University of Reading

University of Reading

When the University of Reading shut its music department three years ago, you may well have crossed it off your list of prospective study destinations. But for those interested in teaching music, the closure might actually have been a blessing in disguise.

Students at the university's Institute of Education gained a dedicated music building in the fallout, plus numerous musicological resources and sheet music. 'It would be nice to have

that other department there but the resources for music are now centralised,' says Nils Franke.

Franke, a German pianist, is the director of two of the university's programmes in music education - an area in which Reading specialises. There are around 100 students (70 per cent full-time) across its six music education courses, with 23 full and part-time staff.

The education niche makes sense in Reading: it's a commuter town lying directly west of London - the kind of place City workers want to live and raise their children. As a result, Reading and the wider Berkshire area offer plenty of teacher training opportunities, including in music.

Likewise, many of London's freelance musicians and orchestral players are based in Reading, so they often teach part-time at the university. 'Our clarinet teacher plays in the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the piano lecturer also teaches at Brunel University,' says Franke.

Franke leads the BA (Ed) with a music specialism - four years with Qualified Teacher Status - and music teaching in professional practice (MTPP), which is awarded as either a PG Dip or an MA. The latter was established in collaboration with the Incorporated Society of Musicians in 1994 to meet the needs of instrumental and vocal teachers.

'It was always thought of as a distance-learning course but it's gone through various formats,' says Franke.

The MTPP used several regional centres around the UK until 2000, which was when all personal teaching began to be led by university staff at the course's summer school.

'Technology has had a huge impact,' Franke believes. He says that the growth of web-based learning means his tutors now offer email consultation and feedback on the students' work via webcam, for example.

The BA (Ed) has around 55 students each year, with about 15 doing the music specialism (English and art are the other options). Half of the course is given over to the specialist area, while the rest - taken by all 55 students together - is on education studies such as maths, literacy and teaching skills.

'There is a good balance between the education side of the degree and the music specialism,' says Nicola Mooney, a 21-year-old final-year student from Bromley in Kent. 'The education component is very thorough with a huge amount of subject input. School placements are regular and extremely enlightening.'

During the music modules Mooney receives tuition in her primary instrument, the clarinet, and plays in small groups made up of course members. Students on the course have usually passed Grade 8 or A-Level music.

Music has always been Mooney's passion but she didn't want to study a music degree and then a PGCE in order to become a primary school teacher. 'I liked the idea of doing the music and teaching at the same time,' she explains. 'You get a much better grounding in teaching over four years, rather than one.'

The Institute of Education also offers a full- or part-time MA in music education, which includes taught modules on music education and performance in education, and a research dissertation. A PGCE in secondary music attracts 10-15 students each year, while a music education PhD and a graduate teacher programme (GTP) are also offered.

Students on music education courses have access to their own dedicated music centre, which is open 14 hours a day and houses a large orchestral studio, two smaller ensemble studios, around a dozen practice rooms and several lecture rooms.

But music at Reading isn't just for prospective teachers. One of more than 60 societies, the Reading University Music Society (Rums) is a student-run organisation consisting of both music education students and amateur musicians from non-music programmes. Ensembles depend on the society's membership - so Mooney, for example, plays in the symphony orchestra and concert band but also leads the society's popular gospel choir.

Franke, who says that Rums ensembles play to 'a very decent standard', points out that all students at the university are eligible for its annual music scholarships scheme.

Up to five scholarships worth £800 and several smaller awards of £200-£400 are handed out each year. 'You can't take the money and go to the pub,' Franke is quick to point out, 'but you can spend it on tuition, and instruments and sheet music.'

The university's encouragement of music and Rums regular activities means a close, friendly community of musicians exists at Reading. But, says Mooney, music education students do usually mix with non-music students, as it offers the chance to develop a wider network of friends.

Musically, the town of Reading is probably best known for its festival, which welcomes 80,000 revellers to Berkshire every August. 'There is a lot going on in the town,' says Mooney. 'The Pitcher and Piano has a huge variety of live music, from funk and soul to jive bands, and the Arches jazz club is ace as well.'

The town is well served for classical music too, with three purpose-built concert halls: the University Great Hall, The Hexagon and the recently refurbished Town Hall. 'Alfred Brendel does an annual concert here because he likes the acoustics, and a lot of orchestras play in Reading before or after playing in London,' says Franke.

Of course, with the capital just a 30-minute train ride away, there is plenty more going on within easy reach.

Despite the setback of its music department closing, there are still musical options at the University of Reading - and they're set to increase too. 'Two years from now there will certainly be a broadening of both degree and professional development programmes,' says Franke.

VITAL STATISTICS

• The Berkshire town of Reading, which lies west of London, has an urban population of around 250,000
• The University of Reading's roots dates back to the town's School of Art and Science, established in the 1860s
• The Institute of Education offers six music-related courses: a BA (Ed) with a music specialism at undergraduate level, plus an MA, a PGCE in secondary music, a PhD in music education, GTP teacher training and music teaching in professional practice (MTPP)
• Staff-led music specialisms include composition, classroom-based research and instrumental teaching
• A partnership with the University of Macedonia could lead to a visiting professorship in 2009
• Reading's most famous musical son is Tubular Bells composer Mike Oldfield, with Jamie Cullum among the university's alumni
• The town has two long-established orchestras - Reading Symphony and Reading Youth - plus the Aldworth Philharmonic, which was founded in 2002
• The 100-strong Reading Festival Chorus was formed in 1945 to present performances of large-scale choral works
  

Contact
The University of Reading
Institute of Education
Bulmershe Court, Earley,
Reading, RG6 1HY
Tel: 0118 378 8811
b.j.little@reading.ac.uk
www.reading.ac.uk/education

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