Discourse on Reflective Music Education
Day 1: Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018
In 2004, when Nicholas Bannan and I were discussing the title of the very first Guildhall Research publication, we hit upon the term Reflective Conservatoire.
Could you see through reflective glass or do you just see yourself reflected back? Through research, could we help to persuade conservatoire teachers to reflect on their professional practice?
Yesterday afternoon, and fourteen years after that initial discussion with Nicholas, there were a lot of things that lifted my heart at the opening of Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018.
Above all was that the thrust of the discourse was based in reflective music education.
I was delighted with the mix of staff and students present, from both music and drama. It was a pleasure to witness performances crossing boundaries between these art forms, artists from all disciplines working together and — a highlight for me — performances actually taking place on the street.
The full title of my 2001 talk was Conservatoires as Musical Monasteries: Connecting with the Street. We witnessed some of those vibrant connections today, both in presentations and in performance.
The discourse has definitely changed. Though prevailing questions remain: who will lead the fundamental reforms implied, and how can they be put into practice?
This article was written by George Odam, who is blogging daily from the Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018.
George Odam is a teacher, composer, writer, editor and lecturer. In a wide ranging career, he has held senior roles at Guildhall School Music and Drama and Bath Spa University. His compositions includes opera, choral and vocal, orchestral and chamber works.
The Reflective Conservatoire Conference: Artists as Citizens, takes place from 20–23 February at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
The international conference brings together leading performers, teachers and researchers from all over the world to address the key issues in Higher Education within music and drama, explored through a series of performances, practical workshops, keynote speeches, curated sessions, seminars and round-table discussions.
