Australian National University abandons plan to axe the School of Music after public pressure

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Australian National University has backflipped on a controversial plan to axe its school of music. It follows widespread condemnation for the proposal which many feared would be a death knell for Canberra's music pipeline.

Transcript

00:00It was a plan that drummed fear into a cohort of young musicians, scrapping the esteemed

00:11School of Music as a standalone institution and removing specialised performance tuition.

00:17I know that we wouldn't have a jazz community here without the school. It is part of the

00:23heart of Canberra's culture and it's completely vital.

00:25After intense backlash, the ANU has changed its tune, abandoning the cost-cutting proposal,

00:34citing comprehensive consultation and an improved financial position.

00:39It's a pretty good outcome for our students who've been trying really hard for a few months

00:44for this whole semester actually to fight for performance coming back next year.

00:49The ANU will establish a new Performance Plus hub, offering one-on-one instrumental and

00:55vocal tuition.

00:56We're very happy that we've saved the School of Music and that there will still

00:59be a School of Music going into the future. It won't be like it was before. We're still

01:04sort of going through the detail of what's now being proposed.

01:07It's hit the right note for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, which relies on the university for

01:12its pipeline of musicians.

01:14I have really bright hopes for the future. There are so many opportunities for this to

01:20be a nation-leading partnership.

01:23But students say damage has already been done, with many of their classmates already deciding

01:30to leave.

01:31The majority of our cohort have finished their auditions for particularly the Uni of Melbourne,

01:36so a lot of our best players are moving down.

01:38A blow for an institution brought back from the brink.

01:43It was also yours.

01:44Ok.

01:45Pe

01:58the

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