1. Welsh College of Music and Drama : Mission Statement
To provide performance-centred and practically-based courses which enable students to enter and influence the music and theatre professions and their related industries and, being aware of its unique position as the major provider of this type of education in Wales, to fulfil its responsibilities and develop its role in a European and international framework.
2 Introduction
2.1 The College welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the National Assembly’s Arts and Culture Review. We believe that we have a vital and unique role to play in Welsh cultural life : as a provider of vocational education, as an employer of practising artists and as a resource for the profession.
2.2 The justification for public spending on the arts is very strong; the professional companies and artists in Wales, in addition to producing high quality work which both entertains and challenges, act as ambassadors for the country and play a substantial part in the infra_structure that attracts inward investment. Potential investors do not generally wish to locate to arid locations and the educational, sporting and artistic framework are often defining factors in investment decisions. A strong voluntary arts sector allows people to be active participants in a range of activities that are life and skill enhancing and considerably add to the warp and weft of social life. The impact of the arts goes far beyond either the contribution they make to the economy or the direct benefits they bring to those actively participating, supporting or enjoying cultural activity. Arts and culture define a nation; the mark of a civilized society is its engagement with its culture. The arts touch our lives, even when we may not have made a conscious choice to attend an event - they are part of the fabric of our society.
2.3 It is vital to the College that young people are able to experience and to participate in the performing arts from an early age, both as part of their general education and in their leisure time through, for example, youth theatres, orchestras and choirs. 39% of our current student population is drawn from Wales, and all will have been involved at some stage in voluntary youth arts programmes or in school/college activity. Without this early training and experience it would be very difficult _ if not impossible _ to deliver a programme of advanced training to a professional standard such as the College is able to offer. Equally, a flourishing professional performing arts environment in Wales to which our graduates can aspire is of great importance to the College. Without an active and vibrant professional infra_structure our graduates will leave Wales and have no opportunity to continue to make a contribution. In this context, the College would welcome a wider range of bursary schemes both to encourage students from Wales to undertake post-graduate study at the College and to enable professional companies to engage recent graduates and so help them make the transition from student to experienced professional.
3. Context
3.1 The College aims to develop an institution of excellence which:
offers high-quality training and resources, a life-enhancing curriculum and achieves the highest possible standards which are accessible to all;
produces graduates who are articulate, thinking and innovative in their art forms and offers the music and theatre industries a regular and highly-skilled work force;
contributes to, influences and fosters the cultural and artistic life of Wales and beyond and can represent Wales on the World stage.
3.2 The National Context
Wales enters the new Millennium with developing confidence and a growing awareness that the arts are a major contributor to the quality of life of its citizens. The establishment of the National Assembly for Wales signalled a growing interest in and concern for the development of national institutions, able to represent Wales on the European and World stage. As the national conservatoire for the performing arts, the Welsh College of Music and Drama has an important role to play in providing a culturally sensitive, inspirational environment for the development of artistic potential. By engaging with and supporting the artistic life of the nation, the College aims to enrich the lives of its students and the wider community.
3.3 The United Kingdom Context
The Welsh College of Music and Drama is one of a select group of specialist institutions in the United Kingdom offering conservatoire training in music and drama. It is one of only three offering training in both disciplines under one roof, the other two being the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The cultural and educational agendas set by the National Assembly for Wales are, inevitably, influenced by policy decisions made by the British Government for the United Kingdom as a whole. In the Higher Education sector, quality guidelines and educational standards are developed within a UK framework. Whilst an institution of excellence in Wales provides students from Wales with an opportunity to study here, it is acknowledged that some will choose a different cultural environment in which to pursue their training. Equally, however, many students from elsewhere in the United Kingdom are keen to make a similar move and will choose to study in Wales. The career paths of the majority of graduates will involve work in all parts of the United Kingdom. Staff at the College are drawn from all over the UK, with many part-time tutors commuting between England and Wales on a regular basis.
3.4 The International Context
As Wales develops as a European nation, the College welcomes the opportunity to take its place alongside other European centres of excellence in the performing arts. It is particularly important that the College, which is dealing with international art forms, should be involved with a community of international artists. The College functions in a European environment which expands, both educationally and artistically, the views and ideas of staff and students. The College community of staff and students drawn from all over the world generates an eclectic, refreshing and stimulating environment in which traditions and developments can be shared in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Students choosing to train in Wales, influenced by the particular cultural ambience of the nation, act as powerful cultural ambassadors when they graduate. The British Government has announced its intention to encourage an increase in the number of students from overseas studying in the UK and the College aims to respond positively in this area.
3.5 The Learning Environment
A conservatoire of international quality requires dedicated, inspirational teachers who are able to identify potential and develop excellence in each student. The students require courses which are flexible, responsive to the changing needs of the professions and which equip students to utilise their abilities fully when they leave the College. Both students and staff require facilities which are fit for the purpose: carefully designed, properly equipped buildings for teaching, practice, rehearsal and performance, and adequate accommodation for support and social activities.
3.6 The Students
The common ingredients sought in applicants for the College are artistic potential and a passionate commitment to their own development. Which course of study to follow - and in which institution - is one of the most important decisions each student will ever make. The College recognises that it must offer excellence at all levels in order to attract the best students. The majority of the undergraduate population is drawn from the 18 - 25 age band, and this is likely to remain the case, but the life experience and different perspective which mature students contribute to the College is of great value. The College recognises that mature students may choose to study for a range of reasons and that the philosophy of "life long learning" has been adopted as Government policy. Opportunities for young people to participate in artistic activity prior to undertaking a vocational course, for example in youth orchestras or youth theatres, are unevenly available across the country. This unevenness limits access and is, therefore, of concern to the College.
QUESTIONS
4. Other than providing additional funding, what do you feel the Assembly can/should offer the arts in Wales and how could the Assembly develop its own definitive Arts and Cultural Policy?
4.1 In establishing the Arts & Cultural Policy Review, the Assembly has given a very clear signal that the Arts are important and that they merit significant consideration. The involvement of a wide range of organisations and individuals in a consultation process which is transparent and available to all via the Internet is a positive and constructive beginning and most welcome. It is vital that the energy engendered by this very public process is not allowed to diminish when the consultation is over; future signals about the importance of arts activity, and the seriousness with which future policies should be developed, must ensure that the momentum is maintained.
4.2 An Arts and Culture policy should acknowledge that the arts are experienced in many different settings and not limited to dedicated "arts" facilities or organisations. The Assembly is in a position to support a wide range of opportunities, including arts activities in non-traditional settings, funded from "non-arts" budgets.
4.3 If Wales is to celebrate a cultural identity of its own, then it must not be afraid to invent new models, declare different priorities from those of the past and support initiatives which may not have a tried and tested history in the rest of the UK. That is not to say that past practice and structures elsewhere do not have much to tell us, but a cultural policy for Wales must take account of the geography and demography specific to this part of the world. We must look for ways of creating structures which acknowledge that we have few large centres of population, two official languages and traditions which are unique to Wales. The Assembly should have an overview of the ways in which funding from a wide variety of sources can be combined to support activity in each geographical area, forging closer links between local authorities and the ACW.
5. What should be the principal objectives of an arts and cultural policy for Wales?
5.1 To support the professional, voluntary and community arts for the greatest number of people whilst maintaining the highest standards. Objectives should be realistic and have a genuine chance of being achieved. Whilst there must be accountability in the use of public money, bureaucracy should be as streamlined and relevant as possible and the maximum amount of funding should be directed to artists and organisations.
5.2 The College’s overriding concern is that there should continue to be:
a thriving Arts scene which will offer employment opportunities to its graduates;
a stimulating environment in which its students can train;
high-quality relevant and appropriate work for the widest possible audience.
5.3 The College relies on a pool of Wales-based creative artists who can be invited to the College to work with the students and who can inform best training practice. Access to the arts for young people at school is of paramount importance in developing an interest which can lead to lifelong involvement in artistic activity. The College is keen that arts provision in Wales should be seen as part of a continuum, with a natural flow of talent encompassing young people, professional training and professional work. Wales, because of its compact geography and homogeneity of cultural interests, is ideally placed to develop the Government’s lifelong learning agenda. The professional arts workers and training providers cannot operate in isolation and the benefits from close collaboration will enliven the artistic life of the whole community.
6. Should the priority of such a policy be based upon the arts in Wales or on Welsh arts?
6.1 Art created in Wales is Welsh art. Wales has always benefited from individuals settling here and bringing with them new perspectives, knowledge and skill. It is also important that the people of Wales are not deprived of work created elsewhere which would be stimulating and enriching if toured in to the country. Future policy should support a fluid exchange of ideas by enabling art made in Wales to be seen both here and abroad and by encouraging tours, exhibitions and concerts originated elsewhere.
7. Given a "clean sheet", how would you suggest the Assembly structures its funding and management/development of the arts in Wales?
7.1 There is not a 'clean sheet’ and it is important to recognize this fact. However future funding is managed, it seems to us that there will always have to be a body advising and distributing funding that is clearly seen to be separate from government. It may be that such a body _ whether it be the Arts Council or another organization _ will need to consider how it operates in the future. At present the Arts Council has a number of functions which may be better separated : it represents the needs of the arts community to government; it negotiates with government for its annual grant; it distributes grant to artists; it monitors the artistic quality of its clients and it uses experienced arts practitioners to assist its decision_making process. Some of these functions could _ and perhaps should _ be separated and there needs to be a very clear and transparent methodology for grant distribution.
7.2 Future funding and policy-making structures must be fit for the 21st century. This current consultation process, available to anyone who is interested in following the debate via the Internet, is remarkable for its transparency, and that transparency should be retained within new decision-making structures.
7.3 Future structures should service not swamp artistic activity; policies should exist to support and develop and the grant distribution structures should be flexible and responsive. The Assembly is in a position to take an overview of cultural activity and encourage an eclectic mix of funding; artistic activity occurs in our schools, prisons, hospitals and this should be encouraged by developing appropriate funding partnerships. Art is about communication; if artistic activity is important then we need to seek ways of enabling the arts to impact at many points in our lives, not just at those times when we choose to consume it.
7.4 The Assembly should take a lead in enabling creative partnerships between the local authorities and other funders to promote arts activity on a regional/local basis which are responsive and enriching. As part of this process the Assembly might, perhaps, consider placing a statutory duty on the Local Authorities to fund arts provision in their areas.
8. In your experience, how open and accessible do you feel the Arts Council of Wales is and have they been prepared to listen to your views and take on board your ideas? Using the Drama Strategy as an example, do you feel the consultation exercise was well managed or were there things which could have been done differently?
8.1 The College is not a revenue client of the Arts Council so it has viewed its operation from a distance. In our dealings with the Lottery division, from which the College has received considerable sums in recent years, we have found the Arts Council to be fair and open and they have always acted in a most professional manner.
8.2 There is no machinery for the College to engage in regular dialogue with the Arts Council and perhaps this should be addressed, though the College’s first responsibility is to the education of its students and must, therefore, maintain an appropriate distance from issues which are more suitably dealt with by other bodies. Where issues have had a direct impact on the College’s work (eg, the funding of Dance/Drama students at private institutions) Arts Council officers were open to discussion.
8.3 The Council itself will, no doubt, wish to review its handling of the Drama strategy and may, indeed, find an evaluation of the Assembly’s own handling of the Arts and Culture Review a useful starting point. In this context, the importance of the internet in providing a rapid and highly effective medium for the dissemmination of views should not be underestimated.
9 Do you feel the Council’s structure and organisation is appropriate to enable it to develop national arts strategies and to manage the distribution of Assembly funding?
9.1 Although there is not a ‘clean sheet’ now would be an appropriate time to review the Arts Council’s organisation, management and advisory structures. Recent years have brought about a great deal of change; this change should now be evaluated so that the staff and members of the Arts Council can move forward with confidence and energy. If the Council is to continue to play a pivotal role in developing the arts, then the Assembly must be assured that the Council is able to communicate and engage effectively with its funding partners and with the arts community.
10. In your view, how well have the arts been supported across all regions of Wales, particularly in promoting the medium of the Welsh language?
10.1 The debate over the balance of how to ‘spread’ the arts is complex. We earlier wrote of the necessity of having a system of support for the arts which reflects the culture and geography of Wales. The College endorses the Arts Council’s view that it would be inconceivable that Cardiff, as the capital city, should be without a range of theatre on offer to the general audience and it is, perhaps, both inevitable and proper that the larger centres of population will be able to support a more varied artistic base. What remains critical is that sufficient resource, energy and vision is brought to developing and supporting a robust infrastructure for the country as a whole so that no citizen is without access to a choice of cultural activity within reasonable travelling distance of their home.
10.2 The issues raised by the Drama Strategy - and in particular the TIE franchises - have focussed much debate on the need for regional bases serving a number of local authority areas which naturally work together. This recognises the fact that artists living and working in an area become part of the wider community, full participants in their own region’s aspirations and development. A balance must be sought between activity provided regionally and activity (with, for example, minority appeal or on a significantly larger scale than might be sustainable on a regional basis) which is more effectively provided via a touring mechanism.
10.3 Support for new writing in the Welsh language is of particular interest to the College, which is keen to have access to a wider range of suitable texts with which its students can work.
11. Do you agree with the principle of "funding fewer better" i.e. concentrating resources on a lesser number of organisations with a view to significantly improving the quality of productions?
11.1 The policy should be to support as much as possible, at an appropriate level and to maintain high quality services. Fewer organisations will not necessarily mean better quality, and while it must be recognised that some art forms intrinsically call for greater levels of funding than others, the principle of funding fewer better is not, in itself, a policy but rather a response to limited resources.
12. Which body/bodies should play a key role in the management and distribution of European funding for the arts?
12.1 The National Assembly, the Arts Council and the Local Authorities.
13. What more can Wales Arts International, or others, do in promoting Wales’ creative industries abroad?
13.1 This needs a concerted effort across Wales involving as many bodies as possible. The profile of Wales Art International is low and there is a lack of awareness of its role and function.
14. How do you feel the arts can contribute to tackling social exclusion in Wales and what barriers presently exist which hinder progress?
14.1 The arts are one of the most important factors contributing to a civilised society. They offer a powerful medium through which individuals can relate to the wider society and they allow the possibility for the socially excluded to develop a sense both of belonging and of making a contribution. The barriers that exist are a lack of understanding of the influence of the arts for the common good and a lack of funding to allow the arts to flourish.
15. What support should the Assembly be providing to sustain or increase the viability and income of the creative industries in Wales?
15.1 Primarily financial but also in developing and supporting realistic policies for the arts.
16. Theme Ranking
16.1 The College has chosen not to offer a ranking for the themes as they are all inter_related and, in many ways, are all of equal importance.
How do the arts and, in particular your work, contribute to the themes?
17. Reinforcing the national identity and international status of Wales.
The College’s Vision Statement incorporates the following aims :
17.1 "To be an institution of national significance, uniquely providing vocational training for the performing arts professions and able to respond and contribute to the evolving cultural identity of Wales".
As a national institution, the College aims to engage with the whole community. During the next five years, the College intends to develop an outreach/touring strategy which raises its profile throughout Wales, creates a sense of ownership outside the capital city and offers its students the opportunity to learn more about the country in which they are training.
Wales is a bi-lingual nation and the College is committed to providing a supportive environment for the Welsh and English languages. The publication of its Welsh Language Scheme signalled the beginning of a development plan for the extension of opportunities to learn, teach and perform in a bi-lingual environment.
In order to provide potential students with a genuine choice of training provider, the College will protect and develop its distinctive character, identifying and celebrating those elements which offer contrast and variety within the overall UK provision.
17.2 "To be recognised as an integral partner in the United Kingdom’s training framework for the performing arts."
The College will maintain and develop relationships with professional arts organisations beyond Wales in order to ensure that the training it offers equips its graduates with career choices throughout the United Kingdom.
The College will continue to engage specialist staff from as wide a geographic area as is practical as a means of widening the institution’s perspective and influence
17.3 "To be an institution of international reputation in the capital city, providing a vibrant, culturally diverse learning environment".
The College intends to develop an International strategy through which to increase recruitment from a wider range of countries in order to maintain a culturally diverse community, explore the potential for increased touring and exchange activity, develop its links with other Conservatoires through exchange schemes (for example, the European Union Socrates scheme) and partnerships, maintain and develop further collaborative arrangements with key organisations in other countries (for example, the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and the British Council).
18. Promoting social cohesion and active citizenship through widening community access to the arts in Wales
18.1 "To attract the most gifted students from a range of cultural, social and economic backgrounds, with a mix of age and experience." (College Vision Statement)
18.2 The College intends that its courses should be easily adaptable to ensure that the training continues to be relevant to the changing needs of the professions, pitched at an appropriate level (ie with clear distinctions made between undergraduate, advanced and postgraduate courses and the resources required for each level) and tailored to an appropriate length (between one year and four years). In order to attract mature students, the College will ensure that, wherever possible, courses offer flexible learning opportunities (part time study, for example).
18.3 The College intends to resource an effective recruitment strategy through which to raise its profile locally, nationally and overseas and develop the means to influence those teachers and artists who are working with and influencing the most gifted pupils. It also intends to foster closer relationships with the National and Urdd Eisteddfodau and to develop appropriate links with non-professional artistic activity. The College intends to continue to develop its Junior Music and Access Studies department to ensure that students of all ages have opportunities to develop their skills.
18.4 The College intends to launch a Scholarship Fund through which to reward excellence and enable students in financial difficulty (particularly mature students) to continue their studies.
19. Improving the quality of life for individuals and communities
19.1 The College aims to develop a reputation as a major performance venue, providing a varied programme of music and theatre for the general public.
20. Supporting education and promoting artistic talent throughout Wales
20.1 The College’s mission is to provide education and promote artistic talent. The preceding sections have referred to the means through which the College intends to reach potential students and the general public throughout Wales.
21. The importance of the creative industries to employment in Wales
21.1 The College will continue to contribute to the economic infrastructure by providing opportunities for artists based in Wales to contribute to its teaching and performance programmes.
22. The development of excellence
22.1 "To provide a learning environment of excellence which offers students every opportunity to develop their artistic potential".(College Vision Statement)
22.2 The College will continue to take an active role in the Federation of British Conservatoires, the Conference of Drama Schools and the National Council for Drama Training. Membership of these organisations enables the College to maintain its identity as a specialist institution, contribute to and influence the development of conservatoire training, and undertake appropriate collaborations to widen access and improve standards (for example through joint marketing initiatives).
22.3 The College will continue to provide effective mechanisms for quality assurance with reference to Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) guidelines, National Council for Drama Training (NCDT) requirements and other bench marking systems as appropriate.
22.4 The College will continue to take an holistic approach to the individual training and personal development of each student, and to encourage a broad consideration of the career opportunities available to its graduates.
COLLEGE MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT
This paper sets out a vision of the future for the College with reference to :
the importance of its position as a national institution of Wales;
its significance within the arts training framework of the United Kingdom;
the development of its international reputation and standing;
the nature and quality of its learning environment (teaching, courses and facilities);
the character and potential of its student body.
THE COLLEGE’S MISSION IS:
To provide performance-centred and practically-based courses which enable students to enter and influence the music and theatre professions and their related industries and, being aware of its unique position as the major provider of this type of education in Wales, to fulfil its responsibilities and develop its role in a European and international framework.
THE COLLEGE’S OBJECTIVE IS :
To provide vocational training and education for students which will enable them to:
pursue careers to national and international standards,
work in a diversity of employment within the music, theatre and related industries,
contribute to the development of the creative world around them.
CONSERVATOIRE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The College defines the nature of its conservatoire education and training as being distinguished by the following criteria :
practically based training,
an emphasis on individual development,
the acquisition of performance skills,
the release and refinement of personal artistry,
a wide range of performance opportunities under professional conditions,
the integral participation of professional artists in programmes of work,
a specialised cultural environment.
WCMD AIMS:
To be an institution of national significance, uniquely providing vocational training for the performing arts professions and able to respond and contribute to the evolving cultural identity of Wales
To be recognised as an integral partner in the United Kingdom’s training framework for the performing arts
To be an institution of international reputation in the capital city, providing a vibrant, culturally diverse learning environment
To provide a learning environment of excellence which offers students every opportunity to develop their artistic potential
To attract the most gifted students from a range of cultural, social and economic backgrounds, with a mix of age and experience
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