A stronger future for the ANU School of Music

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young today announced the University's plan to guarantee the future of the School of Music, following an extended consultation process with the University and Canberra communities over the last month. He said that the plan was intended to be fully responsive to all the concerns which had been highlighted during that consultation process, in particular: the importance of performance in music education, and the need in that context for one-to-one tuition; the important role the School of Music plays in the musical life of the broader Canberra community; the value of opening up university music education to a broader range of students; the importance of building pathways for students to postgraduate study; and the need to build a financially sustainable School, which would have a secure and confident future without being an unacceptable burden on the wider University community. Professor Young said that the key elements of the plan were as follows: Degree Structure. There will be a single Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree, with two available streams of study: Music Performance and Music Inquiry. Students will undertake a major in one stream and a minor in the other. Entry to the Performance major will be via audition, ensuring a high level of performance skills. Entry to the Inquiry major will be via Year 12 results, widening the pool of students who can access the degree.