Beyond the Conservatory Model: Reimagining Classical Music Performance Training in Higher Education

Amid enormous changes in higher education, audience and music listener preferences, and the relevant career marketplace, music faculty are increasingly aware of the need to reimagine classical music performance training for current and future students. But how can faculty and administrators, under urgent pressure to act, be certain that their changes are effective, strategic, and beneficial for students and institutions? In this provocative yet measured book, Michael Stepniak and Peter Sirotin address these questions with perspectives rooted in extensive experience as musicians, educators, and arts leaders. Building on a multidimensional analysis of core issues and drawing upon interviews with leaders from across the performing arts and higher education music fields, Stepniak and Sirotin scrutinize arguments for and against radical change, illuminating areas of unavoidable challenge as well as areas of possibility and hope. An essential read for education leaders contemplating how classical music can continue to thrive within American higher education.

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.