Death Blow: Thoughts on the proposed closure of Cardiff School of Music

Image of Barbara Hepworth’s Three Obliques (Walk-in); Original Source: Tŷ Cerdd

In a statement released on 28 January, Cardiff University announced the launch of a formal consultation on proposed changes ‘designed to realise its ambitions and secure the University’s long-term future.’ These changes include a reduction of 400 academic staff and closure of programmes in music and several other subjects.

My heart breaks—for the current students who are experiencing the wonders of a music degree at Cardiff University, for future students who may never have the chance to be part of this special place and its community, and for my friends and colleagues whose lives and energies have been dedicated to Cardiff’s School of Music for decades. My heart breaks for their families, for the local community, for Wales’ artistic community, and for the state of Welsh music education. It breaks for the music teachers across Wales and beyond, whose alma mater is diminishing the importance of music education. What do we tell our students when our own musical home no longer values us?

I have been thinking a lot about the alumni who feel that the University is attacking a part of their musical heritage and past. I have been thinking about my friends who spent hours in practice rooms honing their craft (or, in my case, not at all). I have been thinking about how we would pile our books high on a desk in the library as a way of claiming that seat for days on end.

That CD collection.

I have been thinking about singing lessons and rehearsals with John Hugh Thomas; workshops with Exaudi, the Carducci Quartet, and Consortium Five; and lectures with Charles Wilson, Ken Gloag, David Wyn Jones, David Beard, and Tim Taylor. I have been thinking about tutorials with Rob Fokkens that changed my thinking—quite frankly, changed my life—and group sessions with Daniel Bickerton and Cameron Gardner that made me realise I could do this. I have been thinking about seminars with Stephen Walsh, Caroline Rae, and Arlene Sierra that challenged me.

I have been thinking about that bust of Grace Williams in the Octagon at the School of Music. I have been wondering what Alun Hoddinott would say about this. I have been reflecting on the cultural legacy of that building—the Malthouse paintings, the Hepworth, the Piper.

I have been thinking about the walk to Llandaff Cathedral to sing Evensong with friends. About the singers I have met along the way. The Music Society concerts. The touring. The open days. The staff-student committee meetings. The outreach projects. The recording sessions. The professional music groups that grew out of that place.

The friendships.

The decisions proposed by Cardiff University's senior management have already caused harm. However, they have also prompted us to look up and recognise what we stand to lose. This includes generations of music creators, your music teachers, local conductors, outreach facilitators, theatre technical specialists, choir accompanists, research assistants, arts consultants for regional festivals, administrators, producers, academics, music therapists, and even the band you love listening to at your local on a Friday night. And that doesn’t even account for the trades and industries Cardiff’s alumni enter beyond the music sector, benefiting from the strength of character and expertise that a university music education gives us.

Image from undergraduate graduation in 2013; Nathan James Dearden (left), Matthew Barnaville (right)

I studied for four years at Cardiff University School of Music (BMus Hons., 2013; MMus, 2014), and it was the first place where I was truly able to be myself and pursue what I love. This institution provided me—and every other student—with opportunities to explore the music industry in all its weird and wonderful avenues. It allowed me to be a composer, researcher, singer, teacher, mentor, project leader, conductor, event curator, and arts manager—all roles that have shaped my career.

A university degree opens doors and provides a broad perspective on a specialism. Like many others, this was precisely why I applied to a university. Even as a fairly naïve boy from the Valleys, at the age of 18, I understood the distinction between a university and a conservatoire education in the UK and the unique strengths each offers. Cardiff University School of Music has one of the highest percentages of students from widening participation and low socio-enconomic backgrounds. They took a punt on this boy.

I am dismayed by recent reports and BBC broadcasts featuring Cardiff University’s President & Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner, which suggest that the School of Music and Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama are interchangeable. Since 1949, these institutions have established an interdependent relationship, contributing to Wales’ broader music education landscape by maintaining a delicate balance between practitioner-led and research-intensive music education. To dismantle this ecosystem would be tantamount to cultural suicide in Wales.

I urge Cardiff University to reconsider this decision and to recognise the profound impact that the School of Music has had, and continues to have, on countless individuals. This decision stands in direct opposition to the University’s own prime strategic objective within “Culture, Cynefin, Community”, revealing a stark hypocrisy. Losing the School of Music would not only silence an institution but would directly hammer a death blow on the rich cultural landscape it has helped to shape.

What we can do?

A significant grassroots movement is underway to raise awareness and drive change. If you haven't already, please sign this petition and follow the campaign for updates on additional petitions, protests, charity events, and calls to action: www.change.org/p/save-cardiff-university-school-of-music.

WRITE TO THE UNIVERSITY

You are encouraged to write directly to the President & Vice-Chancellor, and/or other members of the University Executive Board. Contact details can be found here: www.cardiff.ac.uk/about/organisation/university-executive-board Below is the formal letter sent to members of the University Executive Board: