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Overview of the School of Music

ORIGINS AND HISTORY

The Australian National University (ANU) was established by the federal parliament in 1946, specifically to lead the development of the intellectual capacity of the nation through research and postgraduate training in line with the best international standards. In 1960, ANU accepted responsibility for research-led undergraduate education at the same high standards.

The original plans for the Schools of Music and Art were formed in the mid-1960s when the Commonwealth Department of the Interior recognized the need to establish centres for art and music study in the national capital, with the vision of providing high-level performance and practice. The Canberra School of Music was established in 1965. The Canberra School of Art was established in 1976. In 1987, the two Schools were combined to create the Canberra Institute for the Arts. In 1988, the Institute sought and obtained affiliation with the ANU and in 1992, became part of the University.

It is now over a decade since what was previously the Canberra Institute of the Arts amalgamated with The Australian National University. In 2001, the current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Chubb, developed a series of National Institutes across the University, of which the National Institute of the Arts was one. In 2004, the National Institute of the Arts was dissolved, with the Schools of Music and Art becoming an integral part of the Faculty of the Arts.

Acknowledging the reputation of the nearby University in the early days of the School, the foundation Director Ernest Llewellyn stated that: “In setting out a plan for the establishment of a School of Music in Canberra it is of the utmost importance that a comparable level be maintained. It is most necessary that the school provide, at the very beginning, a director and staff of the highest qualities in their particular spheres, and that imagination and flexibility of planning and operation be ensured for progressive development.”

Ernest Llewellyn had a grand vision and saw the School of Music as Australia’s ‘Juilliard’, setting it up with a hand-picked staff and a focus on the training of soloists, chamber and orchestral musicians. As part of his grand plan he also envisaged the development of a National Symphony Orchestra based in Canberra.

The School of Music was first located at Manuka and in 1976 moved to its current site, becoming the first purpose-built music school facility in Australia. In 2001, the Peter Karmel Building was opened: a project that had been planned for more than two decades. This new facility provides customized facilities for the Jazz and Percussion Areas, and a state-of the art home for the Centre for New Media Arts. An extension to the Music Library was completed at the same time.

ETHOS

At the heart of what we do is a love of music - this is the inspiration for excellence in teaching, creation, performance and research. Creative activity is the source of this passion. We strive to create and maintain an environment of enthusiasm for, love of, and truth in, dynamic artistic practice.

School of Music staff in group discussion, February 2003.
"The School of Music at the Australian National University aspires to be among the world’s most innovative and challenging institutions for music education and research. The School’s identity stems from values at the heart of its activities that place creativity, passion and a sensitivity to the distinctive Australian voice in music-making at the energising centre of all its education and research."

Creativity at the core

Whether in performance, composition, improvisation, writing or listening, music is an essentially human activity, marked by the imprint of the creative personalities of the participants. Education at the School seeks to break the traditional boundaries between theory and practice, classical and jazz, Western music and world music, and art music and popular music. Research at the School encompasses cutting edge creative practice as much as innovative scholarship.

A unique Australian voice

The School of Music in the nation’s capital has a responsibility to preserve, record and nurture the musical voice of the Australian people. Our unique indigenous, colonial and national musical heritage and links with the rest of the world give Australia a distinct musical identity. Education and research at the School flow from this identity, and are informed by the aesthetic, cultural and social contexts of twenty-first-century Australia. This is realised in many ways, ranging from a focus on the generation of new Australian work; through a commitment to the musical traditions of our indigenous and migrant communities; and to an awareness of musical performance as an act of cultural production in a global community.

Inquiry-based practice

A spirit of inquiry and challenging of assumptions are central to our educational practice. For us, education is more than training in professional music practice - it is the development of the questioning, creative artist. Research at the School of Music asks the important questions about music in Australia and elsewhere what music means, who it is for, and what it might be in the future. It also pushes the boundaries of traditional definitions of research, placing creative musical performance and composition at the heart of original contributions to human knowledge and understanding. As an institution, too, we adopt a spirit of questioning, continually asking ourselves how we might improve our practice, seeking to make ourselves more relevant to the society we serve, and to benchmark our achievements against the very best music education and research nationally and internationally.

Sharing the passion

A culture of collaborative artistic, scholarly and educational practice is central to the ethos of the school. Within the ANU, this means an enthusiasm for interdisciplinary work with visual art, new media arts, theatre, film studies, language studies, history and anthropology. In this way we seek to contribute to the University’s mission to be Australia’s leading research-and practice-led educational institution. In locally and regional terms, this means becoming the centre for music and music education in partnership with local government, community groups and the institutions of the nation’s capital. Nationally and internationally, the School aims to be the hub of a network of musical expertise that reaches widely across the country and beyond. As a centre of excellence the School demonstrates its national pre-eminence as a senior partner in links and collaborations with other music education institutions; national and international professional and scholarly organisations and cultural institutions; and the strong network of world-class university partners enjoyed by the ANU as a whole.

VISION STATEMENT

Australia’s national music school has a special role in nurturing its unique musical voice, through an ongoing commitment to international quality music practice, creativity, innovation and sustainable cultural development.

MISSION STATEMENT

As a living integrated artistic teaching, learning and research environment, the School of Music provides research-led music education in partnership with its many communities.