I’ve never wanted a bloody job! i’m fundamentally opposed to the idea of ‘jobs’ however i’m all for being paid to do something i’m good at and enjoy doing.

while it’d be ideal if studying was simply getting better at what you love then things would be a lot simpler, but the need for money to survive is inescapable. I feel that rather than gearing the education towards getting jobs (if i hear the phrase ‘graduate qualities’ ever again i may be forced to bludgeon LC to death…) the focus should be on how to use your skills and passion to earn money. to clarify slightly, i mean create your own systems to work within rather than opting into someone elses (ie getting a job, signing a deal etc)

i guess maybe the ideal ultimate goal for any educational institution is to reder itself obselete for its students, and give them the skills they need to teach themselves, and perhaps even more importantly, the skills to teach others themselves?

(apologies for any lack of clarity!)

I have every sympathy with the music departments wrestling with this, and those that recognise the tension are in a much better position to hold that tension creatively and carve out a path that gets as close to meeting both sets of demands as possible.

I also mentioned that one of the most valuable skils I learned at Perth was learning how to teach, by watching you, and learning where to be hands-off, and just act in an advisory capacity in order to facilitate self-discovery. You did that brilliantly…. and I think I might have passed