The UC National Conservatorium of Music
Introduction
The School of Music is part of the Centre for Fine Arts, Music and Theatre, within the College of Arts at the University of Canterbury (UC).
Music has been taught at the University (originally Canterbury College) since 1891. It was established as a Faculty in 1924 and has, since that time, made a vital contribution to the cultural life of the University and the city.
Through its high quality programmes and staff, the School of Music also makes a significant contribution as a provider of high quality education and research. The School currently has 300 students (119.4 equivalent fulltime students or EFTS). Its academic staff are all research active and are rated highly in the New Zealand Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) quality ratings.
Though the quality of its staff and students is outstanding, the facilities within which the School of Music operates severely limit its current activities and future plans. The main School of Music building at Ilam constructed in the 1970s is now at full capacity and is outdated. Its particular issues include:
- health and safety concerns
- inadequate soundproofing
- disability access
- performance spaces spread across five sites on the Ilam campus
- lack of office space and storage
These problems have become sufficiently acute to threaten the effectiveness and, ultimately, the continuation of Music as an academic discipline at the University. The “do nothing” option has been considered and would result in the future decline of the School of Music to the point of the programme being discontinued. This has not been contemplated as an option as the music programme is a key component of the University and its demise would fundamentally alter UC’s role as a broad-based regional university.
A number of options have been considered by the University in relation to the refurbishment of the existing School of Music building. Given that the building structure is a primary source of sound transfer no changes could ensure a facility that was fit for the purpose of teaching and research of music. The University has given priority to the development of a business case for the construction of a new School of Music. The strong preference of the School of Music and the University’s Senior Management Team is for the new building to be constructed on the Arts Centre site.