Opening the Doors of The Con

For many people The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (or “The Con”) is well known as the iconic castle building in Macquarie St, where young, talented students are trained to perform on the world stage.

But what most people don’t know is that The Con offers a short course program for adults who want to pursue their life-long desire to learn music basics or to extend their musical knowledge. Run by the Conservatorium Open Academy, these courses are practical and engaging, with a teaching staff including some of the best teachers and musicians around. Students come from all walks of life, and range in age from from 16 to 86.

There are classes for complete beginners and others that require some musical knowledge. All of them are held at The Con and run over eight week terms, two hours per week, with day and evening classes on offer. People can choose from a wide range of courses that include: music theory, piano for beginners, composition, jazz guitar, improvisation, singing and sound recording basics. Recently the Open Academy added videos to the web site, featuring tutors talking about their courses, and providing an additional insight into what they cover.

Here’s what one student had to say about a course they completed recently:

Con Open Academy has done it again – I’m enrolled in an absolutely fabulous course, and am enjoying every minute of it. I don’t always feel like hopping on a train and hauling myself into the city after a long workday – but each time I have been very glad that I did, and have got a lot out of those two hours, no doubt due to our great teacher.

The Winter term starts on July 20, and online enrolment is available here.

A 15% Early Bird discount is available for the Winter term for anyone who enrols by 29 June.

The Open Academy is also offering a Tertiary Jazz Pre-audition Workshop on Saturday 18 July for anyone interested in applying for the tertiary jazz course at The Con.

For more information, call 9351 1208, or visit the Open Academy website.