Nouveau président de la CHEMS - New President of the KMHS

Stephan Schmidt, director of the Académie de musique de Bâle (Basel Music Academy) and of the Hautes écoles de musique de la Haute école spécialisée du nord-ouest de la Suisse (FHNW Music Academy), as well as guitarist of international renown, has been the new president of CHEMS since the beginning of the year.

Like his predecessors, he wishes to represent the voice of our country's music schools on issues that are of particular importance, be it the implementation of article 67a of the Constitution (which has not yet had the desired effect) or issues relating to the international professional environment or the law on the encouragement and coordination of higher education (LEHE). He sees a major challenge in the weight and role that will be given to music schools and colleges in society in the future, given that they remain largely underestimated both in society and in the cultural industry. Faced with what is currently happening in the United States, the question also arises as to whether CHEMS should take a political stance, in whatever form that may be.

Stephan Schmidt believes that music has a role to play in social politics (not politics) to the extent that this art contributes to a better understanding of ourselves in our cultural dimension. It is therefore also necessary to aim to make a respectful and responsible use of music in order to lay the foundations for a future that allows for spiritual and cultural development - in its quality as a specialized conference, CHEMS can take the lead at the level of professional training. Himself a concert guitarist, Stephan Schmidt describes the extreme difficulty of finding the right balance between this dual role of director on the one hand, and his soloist performances on the other. These two activities are a source of pleasure, but also demand that they be carried out with the highest level of quality and responsibility. One problem is the large number of musicians who teach, plan, have children and want to perform an authentic artistic work. Ultimately, it is important to recognize the privilege of working with and for your passion.

In conclusion, Stephan Schmidt expresses, on the one hand, his wish that CHEMS be scouted and his reflections taken seriously, and on the other hand, that the various actors and institutions of the musical landscape get together, express their interests more clearly and learn to defend them better on the political level. They are still too little aware of the incommensurable enrichment that fine music can bring to existence.

Matthias von Orelli - The music universities in Switzerland are facing major challenges. The KMHS gives the individual universities a voice in society, in politics and in the music scene. Stephan Schmidt talks about his goals and ideas as President of the KMHS and explains the role that music can play in political issues.

Stephan Schmidt, you are the new President of the KMHS (Conference of Swiss Music Universities). What would you like to focus on in this role?

The presidency of the KMHS is not an official function, but a temporary mandate to represent the Swiss conservatoires. In this respect, like my predecessors, I will give a voice to those issues on which the conservatoires need to be heard or should be heard. The focus will therefore be on issues that affect music in general and education at conservatoires in particular:

The implementation of Article 67a of the Constitution, for example, has not yet brought the hoped-for momentum in key areas, but in our view requires further efforts and improvements, especially in the area of university preparation (precolleges).

In addition, we need to educate politicians and society more and better about the realities of the music profession: the necessarily internationally oriented training profile, the artistic and pedagogical quality requirements, the everyday combination of different fields of work and activity as artists, teachers, employees, freelancers, self-employed, unpaid practitioners...

The last few years have been characterized by revolutionary changes in the higher education landscape. The last major innovation was the Higher Education Funding and Coordination Act (HFKG), which has been in force since January 1, 2015 and has created a uniform legal higher education area for universities, universities of teacher education and universities of applied sciences (with music). In this context, it is now necessary to clarify what say the KMHS specialist conference of the universities of music will have or can achieve.

How do you rate the music academy landscape in Switzerland at the moment?

Although it has undergone radical structural changes since the days of the conservatoires, it is actually very well positioned today. The past few years in the UAS context have brought many positive things for us, in addition to some aspects that were not so easy to deal with, such as the many reorganizations in the training courses and in the financial and organizational structures: research and reflection have brought a lot of dynamism at all levels, the long-term planning mechanisms are now better able to meet the needs of music training than in the days of the conservatoires...

In your opinion, what are the major challenges facing music academies in Switzerland, and what role does the KMHS play in this?

In the coming years, the importance and role that music-making, music education and training, i.e. music schools and conservatoires, will be accorded in society will be decisive. We are convinced that this role and importance, whether in society or in the cultural industry, continues to be greatly underestimated. The conservatoires must play their part in this, and the KMHS can be a mouthpiece for this. Funding issues are often at the forefront of this, but it is not just a question of money; first and foremost, it is about making clear the importance and appreciation that is accorded to our work and our needs. Despite the constitutional article, music has not always had an easy time of it recently. We never tire of emphasizing the importance of music and musical work, but it is not just my subjective observation that the understanding of music has seen better times.

In any case, clubs, associations, music schools and conservatoires will have their hands full in the coming changes in order to make the necessity and efficiency of their work clearer to society at large. We should be open to change so that transformation and not dismantling and destruction will characterize the way we deal with music.

In any case, the music profession remains a valuable and promising model for the future if we are prepared to improve the conditions so that it can be lived with inspiration, organized wisely and financed solidly. What is needed for this is often not clear to the musicians themselves and often even less so to society. Who knows what musicians often do at the same time: practice, teach, give solo concerts, chamber music, ensemble, orchestra, opera etc., organize, lobby, think, search, research, write... usually simultaneously as employees, freelancers, self-employed, unpaid practitioners...

A difficult, but also a fantastic, fulfilling profession that can bring great satisfaction and self-fulfilment if you learn to organize it properly and find or create the right conditions.

The world seems to have come apart at the seams politically at the moment. The new American president is trampling on human rights and freedoms without hesitation. What does this make you feel?

It is not my place to make political statements here. Nevertheless, I hope for a functioning balance of state powers. In any case, the separation of powers of our time was hard-won and is a valuable asset that will have to prove its stability time and again in the future. Today's music and music-making also include a certain independence on the part of musicians who stand up for a world view based on the cultivation of fundamental human rights and freedoms. This was not always possible. Musicians were and are not per se free from moral conflicts or even misconduct. The same applies to the world, which - as you say - seems to be coming apart at the seams.

Should culture, especially music, interfere in political discussions?

That's what music is supposed to do, but not in a party-political way, but in a socio-political way. Making music and creating music is part of the self-image of our cultural human existence. We have an immeasurable musical wealth that surrounds us, and it is up to us not only to preserve it in a meaningful way, but also to develop it further, to make it possible to hear and experience it again and again and, above all, to make it accessible to all those who have no access to it or have not learned to perceive it. That is politics.

Music has also been abused on occasion, and has itself consciously contributed to abuse. So music is not good per se. However, there is good and bad music, and it can be handled well or negligently, it can even be used to manipulate or to educate with love and respect. It is up to each and every one of us not only to find the right path, but to look to a future that gives us confidence and spiritual and cultural development.

And what can a KMHS achieve?

The KMHS is a specialist conference, an important mouthpiece in the field of vocational training, no more and no less.

You yourself are an internationally renowned guitarist. How do you reconcile the activities of a performing musician and director of a music academy?

Not at all. The one competes with the other, and it's a daily tug-of-war for time. Every job has its non-negotiable demands in terms of quality, and my responsibility for this wonderful institution, the FHNW Academy of Music / Basel Music Academy with its approx. 560 employees and its mission, as well as for my family, is paramount at the moment.

My solo performance often has to take a back seat, even if it almost drives me crazy from time to time. But this problem is one that is familiar to everyone who teaches, organizes, has children and wants to work authentically as an artist. It is and remains an insatiable restlessness that can never be balanced. But it's also a good thing, it can hardly be done any other way. It is also a privilege to be able to work out of passion.

What is your wish for the near future of KMHS?

That people listen to us and take our ideas seriously. I also hope that the various players/institutions in the music landscape as a whole will move closer together, formulate their interests more clearly and learn to represent them better politically.

We have had to learn to adapt to many things in a rapidly changing environment, but unfortunately many still fail to see how good music could enrich their lives immeasurably.