, it’s never been more important to be able to adapt and approach challenges with creativity and innovation. For Helen, Melbourne provided a holistic education that will help her tackle future opportunities and set her up for success over her entire career.
"I feel like the different experiences I’ve had and the programs I’ve undertaken at the University have really widened my worldview, and will continue to do so."