The close of the day brought news from the Royal Conservatory of Music that Carnegie Hall is withdrawing from the school’s joint venture into the United States independent music teaching and assessment market.
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- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
Since its launch in 2011, the Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program has, according to informed rumour, failed to live up to expectations — and has not even begun to recover the millions of dollars spent on establishing curricula, preparing learning materials, establishing local contacts, and staffing the biannual examination process.
Carnegie Hall has decided to focus on orchestral work in its outreach to young people, rather than individual music instruction.
Predictably, the press release focused on the positive, saying that 6,000 American students passed through the Achievement Program’s assessment process last year.
That may seem like a great number, but it compares poorly to the approximately 100,000 Canadian youngsters that passed through the Royal Conservatory’s more than century-old community assessment process last year.
The Conservatory aims to continue its American expansion on its own, rebranding its effort as The Royal Conservatory Music Development Program.
“We believe in the transformative power of music and the many benefits to society that are derived by greater participation,” stated Royal Conservatory president Peter Simon in the press release. “Quality music education delivers profound value, not just in early childhood development, but also as a lifelong learning pursuit. We are committed to ensuring Americans have access to that education through The Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. We thank Carnegie Hall for their partnership in this initial phase, and their support of this vital work.”
Without skipping a beat, American registration begins tomorrow.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
