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Student experience
Overview
Meet current student, Sherry Lee Watson
An Arrente woman from Alice Springs, Sherry-Lee Watson always wanted to perform. Now she's on her way to living her dream in Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) and excited to take the lessons she's learnt back to her hometown.
Having an entire campus dedicated to the fine arts results in a haven for creative souls. I’ve always wanted to perform, and when it came down to figuring out what school was best for me, the VCA took the spot. You’ll find some of the most welcoming and kind-hearted people here, and as an added bonus, they all share the same interests as you.
Sherry Lee Watson
In Music Theatre you don’t just learn the basics of singing, dance and acting, you learn how to look after your mind and body as well. It's difficult to pinpoint just one mentor because they all have so much to offer. We have great teachers here, each of them with their own expertise, whether that be looking at the work from an anthropological, holistic or practical approach.
Our music theatre students thrive in an intensive full-time studio-based training environment, consisting of individual and group vocal training, acting and dance classes.
You’ll enjoy access to industry-standard facilities, including cinemas, digital vision and audio post-production facilities, visual art studios and technical workshop facilities, purpose-built dance studios, libraries, theatre and performance spaces, and animation and stop-motion studios. Your teachers are practising artists who are well-connected to industry, and there are course-integrated opportunities to collaborate with students from other creative disciplines.
Showcasing your skills
Each year, our graduating students from the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) showcase their passion and flair in end-of-year performances. Our 2022 graduating student season included Urinetown – a hilarious and resonating story of greed, corruption, love and revolution in contemporary Urban Australia.
Melbourne - 'Music Theatre Capital'
The reputation of the program, and the location of the school in Melbourne, Australia’s “Music Theatre capital”, enables students to work closely with and learn from key industry figures – music directors, choreographers and specialist teachers. This industry proximity enables the VCA to provide students with professional music theatre training unparalleled in Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
The course is taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, the proud home of the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
You’ll enjoy access to incredible facilities, including cinemas, digital vision and audio post-production facilities, visual art studios and technical workshop facilities, purpose-built dance studios, libraries, theatre and performance spaces, and animation and stop-motion studios.
While studying at the Faculty, you will have the chance to benefit from a range of partnerships and engagement activities at major arts companies in Melbourne's Arts Precinct, local and national festivals and sister institutions around the world.
Explore the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
Wilin Centre
Situated in the heart of Melbourne's Arts Precinct, the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development provides exposure to contemporary Indigenous arts practices and supports the recruitment of Indigenous artists, academics and students.
Tyran Parke
Meet the staff
Tyran Parke, Head of Music Theatre
Award-winning singer, actor, director and recording artist Tyran Parke stepped into the role of Head of VCA Music Theatre in January 2019. He talks about his passion for acting and teaching.
I will always teach acting. It’s my passion. And it’s still undervalued in music theatre, which is part of the reason I started to teach and then, in turn, to direct. I’ve worked at all the big acting schools and it’s no accident that I’ve wound up at the VCA.
I came here because, as a director, I’m always drawn to the graduates of the VCA. I want to continue to understand the relationship between the trainee actor and the requirements to step successfully into a relationship with a professional director.
In the end, it’s about ensuring that students get the ideal training to nurture the best versions of themselves inside the disciplines of music theatre. I have a great interest in the self-expression of young people and want to ensure that they are inspired yet resilient as they enter what can be an unstable industry.
Learn from the best
Your teachers are practicing artists who are well-connected to industry, and there are course-integrated opportunities to collaborate with students from other creative disciplines.