Overview

Amid enormous changes in higher education, audience and music listener preferences, and the relevant career marketplace, music faculty are increasingly aware of the need to reimagine classical music performance training for current and future students. But how can faculty and administrators, under urgent pressure to act, be certain that their changes are effective, strategic, and beneficial for students and institutions? In this provocative yet measured book, Michael Stepniak and Peter Sirotin address these questions with perspectives rooted in extensive experience as musicians, educators, and arts leaders. Building on a multidimensional analysis of core issues and drawing upon interviews with leaders from across the performing arts and higher education music fields, Stepniak and Sirotin scrutinize arguments for and against radical change, illuminating areas of unavoidable challenge as well as areas of possibility and hope. An essential read for education leaders contemplating how classical music can continue to thrive within American higher education.

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9780367226930

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Reviews

""Beyond the Conservatory Model provides a badly-needed insiders’ diagnosis—and many thoughtful remedies—for the anachronisms that many classical music conservatories have become. … Stepniak and Sirotin encourage us to think beyond the musical conservatism and homogeneity and instead give priority to helping students find their own ‘powerfully authentic and individual musical voice’ in pursuit of rekindling a human connection with an audience."" — Douglas Dempster, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, USA ""Beyond the Conservatory Model speaks truth to power about the challenges (and potential opportunities) in higher education music study. Stepniak’s and Sirotin’s vision of student outcomes particularly resonated with me, offering practical solutions to reinvent how we train and prepare music students for the professional world. …This should be mandatory reading for all NASM/CMS members.""— Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, USA ""This is a much-needed breath of fresh fire to the discussion surrounding the training of the next generation of ‘classical’ music performance majors. … Michael Stepniak and Peter Sirotin have compiled a brief and cogent examination as to just how underserved so many of these students are by a curriculum that was designed generations ago for an industry that has evolved, moved, died, changed gears, and continues to baffle even seasoned professionals. However, not giving in to mere despair or relying on the notion that the superiority of the art will win the day for the students, they have actually accumulated data from industry and academic professionals and given precise recommendations while acknowledging the inherent difficulty for curricular change at many institutions."" — Daniel Graser, Saxophonist, The Sinta Quartet, and Lecturer in Music, Oakland University, Michigan, USA ""I can’t imagine a more thoroughly researched or better written resource to guide higher education through the vital work of reimagining today’s music performance degree."" — Andrew Hitz, Host of ""The Entrepreneurial Musician"" and ""The Brass Junkies"" podcasts, former tuba player for Boston Brass

Beyond the Conservatory Model provides a badly-needed insiders' diagnosis-and many thoughtful remedies-for the anachronisms that many classical music conservatories have become. ... Stepniak and Sirotin encourage us to think beyond the musical conservatism and homogeneity and instead give priority to helping students find their own 'powerfully authentic and individual musical voice' in pursuit of rekindling a human connection with an audience. - Douglas Dempster, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, USA Beyond the Conservatory Model speaks truth to power about the challenges (and potential opportunities) in higher education music study. Stepniak's and Sirotin's vision of student outcomes particularly resonated with me, offering practical solutions to reinvent how we train and prepare music students for the professional world. ...This should be mandatory reading for all NASM/CMS members. - Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, USA This is a much-needed breath of fresh fire to the discussion surrounding the training of the next generation of 'classical' music performance majors. ... Michael Stepniak and Peter Sirotin have compiled a brief and cogent examination as to just how underserved so many of these students are by a curriculum that was designed generations ago for an industry that has evolved, moved, died, changed gears, and continues to baffle even seasoned professionals. However, not giving in to mere despair or relying on the notion that the superiority of the art will win the day for the students, they have actually accumulated data from industry and academic professionals and given precise recommendations while acknowledging the inherent difficulty for curricular change at many institutions. - Daniel Graser, Saxophonist, The Sinta Quartet, and Lecturer in Music, Oakland University, Michigan, USA I can't imagine a more thoroughly researched or better written resource to guide higher education through the vital work of reimagining today's music performance degree. - Andrew Hitz, Host of The Entrepreneurial Musician and The Brass Junkies podcasts, former tuba player for Boston Brass

Author Information

Michael Stepniak is Dean and Professor of Music at Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University. A leading arts educator and chamber musician, he holds graduate degrees in performance (Peabody Institute), musicology (Northwestern University), and education (Harvard University). Peter Sirotin is Concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Director of Market Square Concerts, and Artist-in-Residence at Messiah College, Pennsylvania.

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