Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018: Artists as Citizens
Pre-conference reflections
In July 2001 I described all conservatoires as musical monasteries.
I’m wondering if this analogy remains as valid now as it was seventeen years ago.
Then I compared students with initiates who communicate through a redundant language, sheltered by the institution and bound by its rules of engagement with society. I argued that the assessment and examinations systems then in place underpinned this, and so dominated the curriculum.
Many students in 2001 left the shelter of the conservatoire monastery with unfounded expectations, finding the street a confusing place. Has it all changed?
I am hoping that this week will give me answers to that question and will show us lively and sustainable new paths and practices.
This article was written by George Odam, who is blogging daily on 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.
It 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.
