A Systems View of Music Performance Education (II)

Continuing from Part I.

While working as a temp at a technology education center this summer, I worked with their goals and rationale of their systems approach to electronics education and at the same time, wondered if the concept could translate to a college education in music performance.

Granted, the technology curve is exponentially greater than that of the music field, but, it seems that many performance majors I encounter graduate from college lack basic problem-solving, business and entrepreneurial skills.

Roughly translated:

Applying the eSyst model is not an exact fit, but this graphic abstractly illustrates the concept I am attempting to convey. My concern that is while the electronics industry has the eSyst project recognizing their educational gap, music performance education does not have a similar program.

A few music schools have adapted their programs and are staying on top of the tides of change. Yet, many others continue with an outmoded or incomplete education model. Students are graduating with strong fundamentals, but weak real-world skills, including: how to be an entrepreneur, how to plan a budget, and how to plan for retirement.

That being said, I am greatly encouraged by programs at my alma maters – Eastman’s Institute for Music Leadership and Arizona State’s experimental ensemble program. With a “top-down” approach, students can tailor their education to meet the current demands of the market.

For the lucky few, the highly competitive orchestra gigs are a godsend. For others it is a pipe dream. For many, the alternative career is in the “freeway philharmonic.”

Freeway Philharmonic

This term is gaining increasing popularity among musicians; it gives a name to a rising employment trend for many classical musicians, myself included. It refers to musicians who hold a collection of several part-time playing jobs (perhaps in tandem with a job outside of music) that in total, comprise a full-time career. It has even been the topic of a recent documentary of the same name which is being broadcast on PBS in some areas.

If recent events with the orchestra and academic profession (and the economy) are any indication of a long-term trend, downsizing may be in the future for many small and mid-sized American colleges and orchestras. The “freeway philharmonic” model may become the wave of the future for many (or even most) musicians and educators.

Shift happens

In offering these observations, I do not profess a “doom and gloom” forecast for the future of classical music nor do I lay blame on teachers or on the teaching profession. Rather, I profess that programs at the upper levels need to adapt themselves to changing times and real-world models – such as the freeway philharmonic.

Some private studio teachers may teach these concepts in one form or another. Formalized as a course or a bona fide program however, this real-world knowledge could be of even greater benefit to more students. A recent post at Joshua Nesmith’s Cincinnati Pianist Blog for example, offers the kind of advice that should be a standard course in college – i.e. “Surviving and Thriving in the Arts 101.”

A video illustrating changing trends in the technology field brilliantly illustrates the point in the broader scope. This is was what gave me the “aha” moment for this blog topic.

The systems view approach is a “top/down approach” to education where the market drives the college curriculum. A responsive music performance program that thinks like this – beyond textbook knowledge and “dream” gigs – could be sending performance graduates into the world prepared with specific tools, instead of vague dreams.

If it works for the highly competitive electronics field, can’t it work for music too?

[As an aside, see some further reading: college is not for everyone.]