More opportunities to break into music business

> Media release – 11 April 2013

More opportunities to break into music business

Wannabe musicians, audio engineers and music managers will now have more opportunities to study for a career in the music business.

The Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ), a faculty of Tai Poutini Polytechnic, is to run a mid-year intake for four of its Auckland music and audio programmes. The Certificate in Contemporary Music Performance, Certificate in Audio Engineering and Music Production, Diploma in Music and Event Management and Certificate in Foundation Sound and Music will all run in July 2013 as well as the usual February start.

MAINZ Dean Harry Lyon says a mid-year intake will meet student demand and provide more flexibility for both graduates and the music industry.

“Currently we have a large number of students graduating at the end of the year keen to move into the industry. A mid-year intake will give them more flexibility and the industry will get a more consistent flow of graduates available for work experience and employment,” he says.

Event manager and producer of the Vodafone NZ Music Awards Andy Dowding from J & A Productions says it is great MAINZ is ramping up and trying to bring more people into the industry.

“MAINZ has always been a place that produces really good people and top echelon students do get noticed. We need to keep training the next generation and having students available for work experience year round will be a good thing,” he says.

2012 was the first year MAINZ’s Certificate in Foundation Sound and Music was run in South Auckland. The success of the programme will see the July intake continue to be taught in Otara in conjunction with the Otara Music Arts Centre. The rest of the mid-year programmes will be taught at MAINZ’s central Auckland campus.

Former student Nga Remu Huia Tahuparae studied music and event management in 2009 and says because a lot of festivals and events are held in summer offering a July intake means MAINZ students will have more opportunities to gain work experience.

“The students starting study in July will have a few months to learn the ropes and get confident and then get to do work experience at some of the really cool summer events. There is a major focus at MAINZ on networking and being hands on,” she says.

Harry Lyon says this is the first time MAINZ has offered a mid-year intake. “We expect the mid-year intake will have smaller class sizes than normal and may be more attractive to international students which will hopefully add a lot of richness and diversity to their classes”.

Many MAINZ students have gone on to have excellent careers in the music industry including Gin Wigmore, Zowie, members of The Naked and Famous, I am Giant, The Checks and Avalanche City. Graduates of MAINZ’s audio engineering and music and event management programmes have worked with some of the biggest international names in the business.

The students starting study in July 2013 will graduate in May 2014. For more information on the mid-year programmes contact TPP on 0800 800 411, e-mail info@tpp.ac.nz or visit www.tpp.ac.nz

ENDS

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