Musician thrives at CQUniversity
Anya Eve Mackay always had a passion for singing, but it wasn’t until she embarked on a one-year exchange opportunity at CQUniversity that she solidified her dream to make music her career.
Hailing from Scotland, Anya’s move to Australia was meant to be short-term. Her encounter with Mackay's vibrant music community, and the support she received from her lecturers and student-cohort, led to her to extend her stay and completed a Bachelor of Music.
Anya studied on campus, with a combination of in-person and online courses. This allowed her to gain exposure locally, through performance opportunities and interstate through her online lecturers.
The musical collaboration came in her first term, when she joined students from Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music on a three-week trip to Malaysia, participating in a rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita.
“I was only part of the chorus, but what I got out of this experience was learning to work with other people. I think it’s important to make all these connections, especially across the world,” Anya said.
The music student seized any opportunity to perform by engaging with both the music and the theatre programs. She joined the students from the Bachelor of Theatre in their regional tour, performing in two productions—Safety Circuits and Choices—both aimed at school students. She learned a new set of skills as part of the technical team, followed by a lead role during her second year.
“The younger kids, they totally engage with you and it’s a bunch of fun. But performing and engaging with the Year 12 students is even more important and scary because they’ll tell you if you’re doing a terrible job, because they have no filter. But it was super cool, I really enjoyed it,” Anya said.
“I’ve not just learned singing. I’ve learned how to do tech, acting, dancing and really performing. I think it’s important to build my skills in lots of different areas; all these things will help in the future.”
Central to Anya’s journey was the Big Night In, a yearly exam assessment where emerging talents from CQUniversity and the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music perform in front of friends, family and the public.
“Big Night In is our big performance. We have guest artists who usually join us and workshop with us the week before the show; they give us feedback on our songs and what we could do to improve them. It’s cool to workshop with different people, especially because a lot of them are from all over the world.”
Anya appreciates CQUniversity's intimate learning environment, highlighting the personalised support she received from the university and the opportunities on stage.
“CQU is not a small university but the cohort in the Bachelor of Music is quite a small group of people. It means they’re giving you a chance if you need one-on-one help. The connections from lecturers and the community at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music have been incredible and they have been so great putting me forward for gigs, involving me with companies and local events.”
https://www.cqu.edu.au/courses/699891/bachelor-of-music
