Stephen Smith from Bundaberg has finished his second year at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM) in Mackay and he's looking forward to a final year of performing before tying to make it in a band he hopes to get together.

"Since I've been at CQCM I've really learnt how to play at a professional level and have had loads of gigs putting it into practice," he said.

"Just last month we had to put our final show for 2007 together in just 2 weeks.  This required learning several tunes with choreography.  It was hard work but it's great to see it all come together and the show sell out."

A big favourite for Stephen over the past 2 years has been the week-long stints on Hamilton Island, 4 times each year.

"We get the opportunity to live, work and study at Hamilton Island every year and we learn first hand what's required to be a professional musician," said Stephen.

Conservatorium lecturers Kim Kirkman and Mark Gasser will host auditions for the next batch of CQCM students on Wednesday November 7 at CQU Bundaberg, from 11am - 1pm.

CQU's new Bachelor of Music (Specialisation) degree is designed to provide specialist training in jazz and popular music, classical music and music theatre. The new Bachelor of Performing Arts (Specialisation) is a flexible program with a number of specialisation options, preparing graduates who are competent to work in a variety of settings within the Arts industry.

Both of these degrees can also lead to school teaching careers with the addition of a one-year intensive Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching qualification.

For more information go to http://www.cqu.edu.au/