Understanding the Classical Music Profession
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UNDERSTANDING THE CLASSICAL MUSIC PROFESSION This book is dedicated to musicians past, present and future in the hope that barriers of genre, hierarchy and perception can be gradually eroded and holistic practice valued. The task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what no body yet has thought about that which everyone sees. Arthur Schopenhauer Understanding the Classical Music Profession The Past, the Present and Strategies for the Future DAWN BENNETT Curtin University of Technology, Australia © Dawn Bennett 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Dawn Bennett has asserted her moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Gower House Suite 420 Croft Road 101 Cherry Street Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405 Hampshire GU11 3HR USA England www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Bennett, Dawn Elizabeth Understanding the classical music profession : the past, the present and strategies for the future 1. Music – Vocational guidance I. Title 780.2’3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bennett, Dawn Elizabeth. Understanding the classical music profession : the past, the present and strategies for the future / by Dawn Elizabeth Bennett. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 978-0-7546-5959-4 (alk. paper) 1. Music–Vocational guidance. I. Title. ML3795.B45 2008 781.6’8023–dc22 2007049837 ISBN 978-0-7546-5959-4 Contents List of Figures and Illustrations vii List of Tables ix Foreword xi Preface xiii Acknowledgements xv List of Abbreviations xvii 1 What Lies Ahead 1 2 The Cultural Industries 11 3 The Musician 35 4 Performance-based Music Education and Training 57 5 Cultural Practice: Visual and Performing Artists 91 6 Out in the Real World: The Case for Change 101 7 Dilemmas and Opportunities 121 Bibliography 151 Appendix 161 Index 165 This page intentionally left blank List of Figures and Illustrations Figures 1.1 Initial Conceptual Framework 2 1.2 Research Design and Methodology 6 2.1 A (Very) Brief History of Cultural Policy Development 21 2.2 Short- and Long-Term Participation Strategies 26 2.3 Percentage of Total Cultural Funding in Australia from 1988 to 1997 27 3.1 Sample of Symphony Orchestra Establishment from 1840–1920 43 4.1 Category of Study Weighting within Australian BMus Courses 70 4.2 Category of Study Weighting within Contemporary Music Degrees (mean) 79 4.3 Comparison of Weighting between the Categories of Study within Classical and Contemporary Music Performance Degrees 79 5.1 Factors Crucial to the Achievement of Sustainable Careers 95 6.1 Primary Role of Female Musicians by Age Group 104 6.2 Primary Role of Male Musicians by Age Group 104 6.3 Average Percentage of Time Spent in Each Role 105 6.4 Pattern of Full-time and Part-time Work for Female Musicians 106 6.5 Pattern of Full-time and Part-time Work for Male Musicians 106 6.6 Factors Influencing a Change in Performance Roles 107 6.7 Personal Attributes of Musicians 113 7.1 Conceptual Framework 122 7.2 Comparison of Focus within Professional Practice and Undergraduate Training 124 7.3 Primary Creation 127 7.4 Expression of Creative Activity 128 7.5 Essential Services 129 7.6 Related Activities 130 7.7 Formula for Sustainable Online Communities 133 7.8 Framework for Continual Collaborative Curricular Renewal 145 7.9 Existing Curricular Structure 147 7.10 Cultural Practice Model 147 Illustrations 3.1 Musicians Have Always Worked in Multiple Roles 38 6.1 Evolution of the Musician 118 7.1 What Kinds of Musician Would You Like to Be? 150 This page intentionally left blank List of Tables 2.1 ABS Classifications ‘Arts’ and ‘Other Cultural Occupations’ 17 3.1 Salaries of Eighteenth-Century Musicians in Italy and Dresden 39 3.2 Salaries of Nineteenth-Century Musicians in Dresden and Leipzig 42 3.3 Percentage of RCM Alumni Holding Portfolio Careers 45 4.1 Australian Undergraduate Performance Degrees in Classical Music, 2003 68 4.2 Categories of Study within Australian Performance Degrees, 2003 69 4.3 Categories of Study as Emphasized in Course Philosophies (f) 73 4.4 Undergraduate Non-classical Music Degrees in Australia, 2003 77 4.5 Danish Contemporary Music Graduate Destinations 1990–1993 79 4.6 Undergraduate Degrees in Classical Instrumental Performance, Australia, 2003 83 4.7 Full-time Classical Instrumental Performance Positions in Australia 83 4.8 Orchestral Vacancies from June until December 2004 85 4.9 Progression from Intrinsic to Extrinsic Goals 86 This page intentionally left blank Foreword It is widely recognized that the survival of all living things on this planet depends largely on their ability to adapt to environmental changes. It is also acknowledged that plants nurtured in a hot house (also known as a conservatory!) do not always survive when transplanted into the open air. Classical musicians are no different, and if they are to avoid extinction they need to develop the diverse skills required to survive in our present-day multicultural, economic rationalist and computer-dependent society. There is an urgent need, therefore, for musical conservatories to change from their traditional ‘hot house’ concentration on the exclusive training of performers and instead develop a more flexible and realistic curriculum to cater for a wider range of careers involving music and music-making. For many years music educators have expressed concern regarding the antiquated nature of typical tertiary music institutions (for example, Graham Bartle, Doreen Bridges as well as myself in Australia) but perhaps because they were music educators rather than performers, very few of the institutions themselves paid heed to their warnings. However, tertiary institutions will find that the clear messages of Understanding the Classical Music Profession can no longer be ignored, for they are drawn from data collected from musicians who were trained as performers. But Dawn Bennett goes further than describing the evolution and threatened extinction of the classical musician; she offers practical, yet thoroughly researched suggestions for the transformation of music conservatories into more relevant institutions for the training of musicians. I therefore recommend that this book be essential reading for all musicians in the hope that their survival can be secured. Helen Stowasser This page intentionally left blank Preface I am a musician. As a child, being a musician meant being a performer: a soloist, or (failing that) a member of a string quartet, orchestra or chamber ensemble. Teaching was a second-rate occupation upon which one would embark only if performance opportunities were insufficient. This meant that one’s attention should focus on the acquisition of an elite level of technical skill and a repertoire that could be played from memory at a minute’s notice. How different was the reality that I faced as an adult. I was fortunate in that performance work was plentiful; however, nobody prepared me for a life away from home and the long-term isolation of travel and hour upon hour of individual practice. Later, as an orchestral musician, I discovered a much-needed collegiate; but I was unprepared for a life devoid of artistic decisions and my own creative identity. What is more, I quickly found a love of teaching, arts management and research. I resisted telling fellow performers about these newfound passions as though I were having a secret affair! In a way, I was; the new activities offered variety, independence, creativity, a sense of identity and a whole new perspective on my life in music. Almost twenty years later, I came to realize that the hierarchy of music careers inhibits today’s new graduates just as it did my own generation. The hierarchy contributes towards much of the angst experienced by intending performers who feel an agonizing sense of failure when non-performance roles are required to keep the bread on the table or to meet the responsibilities of having a family. This sense of failure contributes to attrition from the profession, and it contributes greatly to the unfortunate perception of music teachers as lesser beings. It occurred to me that the term musician is still used to mean performer. Thus used, where does it leave the majority of musicians, whose professional identity is far more diverse and complex? To sustain their careers, musicians have to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and competitive cultural environment. Musicians are not simply performers: a musician is someone who works within the music profession. Is success the achievement of a top solo career? To some people, absolutely; however, that does not define success for the profession. Success as a musician is marked by the achievement of sustainable practice, which requires musicians to break down attitudinal and hierarchical barriers. Success should be based upon personal career satisfaction rather than a pre-conceived hierarchy of roles, and the possibilities are endless. I am a musician. I play, research, teach and enjoy music. No one task is more worthy than another, and I look forward towards many more years of discovering what else the profession of music has to offer. Dawn Bennett This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements Books are not written alone, and I would like to acknowledge the many people who have contributed their wisdom, experience and support. Colleagues such as Graham Seal, David Tunley and Tom Stannage have provided a wealth of experience and insight. Nina Divich (editor extraordinaire) formatted the references and turned some rather unusable figures into professional-looking ones.