14 Feb Know Our Partner: JMC Academy
In 2021, Global Music Institute and JMC Academy in Australia announced an exciting credit transfer pathway arrangement for graduates of GMI‘s music performance program. Successful GMI Artist Diploma graduates will progress directly to Trimester 4 of the JMC Bachelor of Music with a specialisation in Performance. Read on to catch our conversation with Leng from JMC Academy, Australia, where we spoke about the new partnership, life at JMC, and so much more!
What prompted the development of the partnership between JMC and GMI?
GMI and JMC Academy became aware of each other through an international network of innovative music schools. As we got to know each other, we realised that we were taking very similar approaches to the delivery of high-quality music courses that were collaborative and immersive. This was proven when we mapped our program content and saw a clear pathway from the GMI Artist Diploma course into the JMC Bachelor degree.
What are your hopes for the new partnership with GMI?
JMC is proactive about creating an international network of creative institutions because we believe it benefits students, staff, and the quality of creative education generally. Through our partnership with GMI we hope to create a mutually beneficial relationship that also opens up collaborative opportunities for both students and staff.
What can JMC offer to students from India?
At a big-picture level, JMC has a 40-year history of teaching creative industries courses. We were Australia’s first private college to be accredited in the fields of audio engineering and digital multimedia. We pride ourselves on meeting student expectations – in fact we’ve been ranked #1 for student satisfaction and skills development amongst all private creative institutions in Australia for 2 years in a row (QILT Survey 2019/2020 & 2020/2021).
Our class sizes are small, meaning that students have a lot of access to our lecturers, and each student’s unique strengths and aspirations are given room to breathe. We also provide a lot of international student support, because having received students from all over the world, we know that the transition can be challenging – but also very rewarding.
Tell us about life as a student in JMC
Our student community is made up of mostly Australian students, but our international students come from over 35 different countries. Out of around 2,200 students enrolled in 2019, 270 were from overseas. This means that our students bring unique perspectives and influences to the classroom, and this gives the learning experience extra depth and richness.
Australia is generally very multicultural, especially in our campus cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). So, as well as having access to our incredible facilities and technology, students also get to have a great lifestyle, exploring our busy cultural scene and enjoying our beautiful natural environments. Our music students in particular love being able to see their lecturers gig at venues around the city. It brings a whole added dimension to learning from them.
How does music from India shape the curriculum at JMC?
While the JMC music curriculum is generally focussed on Western musical traditions, students do have the option of exploring non-Western music cultures. We believe that richness and diversity can create better art and better artists, so we strongly encourage students to broaden their horizons by being open to influences outside of their usual exposure. And of course, having students from diverse heritages increases those opportunities for all students. It’s one of the many reasons we love having international students in our classes.
How does the JMC x GMI partnership impact the music education landscape in Australia, and in India?
Innovation is so important, and with improved technology we really can flatten physical barriers. One example of how we’re innovating in the JMC x GMI partnership is with our recent workshop that we livestreamed from JMC’s Melbourne studios: ‘A beginner’s guide to studio drum recording’. We set up a direct HD feed from our SSL Duality in our Melbourne campus, so that GMI students could clearly hear the subtleties of each mic positioning and placement in a varied set of arrays over two drum kits. It was done in real time, with opportunities for a lively Q&A discussion. The session was led by Gabrielle Emmery, our inhouse engineer and lecturer, featuring Alex Warren, one of our talented drummers, with the technical operations managed by JMC staffer and technical whiz Travis Pell, and filmed and streamed by Brad Cumming, a JMC film lecturer. It was a great experience for all involved, and we look forward to providing more workshops like it in the near future.
How can students best prepare themselves to transition to JMC?
GMI students who transfer to JMC under the pathway program will be fully supported to make the transition to JMC life. We do suggest doing your research about which campus city you would like to live in, as each city definitely has its own flavour. Come to JMC with an open mind, ready to embrace all that is new and ready to make new friends.
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