Successful in the training market
The "Master of Advanced Studies in Music Management" (MAS) postgraduate course at the Bern University of the Arts is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year - not a matter of course in this highly competitive field.
Regula Stibi, Head of Continuing Education at the BUA, summed up the astonishing development of the postgraduate Masters: "Ten years ago, the term MAS meant as much as a Spanish vacation village." Today, CAS and MAS are common terms and have become almost indispensable for professional advancement.
On November 27, Felix Bamert, head of the degree program, together with senior assistant Christian Schütz, was delighted to welcome a large audience to an anniversary symposium with interesting input presentations and fourteen parallel workshops on a wide range of topics, most of which were led by former students.
Accordionist Bamert has been a lecturer in pedagogy and didactics at the HKB since 2001. In 2003 he became head of the Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy course and from 2004 he was responsible for the conception, development and management of the Master of Advanced Studies in Music Management. Bamert is also a board member of the Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS).
Practical offer
In his welcoming address, Thomas Beck, Director of HKB, spoke of an "icy wind" on the continuing education market. It is remarkable, he said, that a degree course can survive for so long. For Beck, there are several good reasons for this milestone success: the MAS Music Management is more than just an economic product, it is a well-structured program that is geared towards everyday working life. The high-caliber lecturers and, above all, the cooperation with the Swiss Association of Music Schools are also decisive for the continued attractiveness of the course. The four-semester MAS comprises the four Certificates of Advanced Studies (CAS) Self-Management, Leadership, Concept and Project Design and Internships. The courses have been attended by a total of 151 students over the past ten years. A total of 38 Master's degrees were awarded on the basis of submitted theses and examinations. Three of the four CASs lead to the VMS School Leader Diploma. To date, the BUA has produced 103 trained music school directors.
