As any student who has gone through their Year 12 exams knows, the stress of meeting a certain ATAR undoubtedly looms large when it comes to assessing your potential career options.
It’s easy to fall into the mindset that this single number will determine everything that comes next, and while your ATAR can open some doors, it should never close the one that matters most – your passion for music.
We get it, it can be easy to say that the thing you love – the thing excites you and pulls you back in, even when you’re meant to be studying – is just a ‘backup plan’ you’ll pursue if you don’t get the mark you’re aiming for, but here’s the part we can’t say loudly enough: music is not a fallback.
Music is a bold, rewarding, and entirely valid career choice, and if it’s the one thing that lights you up, it deserves to be more than your plan B.
Your passion is worth prioritising
The most successful creatives in the music industry didn’t follow a number. They followed their passion and an undeniable pull towards the work they couldn’t imagine not doing.
If your dreams rest in the music industry, then your ATAR shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether or not you pursue it. Talent, dedication, curiosity, and commitment to your craft matter far more than a score on a sheet of paper that measures your performance on one exam day.
When students choose music because it’s what they genuinely want, rather than because they didn’t get the ATAR they thought they needed, they approach their studies with purpose, energy, and ambition. That’s where the real magic happens.
A career in music is a career worth building
Choosing music isn’t walking the easy road; it’s walking the meaningful one.
The creative industries reward those who invest early, stay curious, and commit to becoming the best versions of themselves. That commitment doesn’t start after you graduate. It starts the day you decide your passion is worth pursuing.
If you’re standing at the crossroads of ATAR expectations and your musical dreams, remember this: Your ATAR might shape your options, but your passion shapes your future.
If music is what you know you’re meant to do, then there’s no better time to begin than right now.
Your industry journey starts on day one
At the Australian Institute of Music, you’re not waiting for your ‘big break.’ You’re building it from the moment you arrive.
Learning directly from seasoned industry professionals, every project mirrors real-world practice and places you alongside artists who share your drive.
Whether they’re writing, producing, performing, or networking, students here don’t sit in classrooms dreaming of being part of the music world – they’re already in it.
If you feel that the music industry is where you’re meant to be, we’re ready for you.
