UNIVERSITY MUSIC COURSE IS SAVED:
Campaigners celebrate as subject is saved from university axe
MORE than 6,000 people who fought to save music degrees at Keele University have won a partial victory.
All undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in music and music technology were due to be phased out by 2023. University leaders claimed they were attracting dwindling numbers of students. But the plans – revealed by The Sentinel in December – sparked a huge backlash.
Now the university’s senate has voted in favour of a compromise, which will see a revamped degree launched in September 2022, provisionally titled music and sound engineering.
All current students will be supported to complete their courses. And although there will be no new intake for music in 2021, people can still apply to do music technology next year. After then, music technology will be replaced with the new degree course.
Students who set up the Save Keele Music group on Facebook said in a statement: “We are beyond happy. A million thank-yous to everyone who signed the staff petition, wrote a testimonial, and liked
our posts.” Until recently, students could combine music and music technology with nearly 30 other programmes. But music can currently only be studied as a dual honours degree. Another suggestion had been to offer ‘interdisciplinary’ modules, such as ‘music in wartime Britain’, music
therapy, and music and education.
Professor Miroslav Spasov, who specialises in composition and creative music technology, said: “We can now start building a new programme by carefully planning its structure, content and delivery in order to make an attractive and sustainable provision.”
A Keele University spokesman said: “We are committed to maintaining modern and innovative media and creative arts degree programmes, and this new music and sound engineering programme will enrich this provision.we will be developing further our suite of media and creative arts-related degree programmes at Keele.
“Separate to our music education programmes, there is a strong musical life on campus, including numerous performing bodies, from orchestras to choirs, concert bands and folk music, which form an important part of the university’s cultural and extracurricular experience.”