Something I like to remind my younger vocal students is to not stress too much about having their future all figured out. Whilst taking a highway may be the most efficient way to reach a destination, taking the back streets will still get you there just with a few more twists, turns, and stories to tell. There’s this expectation for kids to know what they want in life at 15 and from my own personal experience, I still don’t know what I want for dinner most nights let alone my life but what I do know is I love singing and helping others! The high school I attended prepared students predominantly for a university pathway so at that point in my life, I thought that was the next step. After ample life experience, perspective and a fully developed frontal lobe, I can now see the immense privilege it was to have received a tertiary education from The University of Adelaide in a country as beautiful as Australia. 

I will preface this, if you’re someone considering a HECS debt, I recommend you assess your options a little more considerately than I did. Fortunately for me, my Bachelor of Music degree was not as much of a financial commitment as other degrees but enough of one which will painstakingly accrue interest until I pay that bad boy off. I studied a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Pedagogy specialising in classical voice at The University of Adelaide from 2014-2016. Whilst I’ve built a career from belting around the globe, classical and choral music are where my roots lie and have provided me with a strong vocal foundation. 

There are three main reasons I pursued this degree. Firstly, at the time of study The University of Adelaide was the only place which offered performance and pedagogy in South Australia. Secondly, I liked the sound of pedagogy; sophisticated and professional. Thirdly, I had no clue what I was meant to do after school, so I figured follow everyone else, right? 

When I was 17, I had a newfound passion for music theatre and my dream was to study interstate at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) or VCA (Victorian College of the Arts). There’s a combination of reasons why this pathway did not come to fruition and in short, I’m so grateful it didn’t! Unknown to me at the time, by studying a degree through The University of Adelaide, it provided me with a little thing that looks great on CV called ✨prestige.✨ Along with the Adelaide Fringe Festival, The University of Adelaide is world renowned and is right on our back doorstep! What more could a young aspiring artist need?

This degree was a huge factor as to how and why I’ve ended up where I am in my career. For one of the subjects, I had to shadow an instrumental teacher and Kirsty Roberts generously let me sit in on a few of her vocal lessons. At the time Kirsty had an inquiry for a classical interest vocalist, fortunately I was in Adelaide to fit the bill and I still teach this student to this day! Had I pursued study interstate, I would not be living my dream life today working full-time for a company and human I love and admire dearly.

During my tertiary studies, I met an extraordinarily generous friend who helped get me a job at Pandora Burnside which built the story for the cabaret show ‘Retail Reality’ which debuted in Gluttony 2022. She told me about the auditions being held at State Opera of South Australia which landed me a job in the chorus for Carmine in the Square in 2019. Most importantly, she let me move in with her when I broke up with my first long-term boyfriend and put up with a lot of my post breakup antics. Whilst life has a way of pulling us into different directions, I am forever grateful for the friendship and kindness my dear friend Jennie gave me.  

If you’re someone considering studying a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Pedagogy in classical voice at The University of Adelaide, here are a few questions I recommend considering: