MU members currently working at Nottingham are asked to contact us. Photo: Shutterstock.
Music courses are being suspended for new students at the University of Nottingham while the university’s council decides whether to terminate the courses permanently.
Existing students have been told that they will be able to complete their courses, and the university has said that is “exploring how it can provide opportunities for students to get involved in music as an extracurricular activity.”
The proposals follow a similar process at Cardiff University, which ultimately did not go ahead. Other universities that have recently faced closures of music courses include Kent, Oxford Brookes and Wolverhampton.
The MU has been active in supporting members who are affected by these issues, and members currently working at Nottingham are asked to contact us.
The MU will work with members and partners to challenge these short-sighted proposals
MU Midlands Regional Organiser Stephen Brown said:
“This development is sadly symptomatic of a wider malaise in music education, which has seen university after university axe music courses as state school music education – the talent pipeline for such university courses – experiences an existential crisis.
“On a wider note, the arts sector in the East Midlands has witnessed cuts of over 30% since 2010. It is up to the Government to step up and provide the funding for music education and the arts to stem this depressing tide of news and support the arts in the regions.
“I’d also urge MU members to offer support to our colleagues in the University and College Union (UCU) who are fighting to stop these cuts at the University of Nottingham.”
Chris Walters, MU National Organiser for Education, Health and Wellbeing, said:
“The MU will work with members and partners to challenge these short-sighted proposals. With the Government’s newly published Curriculum and Assessment Review indicating renewed support for music in schools, now is not the time for universities to close their music courses, which are vital for the UK’s £7.6 billion music industry.”
The MU is also supporting a Change.org petition, launched by University of Nottingham students, calling for the suspension of music courses to be stopped. Sign and share it here.