Beyond the Conservatory Model

Michael Stepniak is Dean and Professor of Music at Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University. A leading arts educator and chamber musician, he holds graduate degrees in performance (Peabody Institute), musicology (Northwestern University), and education (Harvard University).Peter Sirotin is Concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Director of Market Square Concerts, and Artist-in-Residence at Messiah College, Pennsylvania.

• Series Editor's Introduction1. Beyond Beauty, Brilliance, and Expression: Musicianship and Reconnecting with the General Public2. Gathering Insights From the Field: How the Classical Music Marketplace Is Changing, and What That Change Means for the Training that Students Need3. Why This Change Is Unusually Difficult: Three Specific Factors May Be Thwarting the Will and Ability of Music Leaders to Change Performance Training Models4. Making Change That CountsAppendix: Select Readings on Leadership, and Leading Change in Higher EducationIndex

"Beyond the Conservatory Model provides a badly-needed insiders’ diagnosis—and many thoughtful remedies—for the anachronisms that many classical music conservatories have become. … Stepniak and Sirotin encourage us to think beyond the musical conservatism and homogeneity and instead give priority to helping students find their own ‘powerfully authentic and individual musical voice’ in pursuit of rekindling a human connection with an audience." — Douglas Dempster, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, USA"Beyond the Conservatory Model speaks truth to power about the challenges (and potential opportunities) in higher education music study. Stepniak’s and Sirotin’s vision of student outcomes particularly resonated with me, offering practical solutions to reinvent how we train and prepare music students for the professional world. …This should be mandatory reading for all NASM/CMS members."— Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, USA"This is a much-needed breath of fresh fire to the discussion surrounding the training of the next generation of ‘classical’ music performance majors. … Michael Stepniak and Peter Sirotin have compiled a brief and cogent examination as to just how underserved so many of these students are by a curriculum that was designed generations ago for an industry that has evolved, moved, died, changed gears, and continues to baffle even seasoned professionals. However, not giving in to mere despair or relying on the notion that the superiority of the art will win the day for the students, they have actually accumulated data from industry and academic professionals and given precise recommendations while acknowledging the inherent difficulty for curricular change at many institutions."— Daniel Graser, Saxophonist, The Sinta Quartet, and Lecturer in Music, Oakland University, Michigan, USA"I can’t imagine a more thoroughly researched or better written resource to guide higher education through the vital work of reimagining today’s music performance degree."— Andrew Hitz, Host of "The Entrepreneurial Musician" and "The Brass Junkies" podcasts, former tuba player for Boston Brass