What Can We Expect from College Music Grads?
The answer to this question is – It all depends, “Depends on what,” you might ask? Well, it largely depends on the school from which you graduate, the degree requirements, your particular major, etc. This is normal and to be expected. We are also all different people with different skill sets. Universities do not put out little cookie-cutter robots all performing the same function – and this is a good thing!
However, there appears to be a lack of emphasis on written literacy in many university music departments. I am using literacy as a broad term to describe one’s ability to use the English language correctly, write intelligently on subjects related to one;s field, and/or to write a cohesive and comprehensive term paper.
Focusing on the areas of performance-based music (including composition), I feel that there are two main reasons this problem occurs: 1) Students spend as little time as possible on their academic work in order to have time to practice/compose; 2) Students do not know the English language well enough to converse with it on the level that a college graduate should.
The first point came to my attention during my graduate work when I saw the lack of dedication some performance based students had for their academic classes. Students tried to get away with doing as little work as possible and didn’t see the value in learning the theory and history related to their field. They didn’t do very well in their academic classes and didn’t really care as long as they got a passing grade. Because university degrees can be rigorous, it is to be expected that students will only meet the minimum requirements of areas they don’t see as their primary interest. However, it concerns me that this lack of interest for their chosen field exists, and that universities allow students to show minimal competency in academics, granting degrees to students primarily based on their instrumental proficiency.
The second point is a topic which was also brought to my attention during my graduate studies and has been further corroborated by my husband, who is currently in his last year of his DMA and has had experience with this problem as editor of The Ohio State Online Music Journal (http://www.osomjournal.org), a teacher, and a member on various committees at OSU. He has had the opportunity to voice his concerns and hear faculty express similar ones. The main concern that I see is that students who are not fluent in English, but know enough to get by, want to study in America because of the prestige of the schools and the quality of the education. These students have are highly motivated, but tend to struggle because of their lack of knowledge of the English language. They need more extra help than other university students and their academic work is inferior to that of their peers. However, these things are overlooked and, because they show a high degree of skill at their instrument they receive the same degrees as their peers.
So, the question in my mind is, should students who want a performance-based degree be held to high academic standards, or it is only important that they demonstrate a high level of performance in their instrument/field of study? I contend that university degrees should be reserved for those students who desire to show a high level of competency in both their academics and performance. If someone wants to play their instrument well or compose well, but is not interested in the academic arena of music, then let them study privately until they reach their desired goal. Performers and composers do not need degrees to play their instruments or write music professionally. I think it’s time to start introducing more Artist Diplomas for those who just want to increase their instrumental proficiency and to redefine what qualifies as a university degree.
Emily Williams is the creator of Strategic Strings: An Online Course for Violin and Viola Teachers
Digg it StumbleUpon Facebook Twitter del.icio.us Google Yahoo!