The decision by the Australian National University to sack all of its music teachers is reaping a whirlwind of backlash.
Last night the state Legislative Assembly voted unanimously to condemn ANU’s action. Students have set up a protest website and collected 11,000 signatures protesting the decision. And, just in, the head of ANU School of Music, Prof Adrian Walter, has been instructed ‘to take leave forthwith and to consider his options very carefully’.
In Australia when something needs to get done, they don’t just sit around yakking about it.
What is the world coming to? No music? Just follow orders? Even Theresienstadt had an orchestra
Thesienstadt (Terezin) was a tremendous example of genius and dignity. The majority of the inmates (blessed be their memory) were murdered in Auschwitz but left a most valuable legacy in the form of compositions, pantings and poems.
The School of Music does have massive problems, (not unlike ANAM some years ago) but they’re nothing that couldn’t be fixed given serious commitment, and competent and appropriate management, as in fact happened at ANAM. The ANU Chancery has no idea what music education is, and requires. They could just talk to some musicians, but they don’t! These problems have been created or compounded by the Dawkins reforms in the late 80s of last century, which merged Australia’s conservatoriums with the nation’s universities. Many now see that this was a mistake, but we are notoriously indifferent to these sorts of challenges. Now if it were sport!!! Another compounder is the structure of Australia’s Higher Education Contribution Scheme, which puts tertiary music education in Band 3, which is largely group teaching studies. By contrast, dentistry, which requires one-on-one teaching, is in Band 1, and receives more Federal Government support. In such circumstances, “losing money” is a forgone conclusion. By the way, no figures have been released by to ANU to underpin their claims about the SoM not being “profitable”. But lying at the heart of the matter are music in Australia, Australian music, our heritage of music in the world, and nurturing our culture and values in our lively and beautiful (not perfect!!) national capital.
Also, thank you Mr Lebrecht, for your wonderful blog.