Conservatoria in the past provided prospective musicians with training in performance, generally in the classical Western European tradition. Most of them were independent of universities, free from academic constraints, focused on performance, flexible in their practice, and desirous of (yet susceptible to) high profile individual leadership. The last two decades in particular have generated significant change, placing conservatoria under increasing pressure from new challenges. Now confronting those shifting boundaries which have reshaped the artistic climate and organisational environment, many are also compelled to broaden access whilst meeting the challenge of reduced government subsidy. New higher education policies and declining resources have caused the relocation of many conservatoria into the university sector, most particularly (but not exclusively) in Australia and the USA. This development has resulted in new systems of governance and different expectations of both the conservatorium and its leaders. Thus government policy impacts on the potential shape of the conservatorium. Changing funding structures in higher education and the arts further complicate the influence government policy might have on conservatoria. For autonomous conservatoria, government arts and education policies directly effect institutional policy and financial stability. Where conservatoria exist within universities, a domino effect devolves the impact of higher education policy to internal units like the conservatorium. Compounding these circumstances is the reality that traditional performance is diminishing in social relevance and the professions into which future music graduates will move are now more diverse than ever before and clearly less dependent solely on conventional music training. Consequently contemporary conservatorium leaders now confront a different, less compliant musical environment. Decisions made by these leaders have the potential to impact well beyond conservatorium walls. Therefore, for those conservatoria which have evolved as part of the cultural infrastructure of their respective communities, internal conservatorium choices may obscure the broader ramifications these choices have for the wider community. From inside the university sector, some conservatoria are challenged to give priority to the needs of the university community, with resultant effects on their individual conservatorium characters. The time-honoured preference for conservatorium leaders to be renowned musicians does not necessarily meet all of the contemporary criteria relevant to the role. Traditionally, leaders in conservatoria were selected for their artistic profile, ostensibly to enhance that of the institution. As spokespersons and figureheads of their institutions, leaders once made more artistic considerations and connections than strategic decisions. Whereas in years past they may have maintained high profile roles as conductors, performers, composers, or musicologists, now leaders are expected to provide varying degrees of artistic direction, academic leadership, curriculum design, administration, financial management, facilities management, event production, marketing, public relations, and community liaison. These diverse roles make an external career unrealistic for most. This dissertation examines the challenges confronting conservatoria as they appear through the eyes of conservatorium leaders around the world. By analysing the leaders comments in parallel with surveys, case examples, and documentary research, I aim to develop an understanding of the impact these challenges have on conservatoria and those who lead them. Through continual reporting of the emerging results back to the field during the period of the research, I build on their credibility, shedding light on those policies which both shape the conservatorium condition and elicit resilience among some who lead them. The thesis argues that each conservatorium is distinctive, and that the challenges confronting a conservatorium must be viewed in the light of its specific, often unique context. Among conservatoria, uniqueness emerges from the common ground that all such institutions share: within the context of conservatorium family resemblances, it may be that one conservatorium has a mix of quite distinctive attributes or conditions. It is that idiosyncratic set of circumstances shaping each institutional environment which generates this uniqueness, making generalisations problematical and inappropriate to the conservatorium condition. Each context is further complicated by constant change which is both evolutionary and imposed. For these reasons, there is no single profile fitting a conservatorium leader. Rather, leadership style needs to align to shifting circumstances, which implies that conservatorium leaders need to understand how to adjust their approach to leadership as the individual setting evolves. The argument is consistent with the findings that purposive preparation is crucial for leaders of contemporary conservatoria, to give them the diversity of skills required for the role and the flexibility necessary to adapt to changing circumstances. Because a conservatorium has the potential to be part of the cultural infrastructure of the community in which it resides, these conditions carry implications which extend beyond the conservatorium and have the capacity to impact on future generations. The conservatorium culture implies natural intersections with the community through the provision of performance and teaching services. Conservatorium facilities in their turn become part of the repertoire of community performance and recording resources. The extent to which this relationship might develop relies on each conservatoriums perception of its place within its own community, and each leaders interpretation of this positioning. A leader who places emphasis on external relationships might embed the institution within the community, socially and culturally. This combined understanding of the institutions role within the community is a significant factor in the realisation of each conservatoriums individual potential.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/291148 |
| Creators | Lancaster, Helen May |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
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