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Q227/95

Quality Assessment Report by the HEFCE for

Goldsmiths College, University of London

Music

February - March 1995

Contents

Introduction
Aims and Objectives
Student Learning Experience
Student Achievement
Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction

  1. This Report presents the findings of an assessment in February-March 1995 of the quality of education provided in music by Goldsmiths College, University of London.
  2. Goldsmiths College owes its origins to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths which, in 1891, founded its Technical and Recreate Institute at New Cross in premises formerly occupied by the Royal Naval School. Art and design and teacher education contributed to the earlier developments, but more recently there has been an increase in the number of degrees and postgraduate study in arts, mathematics and the social sciences. The performing arts have also expanded. There are currently 4,985 students enrolled on undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
  3. Music is one of the 16 departments in the College and has 240 undergraduates and 83 postgraduates. Music may be studied as a single subject on the three-year undergraduate course leading to the degree of BMus (Honours) or as a postgraduate subject. Since 1990, the College has offered its own modular degree programme, which full-time students complete over three years and part-time students over four. An extension degree provides an additional year of foundation studies for those who wish to take the degree but lack the normal entry requirements. The MMus degree course, which is a federal degree within the University of London, can be followed over one year full-time and two years part-time. It covers composition, ethnomusicology, historical musicology, musical theory and analysis, and performance and related studies. Graduate students can take a research degree leading to a PhD or MPhil. The assessment visit focused on the music courses in the undergraduate programme and included some of the available teaching on the MMus programme.
  4. The three professors and 10 full-time academic staff are supported by 13 academic part-time tutors, 23 instrumental teachers plus contributions on specific themes from specialist visiting tutors. The Department pays for tuition for all full-time students on their first study instruments. Part-time students who take the option in performance and practical musicianship also benefit from this arrangement. The student-staff ratio is 14:1 when visiting tutors are included.
  5. The self-assessment highlights a number of significant features which contribute to the provision. These include the claims that it `is one of the largest departments in the older universities and delivers a curriculum of unique diversity and pedagogical coherence; that the varied specialist interest of teaching staff enables the College to provide the wide range of courses which mix practical and theoretical studies; that this is achieved in a department committed to friendly and responsive teaching, with wide student choice within courses that are carefully monitored; that there are specialist resources which support the teaching; that study is enhanced by a wide range of performance and public concerts; and that teaching provides graduates with the intellectual and communicational studies appropriate for a wide range of careers'.

    Aims and Objectives

  6. The Music Department's aims and objectives are clear and consonant with the College's mission statement, which is to pursue `excellence in a distinctive combination of disciplines'. Its emphasis on the interrelationship of theory and practice offers a broadly-based learning environment within which students are able to develop their own particular specialisms.
  7. The assessors found evidence of good practice in the five main areas of both the BMus and MMus programmes: composition, ethnomusicology, historical musicology, performance, and theory and analysis. Useful integration between theoretical and practical elements was perceived in some of the courses, notably in composition and performance.
  8. The Department is undertaking a number of projects to bring elements of information technology (IT) into the composition and studio-based courses. There are plans to develop suitable packages for the Language of Tonal Music course and for distance learning. The provision of IT could be extended to other courses with benefit to the students.
  9. The variety of specialist options offered by the Department is to be commended and reflects the claim made in the self-assessment. There is a good balance between compulsory and optional units, and a clear strategy for course planning and co-ordination which ensures coherence in the context of each topic and at every level.

    Student Learning Experience

  10. The Department aims to integrate theory with practice at all points in the course and, with certain exceptions, this was well demonstrated in the work seen by the assessors. For example, tutorials in performance practice focused on students' written work related to performance workshops and recital programme planning; general undergraduate composition classes featured pieces the students had produced in recent weeks; lectures and seminars in analysis and criticism were linked with topics in performance studies.
  11. There are talented students working in both these areas; but there are also students whose practical and creative skills are more limited. The assessors are impressed by the way in which tutors draw the best from students right across the ability range. Students are clearly appreciative of tutors' expertise and musical authority.
  12. Music week, the first week of each academic year, is a period of corporate musical performance which involves most students and some members of staff and which helps to introduce the incoming year to other students and performance-related staff. There is scope for extending the induction course to include key staff and to ensure that all students understand the organisation of the Department. In addition to music week, there are annual meetings for each year group at which options for the subsequent session are introduced and explained.
  13. Each student is allocated a personal tutor. Attendance is mandatory at meetings which are formally scheduled, a procedure instituted for the current session. Some students indicated that there is evidence that the system is inconsistent in its operation, especially in the allocation of personal tutors.
  14. Progression and completion rates are monitored effectively. With a large complement of part-time students a greater rate of altered progression is to be expected, but such alterations to courses are relatively small and are dealt with effectively by the tutorial system. Information is contained in the central database and is the responsibility of the senior administrator, who keeps complete student files. The assessors are impressed with the system of administration.
  15. Students are well motivated and, in spite of an occasional mismatch of tutor and student, tutorials are positive and helpful, and characterised by challenging and assertive supervision. Working relations between staff and students are, on the whole, very good. Students are appreciative of the support, guidance and welcoming ethos of the Department. There is a strong commitment and dedication on the part of academic staff both to the development of the subject and to support for students.
  16. Of the classes, tutorials and workshops observed, approximately 44 per cent were rated excellent and about 56 per cent satisfactory. There were no unsatisfactory sessions. The assessors observed some outstanding teaching which was authoritative, well prepared and dynamic, engaging the students' attention and promoting worthwhile questions and discussion. Handouts and other materials used in lectures and seminars were generally clear and carefully prepared. Similarly, tutorials, especially at postgraduate level, tended to be positive, challenging and helpful, building bridges between theoretical and practical considerations.
  17. There is a large and well-qualified, full-time staff, whose specialist interests match the range of the curriculum. The academic staff gave ample evidence of being up to date in terms of experience and scholarship. Part-time tutors are clearly employed for their specialist interests and expertise, although numbers have been significantly cut over the last few years, resulting in more areas of teaching being covered by full-time staff. The quality of the technical and administrative staff is outstanding.
  18. There is an appropriate balance between full and part-time staff. Master classes and workshops given by distinguished visiting performers, scholars and composers enhance the regular staff resources. The amount of guidance given to part-time tutors, however, could be considerably improved so that all are fully aware of the intended outcomes and the assessment processes used.
  19. The range of expertise of the instrumental tutors, almost all of them active performers, covers most of the performance spectrum. The work of these tutors is co-ordinated by one of the full-time staff. However, the allocation of students to tutors does not always take account of students' strengths or needs.
  20. The opportunity to participate in performance is an important part of the course provision and the Department promotes public concerts given by the Goldsmiths Sinfonia and Chorus where participation by all full-time BMus students is a course requirement. There is a wide range of smaller auditioned groups such as the Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Big Band, the Chamber Choir and the Brass Ensemble. A concert of Russian folk songs and a composition competition for brass band were performed during the assessment.
  21. The institutional Staff-Student Development Unit has evolved an extensive programme, which relates directly to the learning and developmental needs of staff and students at all levels. Staff are encouraged to participate in the sessions of the Unit, but find that pressure of time prevents them from attending. A new college staff development policy and a new academic staff appraisal scheme are being considered.
  22. Many lecturers are involved in research and contribute to the development of music. Individual research is monitored, though there is only limited evidence of any strategic planning. Within the Department, study leave for the purposes of research is the core means of staff development, and this feeds both directly and indirectly into the curriculum. The intention is to maintain the present scope of twentieth century and musicological research, to promote further Russian/Soviet research and to develop distance-learning techniques.
  23. The main teaching rooms are located centrally, and are of good size and layout. Staff offices are close by, and are suitable for tutorials and small seminar groups. The recital room and Great Hall provide the main musical performance spaces, and have generally good acoustic properties. The lack of adequate soundproofing, however, is a very serious matter, making it extremely difficult for lectures and seminars to operate effectively. Even where accommodation has been upgraded and intrusion of disturbing sounds reduced, staff and students are likely to be distracted by noisy air-conditioning. Given the size of the student body, the limited number of practice rooms also presents a problem.
  24. Equipment for teaching is mostly adequate, with audio equipment, pianos and whiteboards in most teaching rooms; there is a paucity of OHPs installed in rooms, though they are available from central services. The computer centre is well equipped, though very heavily used; students from the Department have access to the facilities, and are encouraged to word-process assignments. The Department has a collection of musical instruments, including a Javanese gamelan, which is well used. The stock of pianos is extensive, but students felt that some instruments were in poor condition. The electronic music studio has a reasonable stock of equipment to serve the needs of the studio-related courses, though access to the equipment is limited by the numbers of students it serves.
  25. The college library is well situated, provides a pleasant environment, and has a reasonable stock of books, periodicals and recordings. It is supplemented by a departmental collection, whose materials are available only to music students. The contemporary music holdings are particularly impressive and reflect the importance of composition in this Department.
  26. Clear management structures are outlined in the self-assessment. Individual members of staff and course co-ordinators have two line-management routes; first, to the Head of Studies on matters of day-to-day administration and student progress and, secondly, to the Head of Department on personnel matters, personal development and departmental development. The Head of Studies is the personal tutors' line-manager for student welfare and the course co-ordinator for student progress and discipline. The assessors consider that there could be a conflict of interests between welfare and discipline in this arrangement. The student handbook ensures that students are aware of these staff responsibilities and know whom to approach with problems.
  27. Quality assurance within the institution is clearly identified and the executive responsibility for quality assurance resides with the Director of Quality Affairs. The first policy document on quality assessment was issued in 1993; the aim of the College was to control and monitor the quality and organisation of the teaching provision. At the core of this approach is the programme monitoring system; course evaluation questionnaires are also used. Over the last two years there have been reviews of 15 academic departments, including music. These departmental reviews have provided information which will form the basis of an institutional database. Examples of good practice are emerging from the first round of departmental reviews and these are disseminated as guidelines.
  28. The Music Department is very conscious of quality matters. Annual programme monitoring reports are reported through the Faculty Board to the Teaching Committee, which asks for proposed action on any issues mentioned. The Course Monitoring Committee, comprising staff members and full and part-time students from each undergraduate year, meets at least twice yearly. Some students were concerned about their lack of knowledge of the various channels of communication. The effectiveness of the committee mechanisms and possibilities of formal contact may therefore be compromised. Mature graduate students, who are less apprehensive about contacting staff direct, are, however, very appreciative of the caring and responsive attitude of members of staff. A recent development has been the introduction of student questionnaires.
  29. The examination process and its outcomes are seen as the core of quality assurance. There is little direct input to quality assurance from visiting tutors, visiting specialists, external consultants or peers from similar institutions. External examiners for the Music Department are generally pleased with the procedures and standards. However, some issues, which have arisen in more than one report, seem not to have been fully addressed.

    Student Achievement

  30. There is a commendable mix of home and overseas students, including a number of mature students. A distinctive feature is the breadth of students' interests and experience. Students enrolling in the Department come with varied qualifications, ages and backgrounds. There is a roughly equal number of male and female students with a mix of ethnic origins. The Department operates a policy of active recruitment outside the traditional route, which results partly in a large number of mature students, including professionals and teachers; their presence enhances the learning experience for younger students. Applicants without GCE A-Level qualifications are interviewed carefully to ascertain their capability for the various courses that are offered. Performers are auditioned to ensure that they will benefit from the provision at Goldsmiths.
  31. The main musicological and performance courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels are firmly based on the principal research areas of the full-time staff. The success of this policy is borne out in the students' work seen by the assessors, by students' comments, and by the reports of the external examiners. The latter draw attention to what they see as the justifiably high proportion of First and Upper Second class awards in the BMus degree, the popularity of this course and the excellent preparation it provides for students' subsequent employment in a variety of musical fields.
  32. The assessors looked at a range of undergraduate and postgraduate work. The very best third-year work displayed a high quality of analysis and presentation. Other work reflected the satisfactory progression made by students through the course. In many cases, scripts and submissions were suitably marked by tutors, many of whose detailed comments gave students considerable help and advice. More information could usefully be provided for instrumental teachers and students, specifying the performance requirements expected at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  33. Of those who graduated in 1993, 8 per cent gained a First class honours degree, 47 per cent gained an Upper Second class honours degree, 41 per cent a Lower Second and 2 per cent a Third. In addition, one student received an aegrotat degree and there was one failure. The Department has carried out a statistical analysis which indicates that these results are higher than the entry qualifications would suggest. The assessors feel that there is evidence that many students make substantial progress throughout the degree.
  34. Careers advice is provided both from the Department and from the university careers service. Procedures are well established for those students who are prepared to seek advice but more formal input could provide substantial benefits for students. The Department encourages students to think and plan for future careers and staff work closely with the careers service. The latest statistics indicate that 44 per cent of the single honours students have entered permanent employment, 14 per cent proceeded to further academic study and 15 per cent entered teacher training.

    Conclusions and Recommendations

  35. Goldsmiths College claims to provide an excellent education in music. The assessors come to the overall conclusion, based on the assessment visit and an analysis of the self-assessment, together with the statistical indicators, that the quality of education in music at Goldsmiths College is excellent.
  36. There are many elements of best practice in the provision, which the assessors find very encouraging. The positive features identified by the assessors include the following:
  37. The College can build upon these positive features by considering the following recommendations:

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