FAQ’s
What exactly is the TDP?
The TDP is a not for profit foundation developing and igniting the creativity and the musical talents of young singers, songwriters, theatre performers and instrumentalists.
Who are the TDP consultants?
The Artistic Director and a diverse range of industry professionals and working musicians.
Who can apply for TDP?
Students who attend a NSW Government High School (or TAFE) in years 9, 10, 11 & 12 are eligible to apply for the School Program. TDP has students travelling from all areas of NSW including regional areas as far as Ballina and Bega.
How does the school program work?
The TDP School Program is divided into three phases, with each phase lasting for three months. Students move through the phases and remain in the program depending on individual progress at workshops. Students that do not make it through each phase are invited back into the following year (as long as they are eligible) to continue to develop their talents.
How are workshop days out of school approved for students?
Students must provide a signed Principal and Contact Teacher Endorsement Form upon application. This form lists all workshop dates for the allocated year and it is the school’s permission form for the student to be marked as an Activity Code B at school instead of Absent. Workshop dates can be found at the beginning of the application page.
What fees are involved?
TDP is a funded program, no fees are charged for students to attend. Major funding is given to the foundation through the NSW Government and ClubsNSW.
Do you have other workshops outside the school program?
During selected school holidays, TDP holds Open Talent Workshops (OTW). These 3 day intensive workshops are based on the School Program model. They are open to students from any public or private school.
Learn more about TDP Open Workshops HERE.
Where is TDP based?
The TDP is located inside Waterloo Studios in Sydney, NSW – 242 Young Street, Waterloo 2017.
The building and its world class facilities are shared alongside Sydney Actors School and Sydney Film School.
What is the eligibility criteria for the School Program?
To be eligible, students must attend a NSW Government high school (or TAFE) and be in years 9, 10, 11 or 12. All singers, singer-songwriters, musical theatre performers, instrumentalists and bands are welcome to apply but must go through an audition process that has a number of stages. This entails uploading current performance of your genre and if you are a singer-songwriter, examples of current compositions. From these performances, decisions will be made to invite students to an audition workshop. Success at this stage gives access to Phase 1 of the TDP program.
Do I need to have formal training in music or singing to attend?
How much commitment will a successful TDP applicant have to give to the program?
If accepted into the program, students commit to attending all the workshop days within each phase of the program and commit to completing creative tasks between workshops. Workshop dates can be found at the beginning of the application page.
What if a workshop day falls on a HSC exam?
TDP workshop dates are carefully selected around school holidays, public holidays, and to a certain degree, HSC exams. There may be some cases where an exam is scheduled on a workshop day. In this case the student would complete the exam and then attend the remaining part of TDP workshop.
How does a student advance from one phase to the next?
The Creative Team makes the decision at the end of each phase that determines the number of students who progress to the next phase.
Can I reapply to TDP if I don’t make it through to the next phase?
If a student is still attending a NSW Government High School and is in years 9, 10, 11 or going in to year 12, they are eligible to reapply for the TDP the following year.
How involved are parents and guardians throughout the program?
TDP welcomes parents and guardians to attend the morning session of the Phase One Induction Workshop (August) as well as the showcase performance at the final workshop of Phase Two (February) and the graduation concert (June).
At TDP, we encourage students to be autonomous young individuals and musicians. Students are responsible for; frequently checking and answering their emails, requesting any further feedback themselves, and asking all questions and queries directly with the TDP team. This expectation familiarises students with the crucial organisational skills and responsibilities involved with being a successful working musician. Parents and guardians are informed of TDP activities via email correspondence, and are discouraged from interfering with TDP affairs on behalf of their student.
Apply now to be a part of the Talent Development Project
located in the unique, state-of-the-art Waterloo Studios