School vision

Overarching Strategy for Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance

This paper proposes a strategic direction for the school by laying out a set of values intended as a guide to decisions we make as a school. These sit under the pillars of Australian music, Collaboration and Innovation, Gender and Social Equity.

Australian Music

The school upholds a focus on the diversity of music making in Australia, its place in our region and the world. Our graduates will be known for their familiarity with Australian music, and will have a knowledge of Australian Indigenous music.

Collaboration and Innovation

Our students are collaborative, innovative, forward-looking and internationally informed. We see them as future cultural leaders and custodians of the music of our time.

We encourage cross fertilisation across different music disciplines and support a collaborative working environment for students and staff.

We champion music research for all students and staff, through both traditional and artistic methodologies and encourage cross disciplinary approaches.

We engage contemporary music pedagogies that prepare musicians for the future world of music; a, fast changing, digitally supported environment where music is a central and essential component of life, as well as an opportunity to excel in artistry.

We focus on contemporary practice and innovation whilst ensuring we cover foundational studies in performance technique, collaborative skills, contextual and historical studies.

Gender and Social Equity

We champion social equity and diversity in everything we do, and our graduates will demonstrate a consolidated understanding of the importance of these principles in music practices of all kinds.

From this summary, eight directives have been devised:

  1. Embed engagement with music in Australia in all aspects of the curriculum, including Indigenous music.
  2. Grow and prioritise research contributions that address and serve Australian music in the local and global context.
  3. Build pathways for collaboration across different music styles for students and staff.
  4. Maintain an up to date curriculum that is relevant and engages with digital technologies.
  5. Embed research informed teaching into undergraduate curriculum.
  6. Ensure gender equity in all aspects of the school – teaching, curriculum, assessment, research, engagement and performance programs.
  7. Build gender and cultural diversity on staff and in the student body.
  8. Develop programs that grow and support lower socio-economic student participation at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Last updated 29 May 2019