Benefits,co-operation and development—The relationship between a music academy and four amateur symphony orchestras

Abstract

The focus in this study is the relationships between one tertiary music academy and four amateur orchestras. In this study the kinds of cooperation that exist, how students benefit from participating in amateur orchestras, and how cooperation can be further developed is identified. Four administrators from the academy and four conductors were interviewed. The study shows that the bases for cooperation are informal arrangements and personal contacts between individuals. What the interviewees considered as the main benefit for students was that participating in amateur orchestras provided opportunities for orchestral playing that were lacking within their formal education. Policy decisions were based on the interviewees ideas about students’ benefits, which could be social, musical and professional. The interviewees also respected the students’, and teachers’, autonomy in choosing their own musical and professional paths. Both the academy administrators and the amateur orchestra conductors value the cooperative relationships between academy and amateur orchestras.

Introduction

Symphony orchestra playing is one of several ensemble forms within higher music education institutions. Some branches of higher music education specialize in the preparation of orchestral musicians and many music students in other branches of education play instruments commonly considered orchestral instruments. However, even when symphony orchestra playing is one of the ensemble forms within higher music education, it is not uncommon that students participate in amateur orchestras in addition to their formal education (Heiling, 2000). There is also a tradition of teachers recommending that students gain orchestral experience in amateur orchestras since they may not get enough experience within their formal education to attain a high professional standard (Lonnert, 2015). This leads to questions about what is learned in amateur orchestras, and whether it is something different from what is learned within educational institutions. Lonnert (2020) addressed these questions in an article which reported on part of a larger study (Lonnert, 2019b) leading to further questions about the relationship between higher music education institutions and community music symphony orchestras, which are addressed in this study. This article is based on empirical material from the larger study (Lonnert, 2019b) and centered around one Swedish higher music education institution and four surrounding amateur orchestras. The higher music education institution is referred to in the study as the music academy. This article focuses on the relationship between the institutions and issues which form the relationship:

What do the conductors of amateur orchestras and academy administrators consider be the benefits of students participating in amateur orchestras?

What kinds of cooperation exist between the music academy and amateur orchestras?

How can higher music education be developed internally within the academy and in cooperation with amateur orchestras in light of students’ perceived learning and the future labour market?

Amateur orchestras can be regarded as part of community music, which makes it relevant to set the scene for key concepts, such as, community music, and to discuss different aspects and definitions of amateur music making compared to professional music making. Central in this study is that it is from the view of policy makers and relationships between different actors. Thus, in this brief literature review, examples from similar cooperative projects are presented as well as a view on orchestral learning from a collaborative view.

Community music

Amateur music making, within the scope of community music, has become a growing area of music education research (See, e.g. Finnegan’s 1989 study, research presented in International Journal of Community Music, and several international handbooks devoted to community music). Even though community music activities may not take place within educational organizations or institutions, they can be regarded as environments in which musical learning take place (Folkestad, 2006; Gullberg, 2002). Folkestad (2006) describes this as informal learning in contrast to formal learning within institutions. The idea of informal learning challenges some views of learning such as the role of educational institutions in pupils’ and students’ learning, however, music in a community is never totally separated from its institutions. Finnegan (2007) shows that there is a complex interplay between different actors in community music and different institutions. Angelo (2015) gives an example of how one music teacher works within different music environments, including community music and formal institutions.

There are also differences between community music and music education. According to Coffman (2013), community music has a more playful approach to making music, and it is often more collaborative even if there is a music leader which may contrast with the more formalized education within institutions. Higgins (2012) describes how, within community music, educational cooperation between formal, non-formal and informal environments occurs. He also proposes three different perspectives on community music: “(1) music of a community, (2) communal music making, and (3) an active intervention between a music leader or facilitator and participants” (Higgins, 2012: 3). While amateur orchestras could be viewed from all three perspectives, the third perspective applies most directly since normally orchestras are directed by a musical leader or conductor. However, as shown in Lonnert (2019b, 2020), the conductor can have the role of an educator in an amateur orchestra compared to a professional orchestra. This might also be the case in an orchestra within music education (Harrison et al., 2013).

Amateur orchestras and amateur musicians

A symphony orchestra usually has the same setting even though the organization of the orchestra might be different. A professional orchestra has the same setting and works in similar ways as an academy orchestra, or a music school orchestra. There might be a different economical or organizational basis, for example, a professional or an amateur orchestra might be organized as an association or supported by a cultural ministry. Thus, the organizational or economical form of the orchestra does not define the amateur or professional status. Amateur orchestras are mainly based on voluntary participation and participants are usually not paid. There are differences in, for example, how the orchestras rehearse where an amateur orchestra cannot expect or demand all members to attend all rehearsals or to practice their parts. There are usually other differences, for example amateur orchestras often rehearse once a week where professional orchestras works in new projects every week (Lonnert, 2019b, 2020).

Thus, an amateur orchestra might be connected to an institution, educational or other. It may be seen as a part of community music, where the goal often is not educational even though there might be educational elements, it is based on voluntary participation, and the work forms differ slightly from professional practice. The musical level within the orchestra does not define the status as amateur, and as Heiling (2000) describes, the musical level can vary within the orchestra.

There are different definitions of why musicians can be considered as amateur or as professional musicians. Finnegan (2007) suggests that a musician might be considered as professional if the musician has a higher music education, if the musician can support him/herself on music making, or if the musical level is high enough. It can also be about the musician’s definition of themselves as a professional or amateur musician. A musician considered as professional by themselves and others might have other work, for example as a teacher, and keep the identity as a professional musician. On the other hand, a musician might have a higher music education, but work in another occupation and not consider themselves as a musician. Thus, as Finnegan (2007) suggests, there are floating borders between definitions. The definition of a person being a professional or amateur musician can, consequently, be defined by economical and educational issues as well as identification and musical level.

Orchestral learning – learning in context

Cooperation between higher music education institutions and other institutions is often based on the needs and priorities of the music education institution. Channing (2003) observes that higher music education courses often include orchestral playing and other forms of ensemble playing, and cooperation between educational institutions and professional institutions is common. Likewise, such cooperation is also common with high level youth orchestras. Johnsson and Hager (2008) conducted a study of a mentoring program for music students in a professional symphony orchestra. Their study showed that, after studying for more soloistic roles in their academies, through this program, students came to understand the professional roles of orchestral musicians. Johnsson and Hager (2008) claim that the academy environment does not provide enough experience to adequately prepare for the professional role of an orchestral musician, and that a mentor program can fill the gap. Hager and Johnsson (2009) also note that conductors within music education institutions sometimes express that they would like to have more opportunities to nurture students’ long-term musical development.

Within music education practice there has been a shift of focus toward more collaborative learning from earlier traditions more focused on one-to-one teaching (see Gaunt and Westerlund, 2013). Channing (2003) claims higher music education has changed from focusing on individual soloistic musical development towards including more ensemble playing. This is in line with Hager and Johnsson’s (2009) study, which shows aspects of contextual knowledge in orchestras, such as, the ability to make context-sensitive judgments which is learnt by participation. They compare learning at lessons and contextual learning in orchestras and point out differences. Learning in the orchestral context is based on peer-to-peer mentoring, practice based learning, tacit learning, fitting into group style and context-rich learning, where music school learning is based on master-to-pupil teaching, explicit learning, individual style and context-limited learning. They also point out that contextual learning can be more directed towards becoming a professional orchestral musician, with a focus on a constant development, where learning at lessons can be directed towards being a competent orchestral player, with a focus on a specific goal. Luff and Lebler (2013) claims some aspects of orchestra playing can be learnt in the collaborative environment of the orchestra: “ensemble skills such as the ability to listen and respond appropriately to the needs of a section in terms of, for example, intonation, sound quality, rhythm, dynamics, balance and articulation; performance skills including the ability to follow a conductor or section leader, and the ability to lead a section; good ensemble etiquette and teamwork skills; and effective self-evaluation abilities” (Luff and Lebler, 2013: 174). Dobson and Gaunt’s (2015) study emphasis the knowledge to learn to listen to other musicians, to learn to communicate with other musicians and to adapt to other musicians is leant in context. This is similar to Hager and Johnsson’s (2009) concept of context-sensitive judgements. Thus, there are differences between contextualised learning in the orchestra and traditional one-to-one learning as shown in studies by Hager and Johnsson (2009) and Harrison et al. (2013), who base their study on Hager and Johnsson’s concepts. Even though Lonnert (2019a) shows that teachers may deliberately try to bridge the gap between one-to-one lessons and orchestral playing, she claims that it cannot replace learning in the orchestral context.

Relationships between community music and higher music education

There are several different aspects to consider regarding the relationship between community music and higher music education. One is how community music may provide a forum for musical learning that can be addressed within music education and music education research (see Folkestad, 2006). Another aspect is a changing labour market, in which community music may provide professional opportunities for music educators. A third issue is how music education institutions cooperate with the surrounding community.

There are examples in which music education institutions cooperate with community music or have elements in their courses that include community music. Cole (2011) reports an increasing number of higher music education courses in the UK that contain educational elements which are directed towards community music. While he notes that there is tension between higher music education and community music, he regards community music as a future labour market for students. Higher music education often has a goal of music specialization, while community work often requires other skills, such as, social skills as well as healthcare and communication skills. Cole (2011) exemplifies that working with community music “might include teaching or leading a workshop, fund-raising, composing and improvising in a variety of musical styles, and in settings from pre-school playgroups to high-security prisons” (p. 84). Higher music education and other institutions might have fruitful cooperation with community music, not only for short term projects, but as a long-term cooperative relationship. This would require professional flexibility for graduates of higher music education. Lane (2012) describes how community music can be included in an US curriculum for music educators. The model is based on an orchestra with adult participants, many of them beginners at their instruments. The future music teachers provide individual lessons as well as lead section rehearsals and orchestra rehearsals with the adult beginners. They also perform administrative tasks in the project. Thus, the students will be prepared for future work within community music. Grosse (2016) claims that an elitist view of music education in Germany has prevented cooperative relationships from developing between higher music education institutions and community music. There, the goal of higher music education has been professional music making. He advocates a broader view of music making in which educational roles and non-professional music making are more integrated. Nevertheless, he emphasises that this should not lead to reducing quality; rather, it can offer expanded roles for musicians and music educators and for the organisation of higher education.

Students sometimes participate in community music outside of their formal education courses even if there is not formal cooperation. In Heiling’s (2000) study of an amateur orchestra, he describes music major students participating as section leaders and in educational roles such as leading section rehearsals. The changing labour market and challenges for professional institutions such as professional symphony orchestras, have been addressed by Cottrell (2003), noting how issues of financing, audiences, repertoire and traditions will change; and Knussen (2003), focusing on how important educational programs are for the institutions, musicians and for attracting new audiences. Smilde (2009) claims that portfolio careers, in which musicians’ careers include different musical and educational roles, are becoming more common. Thus, during their training, a music major may need to be prepared for different roles. Among these are possible roles within community music. This is also acknowledged by Hallam and Gaunt (2012) in their guide book on different musical careers, Preparing for success - a practical guide for young musicians. Although most of these studies, and handbooks, do not specifically examine the Swedish labour market there are reasons to believe the same issues apply (see for example Lonnert 2019b about the educational work and current repertoire in a Swedish symphony orchestra).

Method

This article is based on a case study which was centred round one Swedish music academy and four surrounding amateur or community orchestras. The academy is located in one of the largest cities in Sweden, with about 350,000 inhabitants. Two of the orchestras are located in this city, and two in a smaller city nearby with about 100 000 inhabitants. The full study was published in Swedish (Lonnert, 2019b) and an article based on students’ participation and learning, mainly based on interviews with conductors, was also published (Lonnert, 2020). The study can be seen as a case study based on Merriam’s (2009) definition of studying ‘a bounded system’ (p. 40). The boundaries are not defined by the institution in the centre – the academy – but the relationship with four adjacent institutions, thus, examining the boundaries between five institutions on a specific issue. The study is limited to specific informants within the system, those who make the policy decisions – in this study defined as administrators and conductors.

In order to address these questions about relationships between academy courses and amateur orchestras, I interviewed academy administrators and orchestra conductors because they have knowledge about the institutions’ policy decisions and educational aspects. The case study was based on eight semi-structured interviews. Four interviews were conducted with administrators at the academy, three with programme directors of the departments of different streams, music performance (Administrator 1, interviewed 8 September 2015), music education (Administrator 2, interviewed 30 September 2015), and music performance and church music department ¹ (Administrator 4, interviewed 13 October 2015), and one with the head of the academy (Administrator 3, interviewed 13 October 2015). Four interviews were conducted with conductors or music leaders of the four largest amateur symphony orchestras in the area. Conductor 1 (interviewed 9 June 2015) leads an academy orchestra in a nearby smaller city. Conductor 2 (interviewed 25 September 2015) leads an academy orchestra in the same city as the academy. Conductor 3 (interviewed 14 October 2015) leads an amateur orchestra in a nearby smaller city. This orchestra consists of pupils and teachers from the local municipal school, and amateur musicians. Conductor 4 (interviewed 6 November 2015) leads a community amateur orchestra association in the same city. Students from the music academy participate in the chosen amateur orchestras, some as regular members and some as extras.

In the larger study (Lonnert, 2019b) written student evaluations from orchestral projects were used to triangulate the data from the interviews. However, in this article this data was not used since the focus is on structural and policy issues. One of the research questions asks what conductors and administrators consider to be the benefits of students’ participating in amateur orchestras. Since policy decisions might be based on what administrators and conductors think about benefits more than what students’ actual benefits are, or the students’ own evaluation of benefits, the students’ voices are not heard in this article.

The interviews were recorded with Garageband on a computer and with a video camera as a backup. In most of the interviews only sound was recorded on the video camera. The interviews lasted from half an hour to one hour, with one exception in which a 3 h interview was recorded. However, the material regarding this study was 1 h. In the beginning of the interviews I informed the interviewees about the ethical guidelines from the Swedish Research Counsil regarding the information requirement, the consent requirement, the confidentiality requirement and the utilization requirement (Vetenskapsrådet, n.d.). These guidelines were followed. The interviewees were anonymized in the study. I offered the interviewees the opportunity to read the transcript and analyzed text during the process. The interviews were transcribed in full in Swedish, and quotations were translated from Swedish to English for this article. The translations of the citations were discussed with a proof-reader to clarify the meaning when translated.

The hermeneutical approach to analyzation in this study was based on Ödman’s (2007) and Alvesson and Sköldberg 2008 descriptions of hermeneutics, hermeneutical analysis and hermeneutical concepts. The most fundamental description of hermeneutics is interpretation, and the researcher’s role in this interpretation. A basic concept is the hermeneutical circle (sometimes described as the hermeneutical spiral), in which an oscillation is made. This oscillation can be between (the researchers) pre-understanding and understanding, between parts and whole (in the empirical material or the research as whole) or between understanding and explanation depending on different hermeneutical streams. In this study I, as a researcher, worked with hermeneutics as a tool and these different concepts played a part in the analytical process. One important issue was my previous knowledge of the topics and the institutions and thus, my pre-understanding which also affected my interpretation. This study also emerged from questions raised in a previous study (Lonnert, 2015). From a hermeneutical perspective, the researcher is the interpreter and even if the strive is towards an objective view it has to be taken into consideration that the researcher has a pre-understanding, and is the main interpreter of the data. The oscillation between parts and whole and understanding and explanation, was the main tools in the analyzation of the data.

The data was analyzed with a hermeneutical approach based on Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) and Miles and Huberman (1994). The hermeneutical approach was based on mixed methods, which Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) describes in 13 points as bricolage or ad hoc analysis after Miles and Huberman. In the analysis noticing patterns and themes (1), notice what is plausible (2), and compile (3) as well as making comparisons (6) are some of these methods for analysis.

The first step of analyzation was listening to the interviews and transcribing them. In the second step important themes was identified based on the research questions. First the structure was identified, being the policy decisions and cooperation as a structural issue, after this the different themes were identified. In the interviews the interviewees discussed the reasons why students participated in ensembles outside of their formal education from different angles. Since policy decisions was based on these assumptions of participation it was considered as a vital aspect of cooperation and as a structural issue. Other issues were to identify different kinds of existing cooperation, and different possibilities for future cooperation. Policy decisions and cooperation showed to draw attention to autonomy and government within the music academy and how the institutions consider their role within society and the labour market. Thus, these different aspects were analyzed in a hermeneutical way where policy decisions and cooperation formed the frame, and the questions, such as, who, why, where and with what means identified the different small parts. This was analyzed with the hermeneutical circle in mind, with an oscillation between parts and whole. In this work different ways of making comparisons emerged, for example between conductors and administrators as well as between different individuals.

The aim of the study was to explore the relationships between organizations and the ideas of those making policy decisions. This study does not necessarily mirror other similar organizations but show the complexity of the web between organizations and the people working as those organizations such as conductors and administrators as well as teachers, and also students.

The music academy and orchestral playing

The academy has two basic streams, one for performing musicians and one for music educators. The music education stream prepares students for classroom teaching in the grundskola (compulsory school F-9, children about 6–15 years old) and for the specialised music courses in the non-compulsory gymnasium (3 years, young adults about 15–18 years old), including for example ensemble playing, soloistic instrumental playing/singing and music theory. The education for music educators is 5 years and students have the possibility to choose to specialize in only music or to choose another subject as well, as for example history or maths. The stream for music performance includes choosing different genres, such as, jazz, folk- and world music as well as choosing different instruments including, for example, guitar, piano, recorder as well as symphony orchestra instruments. The music performance education is 3 years (Baccelor) or 5 years (Master). In both academy streams, some students specialize in orchestral instruments. The difference is that within music performance education the main goal is to educate orchestral musicians.

For music performance students who play orchestral instruments, orchestral playing is part of the curriculum. These students have the opportunity to participate in up to six orchestral projects per year at the academy. The number of projects they participate in is dependent on which instrument they play. String players usually participate in all projects; other musicians’ participation depends on score requirements, the number of students in total, and decisions made by instrumental teachers. In some instrument families, mostly masters students participate in projects. In other instrument families, different students play in different pieces in the same project program. Thus, students who are in their first 3 years have opportunities to participate. Academy orchestral projects are modelled on professional orchestral organization and usually have a different conductor for each project.

Orchestral playing is not in the curriculum for music education students even if they play orchestral instruments. But, as Administrator 2 reported, students within the music education stream sometimes participate in academy projects, especially if they play string instruments.

Thus, not all students were able to participate in orchestral projects within their academy education, and for some, possibilities were limited due to their instrument.

Findings

The findings in this study report the conductors’ and academy administrators’ views on student participation in amateur orchestras, existing cooperation between the amateur orchestras and the academy, the role of the music academy in society, changes in the music labour market, autonomy and government within the academy, and visions for the future of the academy.

Administrators’ and conductors’ views on student participation in amateur orchestras

Academy administrators and orchestra conductors reported that music education students who played orchestral instruments sometimes participated in amateur orchestras as regular members, particularly those who played woodwind instruments. In a symphony orchestra, woodwind players often have soloistic parts, which may attract students to playing in an amateur orchestra. Conductor 1 reported that they often used academy students for soloistic roles or as section leaders in the orchestra. Administrator 2 pointed out that there could be differences between the possibilities within formal education:

I have a feeling that there are more music education students [that participate in amateur orchestras] than music performance students. Perhaps it’s because [music performance students] have orchestra projects, and they find it is enough. (Administrator 2)

Thus, a student’s choice to play in an amateur orchestra could be because opportunities were lacking within their academy education.

Another reason, described by Administrator 3, was that music is a significant part of many students’ lives, for some as a hobby and for others as a passion. Some students want to continue to participate in a specific kind of ensemble, or they want to continue to engage musically with friends outside of the academy, and therefore they participate in community music activities. Others, according to Administrator 3, want to play as much music as possible and therefore participate in all kinds of projects inside and outside of the academy. They emphasised that the academy cannot provide ensembles in all genres, nor can it fill all social needs of the students. The only drawback, as Administrator 3 and Administrator 1 observed, was that some students engage in so much outside that it is difficult to manage their formal studies at the academy. All interviewed conductors maintained that repertoire choice in the amateur orchestras was important and could attract students. Through participation in amateur orchestras, students could gain knowledge of standard orchestral repertoire which they would need in their professional lives.

Conductor 2 said that their orchestra had projects such as international tours that attracted students.

…there are also social [reasons], other [students] which has participated for several years. There is a flow here since they have seen that it works well. “They do sensible projects”, or I don’t know their arguments are, we have activities over a year with a tour and different orchestral projects. [The tours] are absolutely both a musically and a socially important part of our activities (Conductor 2)

Thus, the social environment was also important: students participate in orchestras where they have friends.

Students also participated in amateur orchestras as paid extras. This was often based on previous personal contact between the conductor and the student or on recommendation from teachers at the academy.

I ask students at the academy I have confidence in and have personal contact with. Or I know their teacher and ask “Have you got anyone who can play this?”. (Conductor 1)

Some concerns were raised by the conductors when discussing contacting students as paid extras, since they found that the students often asked for more money than professional musicians or more competent players. The conductors’ and academy teachers’ professional networks, thus, were important for students’ participation. Sometimes contacts between students facilitated amateur orchestral participation when students suggested co-students for needed extras. The conductors highly valued teachers’ and students’ positive attitudes towards amateur music making and participation outside the academy.

In summary, the administrators and conductors discussed four reasons why students participated in amateur orchestras. The interviewees noted that students participated regularly in amateur music making for additional opportunities to perform music, or to play in a specific ensemble they would not have available within their formal education. The students also participated because they were interested in the repertoire, or had challenging parts – something the conductors could facilitate. Another reason to participate in amateur musical activities was to meet friends, and to participate in interesting projects, musical and social, such as tours. When participating as paid extras, personal contacts were important: between conductor and teachers, conductor and students, and between students. Students participate as extras or members of the orchestras, but also sometimes as soloists – opportunities that are often based on relationships between conductor and student, or conductor and academy teachers.

Existing cooperation between the amateur orchestras and the academy

All participants in the study know of each other and the different organisations. Most have also met in other roles. For example, some of the conductors are former students of the academy and some teach at the academy. Different kinds of cooperation exist between the four amateur orchestras in the study and the academy; this cooperation can be seen as informal or semi-formal.

Conductor 1 recalled that, 15–20 years ago while a conducting student at another academy, they led two or three mandatory courses in orchestral playing in an amateur orchestra at the academy in this study. When this was brought up in interviews with the current academy administrators, they did not recall or know about it, however, they regarded it as an interesting prospect. Today this conductor works with a university symphony orchestra which is not related to the music academy. This orchestra has courses in orchestral playing which are open to all students of a sufficient standard, and thus, also open to music students. It is also possible to participate in this orchestra without enrolling in the course.

As another semi-informal example of cooperation between the academy music performance stream and Orchestra 2, at the orientation for first-year students, the conductor invited students to participate in their orchestra. Both Conductor 2 and Administrator 1 regarded this positively. Conductor 2 recalls:

The programme director said “this is a nice thing to do if you want to engage [in musical activities] outside of school, I recommend it: Sing in a choir, play in an orchestra. Finding other musical contexts is good for [personal] development”. I think it is an important signal from the academy staff […] when the programme director says this. You do not make yourself into a closed institution. (Conductor 2)

Conductor 2 saw this openness towards activities outside of education as positive, since the academy encouraged the students to take responsibility for their own musical learning.

Administrator 3 described the academy’s positive cooperation with Orchestra 4. Orchestra 4 uses the academy’s venues for rehearsals and has done so for a long time. There have been discussions within the academy whether ensembles which have few academy students as members should be using the venue. However, Orchestra 4 also has a project in which they play music by composition students, highly regarded by all involved, according to the Administrators and Conductor 4.

There is a collaboration, which is great. Every year we play compositions by students studying arranging and composing. It is greatly appreciated. Many of [the students] have it as a project the first year, for example, and it is great fun. […] It is fun for the orchestra too and they like it. They think it is a nice project. (Conductor 4)

It is a valuable project for students specializing in composition since they have the opportunity, not only to write for a symphony orchestra, but to work with and discuss their music with the musicians, and to have their music played in a concert. According to Conductor 4 the project is also held in high esteem by the members of the orchestra who enjoy participating the project. Orchestra 3 consists of instrumental teachers from the municipal music school, pupils from the municipal music school, and amateur musicians. Some of the municipal music school teachers also teach at the academy and they bring academy students or groups of students to the orchestra for some projects.

As described here, there are different kinds of informal or semi-formal cooperation between the academy and the different orchestras. The cooperation is largely based on personal contact between teachers, conductors, students and administrators. However, some of the projects works on a structural level, such as, the long-term cooperation between Orchestra 4 and the academy, where the cooperation includes musical cooperation and practical cooperation with rehearsal space which was established before the current conductor’s and administrator’s time.

The role of the music academy in society and changes in the music labour market

Students at the academy have regular contact with professional institutions outside of the academy. This is part of the curriculum in both streams. Music education students have regular practicum periods, or internships, in different kinds of schools, for example in grundskola (compulsory school F-9, children about 6–15 years old) gymnasium (3 years non-compulsory school, young adults about 15–18 years old) and kulturskola (voluntary municipal community music and arts school). In the gymnasium and kulturskola students may encounter orchestral playing, though it is uncommon. Music performance students specialising in orchestral instruments usually have 1 week in a professional symphony orchestra towards the end of their study. The staff at the academy stress that these practicum periods and the contact with professional institutions are important parts of the courses. The academy also has other outreach projects, such as public concerts and school concerts.

But the music academy cannot be isolated, we must play as much as possible in different arenas. And we do, we play between 200 and 250 concerts a year (Administrator 3)

Administrator 3’s view is that the academy should be a part of the musical life in the region as well as a hub for musical activities. Consequently, the academy regards itself as a semi-open arena for music making, offering the region its infrastructure for different kinds of musical activities such as amateur music-making and students’ private music projects.

Since we have had a very generous approach, the music academy has been a meeting place, and is a meeting place for a lot of people. It is fun, but it wears down the academy’s facilities and instruments. And things get feet and leave the academy. (Administrator 3)

The academy’s cooperation with the surrounding society is evident in its outreach to amateur music-making, educational activities, and professional music making. However, as Administrator 3 revealed, creating a music making hub is not without problems and must be regulated. The wear on equipment and theft of equipment is a problem. Students benefit from the academy’s outreach-oriented approach to its infrastructure, as do other community and education organisations for music making.

Administrator 4 stressed that the academy must continually analyse the labour market to identify what is important in the education of its students. Thus, staff members’ professional networks and opportunities to stay up to date are critical. Students’ practicum periods within a professional environment are part of the drive to keep their education relevant to the labour market.

We try to do market research; what does the labour market look like, what are the demands from it, and how do we meet it in our education? (Administrator 4)

For Administrator 4 the practicum periods are important, yet within the stream for performing musicians, orchestral playing is only 1 week towards the end of their study which they would like to see occur earlier. Administrator 2 said that contact and cooperation with the surrounding society is important, and that it is something that could be deliberately developed within education.

In summary, cooperation with external institutions, such as, schools and professional orchestras, is one of the fundaments of education at the academy. However, the academy also sees itself as a music hub in the society which open up for different kinds of cooperation. Important, to the academy, is to have an awareness of the contemporary labour market when educating students.

Autonomy and government within the academy

As described above, the academy is open to students’ participation in outside musical activities, and even supports it by providing rehearsal venues and contacts. Administrator 3 asserts that students’ musical activities and personal choices outside of their formal education are important.

I think that music making in their leisure time in any organized activity, is probably something that many students want to do. Which is kind of… yes it is a leisure activity but also a desire to make music as much as possible. Whether you are outside of the academy or if you have a jazz band and rehearse here in the evening, and you want to have your own ensemble that you are making music in. I think so, and you can see that in two ways. One may be that you do not think that you get the ego trip in your education, that you think you want to do something a little more customized. Or it may be that “I want to play as much as possible” (Administrator 3)

Thus, there is an openness towards music making in students’ lives: it is not only a profession but permeates their leisure time. Overall, the administrators are positive about students’ participation in musical activities outside of their formal education, however, the activities should not interfere with their formal studies. The administrators see the students’ choices as important for their musical development. The academy cannot provide all kinds of ensembles and, as Administrator 3 notes, there may be value in students making individual musical choices outside of the academy. They also claim that the academy should not offer all kinds of ensembles, thus empowering the students’ own choices.

Another issue is the academy teachers’ independence and personal choices. Within the academy, teachers and students have freedom to make choices about the content of instrumental lessons.

Instrumental teaching, I think in general at this academy, it is the teacher’s domain. It is up to the teacher and the student to decide about the content of the education. It is up to the teacher, it is nothing we govern; we govern very little in different parts of instrumental teaching. Some [students] get orchestral playing. (Administrator 2)

Teachers who work as orchestral players themselves or students with specific interests can integrate orchestral playing into their education. This means also that within the academy, there is an openness towards changing the content if students and teachers have specific requests and ideas.

I think it started with [one of the teachers who also is an orchestral musician]. [They] said that there is a difference between double bass education here and in the US. In the US it is focused on orchestral excerpts, and we said “yes, that is good”. There was a wish to have more orchestral excerpts here too. So, we have a course in group repertoire playing for double bass. (Administrator 1)

Teachers’ experiences and suggestions could, thus, change how instrument lessons were conducted. There was an openness to different approaches and different solutions for each teacher.

To sum up, autonomy for teachers and students is important: the choices students make for their own music making and education, and the choices teachers make about the content and organization of their teaching. The idea about autonomy also affects the music academy’s openness towards student participation in musical activities outside of education.

The music academy in development - visions

The administrators at the academy are open to different kinds of cooperation with professional institutions and with community music organisations and associations. Administrator 1 emphasised that it is important that music performance students get more experience of professional work within their courses, even though they acknowledge the importance of amateur orchestras and other community music arenas for students’ musical learning. The differences between music performance students and music education students playing orchestral instruments are obvious to Administrator 3, and they have a vision for strengthening the identity of music education students who study classical music. Administrator 3 also has a vision for better aligning piano students’ education with labour market demands. They suggest that piano students should have a broader and more flexible education with greater emphasis on ensemble playing and sight reading. They claim that the demands on a professional pianist are different from what this stream currently prepares the student for.

Administrator 4 regrets that so little cooperation takes place between different departments, not only within the music department between different genres, but also within the faculty between different artforms. They have experience from a former workplace of interdisciplinary work and sees its potential for developing students and institutions. When discussing how it could be possible to give orchestral experience to students from other musical genres they offer a vision where improvisation could be part of an orchestral project, maybe in connection with working with youth orchestras. Administrator 4 says that, even though it is not the academy’s formal role, they have a responsibility to young adults and children. This is not only for future recruitment to academy courses, but also for promoting non-professional music making at all levels. The academy has both the competence and interest to work with young people. This is also something Administrator 1 sees as important.

If we are going to collaborate with amateurs as a part of education, I would rather work with children and young adults. To form an orchestra with children, young adults and students - I would like to see that. (Administrator 1)

Thus, cooperating with amateur orchestras is only one of many possibilities. However, there is an openness to more cooperation between the amateur orchestras and the academy. Networks for contact with teachers and information-sharing could be improved, not only to increase student participation but also to increase audiences and interest in making music.

…also with marketing and such things. (…) If I was a teacher [at the academy] and played in the orchestra I would have talked to people to increase audience and interest. We are doing the same things, we can work together. (Conductor 3)

Cooperation, and visions, can thus have a goal not only for short term projects and the orchestra but to increase the role of music in society. Conductors 1 and 4 would welcome an educational role to develop music students’ orchestral playing – they would appreciate closer cooperation with the academy. Conductor 2 says that sharing information is important so that students know about participating in amateur orchestras, but is reluctant to formalize cooperative arrangements.

To conclude, to the music academy administrators, amateur orchestras is only one of many possibilities for cooperation in the future. Other possibilities have priority since it is more directly connected to the students’ professional roles and to the role of the academy in society. Also, other aspects of cooperation were identified, such as, within the academy and within the faculty. However, they valued the existing cooperation and also would like to develop it. The conductors also valued the existing cooperation, although opinions were divided if the cooperation should be formalized.

Discussion

In this section I discuss the conductors’ and academy administrators’ views about the reasons students participate in amateur orchestras followed by their perspectives on different kinds of formal and informal cooperation and possible future cooperation and development.

Why students participate and what they could gain from participating

In this study, several different reasons why students might participate in amateur orchestras were disclosed. The conductors and administrators believed that the four main reasons were:

1. Students’ desires to participate in an ensemble form they lacked in their academy studies,

2. Students’ desires to have specific musical challenges,

3. Students’ desires to make music with friends or other social participation such as tours, and

4. Being directly recruited, for example, as paid extras.

Each of these reasons could lead to different benefits. The reasons also were connected to what the administrators and conductors identified as issues that was not addressed within education. The main reasons for the lack of orchestra opportunity in the academy was due to its absence in the curricula for education and non-classical streams, and the autonomy of teachers and students. The curriculum did not offer students in the music education stream opportunities to participate in orchestral playing. However, they might need knowledge of orchestral playing in their professional life as teachers. This might be problematic if they did not obtain that knowledge during their study, since orchestral playing mainly is learnt through participation (see Dobson and Gaunt, 2015; Harrison et al., 2013; Hager and Johnsson, 2009; Lonnert, 2019a; Luff and Lebler, 2013). If they participated in academy orchestral playing while in the education stream it was due to the needs of the academy orchestra, for example, the orchestra needing extra string players, rather than the students’ needs. The staff at the academy were aware of the difference between the two streams even for students playing the same orchestral instruments. Autonomy was a critical issue, since it was dependent on the teachers’ knowledge and choices as well as the students’ knowledge and choices. For some instruments, participation in the orchestra was determined by the instrumental teacher. This shows the strong tradition of one-to-one teaching within the academy and the teachers’ role in students’ gaining of collaborative experience (Luff and Lebler, 2013).

The second issue, students’ desire to have specific musical challenges, was identified by the interviewees as an important reason to participate in amateur orchestras. Luff and Lebler (2013), Harrison et al. (2013), Hager and Johnsson (2009), Dobson and Gaunt (2015) and Lonnert (2019a) all describe differences between learning at lessons and learning in the orchestra. It is possible that these differences were a concern for students, and that they chose to participate in amateur orchestras to learn orchestral playing. Students might want the opportunity to be a section leader or to play a particular challenging piece. Another reason could be to participate in an ensemble form that was not provided within their formal education. One of the administrator interviewees opined that the academy should not offer all kinds of music making, but that students should also be able to choose their own musical paths.

The social environment of amateur orchestral playing is another attraction. This could be because friends participated or in order to participate in tours. This is in line with Coffman’s (2013) description of community music as more playful, focusing on collaborative issues, making social factors central. The study illuminates complex relationships and networks between different parties, such as professional institutions, community music, and educational institutions as studies by Finnegan (2007) and others (Cole 2011; Johnsson and Hager, 2008; Lane 2012) have noted. Sometimes students participated because they were asked directly. Often this was due to the needs of the orchestra. The request was often based on personal contact if the conductor knew the student. Or the conductor would ask a teacher or another student to recommend someone. Thus, if a student member brought a friend at the conductor’s request, the reason to participate could be a combination of the social environment and responding to a request. The social context was acknowledged as important for students, as well as a way to attract students to participate in an amateur orchestra. This was used by conductors, and was mainly based on personal contact. Being paid provided another reason to participate. Also, this reason to participate was based on personal contact between students, teachers and conductor.

Academy administrators expressed openness toward students choosing their own musical paths, both within the academy and outside of the academy. As a result, there was informal academy support of students’ participation in different performance projects outside of their formal education. This shows the complex interplay between community music and institutions which Finnegan (2007) and Higgins (2012) also describe. Students within the music education stream, whose course did not include orchestral playing, could gain their experience and choose their own musical path by participating in amateur orchestras.

Formal and informal cooperation

Community music entities have complex relationships with different institutions and actors within the music community (Finnegan, 2007; Higgins, 2012). This is confirmed by the relationships between the different organizations, institutions and individuals in this study. There are exchanges of services through formal cooperation; there is informal cooperation; and there is cooperation based on personal relationships.

Experiencing professional life through different kinds of internships is central in both academy streams and can be regarded as formal cooperation. Studies show that cooperation with professional orchestras is common within music education (Channing, 2003; Johnsson and Hager, 2008). Studies also report cooperation between community music and higher music education institutions, and their inclinations to expand cooperation (Cole, 2011; Grosse, 2016; Lane, 2012). Examples of formal cooperation with community music organisations in this study include the previously-run courses for students in orchestral playing within an amateur orchestra. When this study was conducted, these courses were not run, however, similar courses which were open to academy students were offered even though academy students were not the primary cohort.

Examples of informal cooperation in the study show the complex relationships between different actors as addressed by Finnegan (2007) and Higgins (2012). Institutions in this study function as facilitators for community music projects and there is also an exchange of services. The informal cooperation with the amateur orchestra which rehearses at the academy and plays music by the composition students is an example several of the interviewees discussed. This was not an official exchange of services but based on non-formal agreement. Another example of informal cooperation was the presentation made by one of the amateur orchestra conductors to invite first year students in the music performance stream to play, something both the administrator and the conductor considered to be a positive experience.

Cooperation based on personal relationships, both informal and formal, within music education can be based on the tradition of one-to-one teaching and strong teacher autonomy (see Gaunt and Westerlund, 2013). The informal cooperation between the academy and the surrounding orchestras was mainly based on personal contacts between administrators, academy teachers and conductors. If a conductor needed extra musicians, the networks with students, administrators and teachers were important. Thus, cooperation was mostly based on short term orchestral project needs, or cooperation between individuals. It was not based on a vision for music education. The only exception, which was geared toward students’ musical development, was the course previously given in one of the amateur orchestras. This probably meant that the conductor had identified the same need for musical development as was addressed in Lonnert (2019a). Nevertheless, all interviewees in the study advocated that students learn outside of their formal education (see Folkestad, 2006), and students were encouraged to take all opportunities to learn.

Future

As one of the administrators said, as an academy, they must always be aware of changes in the labour market and adapt the curriculum accordingly. This is in line with Hallam and Gaunt (2012) professional advice as well as Smilde’s (2009) research. It can also be noted that professional orchestras have similar challenges to which they have to adapt (Cottrell, 2003; Knussen 2003). Cottrell (2003) notes that different kinds of cooperation might be important for professional institutions’ future markets. Knussen (2003) emphasizes the importance of educational work for the future of professional performance institutions.

As revealed in this study, all conductors saw possibilities for extending the cooperation between community music and music education institutions, and were keen to be more involved educationally. This could be regarded partly as expanding their educational roles and also as recruitment for their orchestra. Hager and Johnsson (2009) note that conductors within music academies often want to have longer term engagement for developing students’ knowledge than usually is possible within the academies.

The administrators at the academy saw cooperation with community music as a possible field to expand. However, areas other than amateur orchestras emerged as more important to the administrators. Within the performance stream, developing contacts with professional institutions was seen to be more important. When considering amateur music making, working with children and young adults was considered a priority area to develop. This is the same area Knussen (2003) identifies for symphony orchestras: the importance of working with educational programs as development for institutions and for musicians.

The outreach from the academy is in line with trends in music education (Cole, 2011; Grosse, 2016; Lane, 2012), and several researchers emphasize the importance of a changing labour market and the role of community music in a broad sense (Higgins, 2012).

Conclusion

What this study foremost show is the complex web of cooperation between different actors in the different institutions, and how this cooperation and policy decisions is based on informal relationships. This is in line with how Higgins (2012) and Finnegan (2007) describes the role of community music.

The study shows that the relationships between the academy and the amateur orchestras in this study are characterized by informal relationships and informal cooperation. One important factor is autonomy – the teachers’ and the students’ – in which the interests of students and teachers direct the educational process, based on knowledge of the labour market or on personal musical interests. Another aspect is the academy’s openness to a changing labour market and cultural scene where new forms of cooperation are possible. Students should be prepared for different kinds of musical roles, and community music may be part of this changing labour market.

In general, all conductors and administrators in the study are positive about the existing cooperation and the possibility to collaborate more. The conductors, especially, would like to have more opportunities to cooperate with the academy, even though opinions are divided about formal cooperation. The academy administrators are positive towards cooperation, however, their view of education is broad and they have different priorities where amateur orchestras is only one of many possibilities. Nevertheless, there is an awareness of community music as a forum for musical learning and as a labour market. Overall, it seems that the main concerns for the academy administrators are to adapt to a future labour market for students, to be an actor in musical life in the society outside of the academy, and to offer students musical freedom.