Music and performing arts at Wintec will help
you find your creative voice in an authentic, uplifting, and vibrant musical and
theatrical environment. You will meet others who are also striving to grow as
songwriters, musical theatre performers, composers, gigging musicians,
directors and choreographers, producers, and educators.
Within this learning environment, you are guided by experts with years of
experience in the New Zealand music, musical theatre, and wider performing arts
industries. They will shape and refine your skills, setting you up to launch
into music and performing arts work when you graduate and to enjoy a lifetime
of thinking and acting creatively in the world around you.
The Wintec Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts offers pathways that develop your abilities. The music pathway includes audio production, songwriting,
composition, and performance; the performing arts pathway includes musical theatre performance, acting,
singing, movement, devising, and theatre production. With
many opportunities to specialise in a chosen field, you will leave Wintec ready
to pursue different avenues within the music, musical theatre, and performing
arts industries, as well as being capable of transferring your skills to work
in areas such as education, community organisations, and event management.
A key feature of our music and performing arts degree programme is the
balance between individual development and collaborative practice. You will
receive high-quality teaching to grow your unique capabilities while also
sharing these experiences with others from your cohort and across other creative
disciplines.
Additionally, you have opportunities to meet and work alongside leading
musicians, directors, musical theatre performers, and other specialists during your
study. This will help you understand how to apply your knowledge in real-world
contexts and build your professional network.
Leading Aotearoa artists have used the Wintec music recording
studio in recent years, with staff and students often involved in these
creative activities as mixing engineers, vocalists, and studio assistants.
Between 2019 and 2023, Hollie Smith served as the Musician-in-Residence and worked
closely with students on their performance, songwriting, and recording projects. A number of students have also gone on to perform with Hollie Smith at major
gigs and festivals and work on her studio albums. The performing arts pathway
has welcomed external musical theatre directors, casting agents, and writers to take
devised theatre, musical theatre showcase, and screen acting modules. As a performing arts student, you get the opportunity to visit South
Pacific Studios and gain a behind-the-scenes look at a major television production, as
well as work through an audition process with their casting directors.
Many graduates from our programmes have gone on to work as
performers (in recording and touring bands; in national and international
musical theatre productions; as solo artists); directors, choreographers and musical
directors; sound, lighting and event technicians; and teachers in private
studios, community organisations, and schools. Others have pursued postgraduate
study both in New Zealand and internationally. Above all, we pride ourselves on
graduates taking a deep love of music and performing arts along whatever path
they follow, making rich and lasting creative contributions to their
communities long after they have finished studying.
If applicants do not meet the entry criteria for our degree,
they can start with the Te Ara Pūtake programme. This is a one-semester
introductory course that delivers the basic knowledge and skills to prepare for
a creative career. Once successfully completed, students will be eligible to apply
and audition for entry into the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts
programme.
Enthusiasts still at school might be interested in our one-day STAR taster courses in Music Production and Performing Arts.
Do you have questions about our music and performing arts programmes? Contact the music team at musicprogcoord@wintec.ac.nz or the performing arts team at performingarts@wintec.ac.nz.
Gifted to the School of Media Arts music and performing arts pathway by Wintec Kaumatua Tame Pokaia, Te Kawau Toi represents the guiding spirit of creativity in performing arts, inspired by the kawau tūī (king shag, cormorant), a native bird known for leading its flock.
The name reflects the success of artists and performers as leaders and messengers, connecting earthly and spiritual realms through their creative crafts.
The tohu (emblem) symbolises the Manaia connecting these worlds together with curved lines representative of the passing of knowledge between ākonga and kaimahi. The shapes further acknowledge the kawau tūī and the treble clef curves, speaking to the collaborative nature of the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts degree and the creative arts industry.
To check what you need to gain entry to a course, review the entry criteria available on each programme page. These assist you in understanding what qualifications or experience are typically required to gain entry. You can contact our team at info@wintec.ac.nz or 0800 2 Wintec at any time for further guidance.
At the School of Media Arts, we provide innovative, interdisciplinary education that prepares students for a future in the creative industries.
If you're interested in graphic design, communication, moving image, digital media, painting, sculpture, photography, animation, interior design, fashion design, journalism, public relations, songwriting, or commercial music, media arts programmes of study are a great place to begin your career.
Experienced staff and industry-standard facilities help you develop a unique range of skills and the ability to apply them in the professional world. There are always challenges for students entering a rapidly changing work environment. Innovation, expertise, teamwork and an awareness of contemporary communication strategies are highly valued.
We are very conscious of the preparations necessary and believe that we provide a unique learning environment that encourages students to work collaboratively while developing a strong individual practice in a chosen field. We strive to provide students with the right mix of technical problem-solving and interpersonal skills, all informed by an awareness of professional expectations.
The music and performing arts programme is led by a team of dedicated, enthusiastic, and professional staff. Their collective experience in the world of music and performing arts is second-to-none: they have years of experience as session musicians, musical theatre performers and directors, songwriters, musical directors, arrangers and composers, studio producers, film composers, and sound designers. This work has been undertaken at local, national, and international levels. The team are also active as researchers, with recent creative projects including original studio albums, musical theatre productions, and sonic installations. Alongside these works, staff have regularly published their research on music, musical theatre, and education in leading international journals. All of these strands to their bows feed into their teaching practices, which have been honed over many years at Wintec Te Kawau Toi, to ensure that students receive teaching that is current, informed, and of exceptional quality.
The Wintec Prospectus (otherwise known as a course guide) outlines everything you need to know about Wintec. It contains information about the Wintec campuses, student life, and the programmes that are on offer.
Access your copy of the Wintec Prospectus
The Wintec Prospectus (course guide) is available by downloading the file - click on a document below to access the file. Alternatively, to request a copy via email or the post, please complete the form below.
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