Joint Teaching Day - Digital transformation in university teaching

Matthias von Orelli - The event was aimed at all heads of degree programs and selected representatives of the mid-level faculty at Swiss music universities. Significant topics from the previous year's event in Zurich were taken up again and current developments were discussed. The first part of the day was dominated by a keynote speech by Prof. Andrea Belliger entitled "Digital transformation - the phenomenon beyond learning apps and smart algorithms" and a panel discussion with singer, composer, performer and multi-instrumentalist Marena Whitcher (see article below). The second part of the program presented various sessions in which the current and pressing demands on Swiss music academies were lively discussed.

Questions about the future played a central role in all discussions, including the future role of lecturers at Swiss music universities. Claudia Wagner from the HKB moderated the appropriate discussion topic "Between expertise and care-taking: the future role of lecturers". The participants agreed that professional expertise at Swiss conservatoires is non-negotiable. However, as career options are more diverse and open today, it can become a challenge for lecturers to prepare students for a multifaceted professional life. This issue can be addressed with further education courses and the advice centers that already exist in some cases (for scholarships, career advice, concert placement, etc.).

Peter Knodt (lecturer in trumpet didactics, responsible for quality management at the FHNW School of Music) presented the topic of "Quality control: instruments for university-specific quality management". It is undisputed that quality management should be seen as teaching development. In practice, this can be implemented, for example, by students actively helping to shape teaching and lecturers helping to develop quality management themselves. The appointment of a so-called Chief Listening Officer, who takes on relevant concerns, was also discussed, as were the possibilities of peer observation (this takes place when a colleague attends a course as a guest and then provides feedback). Rather bad experiences are made with quality management when it is used without consultation with the lecturers as a top down-measure is used. And: the digitalization processes that are currently developing will also have a significant influence on the form and content of quality management in the future.

Beatrice Zawodnik from the Haute école de musique Genève - Neuchâtel (HEM) addressed the topic of "Zig-zag careers: The promotion and cultivation of new student profiles". According to the discussion, such "zigzag careers" will become increasingly important in the future, and it is important to pay particular attention to and address such career profiles. In the context of such student profiles, however, universities of music must pay particular attention to the preparation or support of students in their learning, because there is a tension between canon and individualization, but also between opening up and focusing on content. These trade-offs must be carefully negotiated.

Christoph Brenner, Director of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana CSI, presented his topic under the title "Music education: between talent development, social assistance and having fun". It was emphasized that motivation is a central factor in music education. The professional environment has also become much more demanding in this field today, which is why time and maturity are elementary components of a pedagogical education. Another aspect that was discussed was the optimal design of transitions and hinges between courses of study or school levels.

With the topic "Superdiversity: Which society for which students and vice versa?", Graziella Contratto from the HKB tackled another topical issue. Although today's social stakeholders have become more complex and mixed, universities of music in particular already have many years of experience with a diverse student body. But how do you continue to achieve social acceptance? And how should conservatoires deal with a situation where cultural achievements or traditions suddenly threaten to break away? During the discussion, it was noted that it is all the more important to develop and use new formats. The integration of non-European music traditions and cultures, the promotion of students' language skills and the development of innovative teaching formats are just three ways in which we can try to anticipate trends rather than imitate them.

Overall, the second "Teaching Day" at the KMHS not only provided an opportunity to discuss pressing issues in music education, but also to engage in informal discussions. The lively discussions showed that this meets a great need.

Peter Kraut - The input presentation on the Swiss Music Universities' Teaching Day, given by Dr. Andrea Belliger, member of the university management and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Teacher Education, provided plenty to talk about. The theology graduate described aspects of a new educational culture and emphasized the upheavals, system changes and shifts in values that are fueled by the digital transformation. One of the defining changes is the transition from thinking and organizing, from working and learning in networks instead of in (old) systems. Networks are permeable, have no fixed hierarchies, are complex and heterogeneous, are self-constituting, are constantly changing and have their own values and norms. Systems in the traditional sense, however, and this includes conservatoires, are oriented towards hierarchies, a more or less binding canon of values and predefined processes. The "new learning", flanked by countless new technological companions such as apps, digital platforms, software, digital exchanges, etc., is described as fluid, responsive and collaborative. Learning today takes place socially, on the move, in groups and in agile settings. According to the speaker, today it is increasingly about context-related processes and playfulness.

"Connectivity" is a central concept in this development. Andrea Belliger referred to the fact that global companies such as Uber, Air B'n'B, Facebook etc. are now dominating the market and the discourse, primarily creating connections between network users without producing a hardware product in the true sense of the word. The accompanying technology not only of modern life, but also of learning, is increasingly cloud-based, social and mobile, YouTube is the biggest learning resource of all, new forms and narrative styles are establishing themselves here and new perspectives on old topics are opening up. For example, the freely accessible "Khan Academy", founded by former hedge fund manager Salman Khan in 2008, now has around 4,000 educational videos online, mainly in the field of science. But the question is: what does this mean in concrete terms for music lessons? As was shown in the later workshops on Teaching Day (see article above), Swiss music universities have different resources and tools at their disposal when it comes to e-learning. Where once a simple blog accompanied a lecture, today more advanced programs are used that enable participative and open forms of learning. While Andrea Belliger mainly addressed the opportunities and challenges of this development, the discussion then increasingly focused on the dangers and collateral damage that can also be associated with it: overly passive, consumerist learning expectations, the uncontrollable and opaque influence of commercial providers of new technologies, non-transparent filters and much more. Especially in a cultural field that is characterized by high emotional expression, body awareness, instrument mastery, group communication and feedback, the will to create sounds and contexts, spaces and times, new learning settings must be critically questioned. Hardly anyone will want to deny that new technologies and learning environments are a rapidly growing reality. How conservatoires will be shaped by this in the future also depends on the practical and ethical approach chosen by those responsible in the face of this challenge.

A discussion with Marena Whitcher (Eclecta, Shady Midnight Orchestra, etc.) then offered an insight into the social, economic and digital reality of the musical life of a freelance singer/performer. The young musician is active on numerous platforms, performs in a wide variety of contexts and therefore has to invest a large part of her working time in social media management, back office and booking - also because she has no external marketing. This often leaves little time for actual creative work. Although Marena Whitcher is highly networked digitally, this requires a great deal of effort. But here too, these are market realities that have an impact on training at music academies. In addition to the artistic subject, general media skills are an important prerequisite for being a successful musician today. However, students will only learn this if lecturers are able to assess and anticipate this development. In the future, conservatoires will therefore not only have to deal with the technological developments of digitality, but also with the delicate handling of art between creation, communication and connectivity in order to develop intelligent offerings for future graduates.