Background
According to the first “Brockhaus” Encyclopedia
of 1837, “the ‘conservatorios’ of Italy’s
larger cities were established with the aim of offering a
complete education in all musical subjects, often employing
the most famous musicians as teachers”. These “conservatorios”
were to serve as a model for the music schools that were set
up in Augsburg and Nuremberg in the 19th century, and which
were run as municipal “konservatoriums” from the
time of the First World War. Despite being very successful,
these konservatoriums, which later achieved the status of
“academy” during the reform of the education system,
had no long-term prospects for future development. For this
reason the two cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg were not able
to reach an agreement when it came to reorganising their academies
into state-run Schools of Music (Musikhochschulen). Finally,
however, a compromise was reached: based on a decision made
by the Federal State Parliament in December 1996, and with
the financial support of the Free State of Bavaria, a joint
School of Music (Nuremberg-Augsburg) was founded.
Foundation
In April 1998 the patrons of the Nuremberg-Augsburg School
of Music (not only the respective town councils but also
the counties of Central Franconia and Swabia) formed the
joint body of the “Nuremberg-Augsburg School of Music”.
After having been approved by the Bavarian Ministry of Education
and the Arts on 21st July 1998, the patrons then ratified
its establishment and provisional legality on 3rd December
of the same year. As a result the amalgamation of the Meistersinger-Konservatorium
in Nuremberg with the Leopold-Mozart-Konservatorium in Augsburg
was recognised by Bavaria as a non-state School of Arts,
in accordance with its laws governing higher education.
This new joint “Hochschule” was then left with
the responsibility of gradually phasing out the older “Konservatoriums”.
The first students started their education at the new School
of Music in the winter semester of 1999/2000. A decision
by the Bavarian Council of Ministers, passed on 2nd June
2003, determined once and for all that the Nuremberg-Augsburg
School of Music should now be given over to state sponsorship.
Structure and Organisation
The Nuremberg-Augsburg School of Music is not divided into
faculties and consists of two separate departments which
have equal status in Nuremberg and Augsburg. The way in
which this School of Music is run and financed can be analysed
as follows:
There is a joint committee as well as a joint convention,
each of which have four members. These in turn are represented
by twenty councillors, with the Lord Mayors and the Head
Administrators of Swabia and Central Franconia taking turns
to chair it for one year at a time.
Before becoming an autonomous School of Music there was
a transition period, during which the Founding President,
Professor Dr. Franz Müller-Heuser, was in charge. The
old “Konservatoriums” were dissolved and integrated
into the new “Hochschule”. This transition period
came to an end with the election of the first senate and
its presidents.
The Nuremberg-Augsburg School of Music is run by a governing
body headed by the President (since October 2001 Professor
Siegfried Jerusalem), the Vice-President and Head of the
Nuremberg department (the present incumbent is Professor
Wolfgang Manz), and the Vice-President and Head of the Augsburg
department (the present incumbent is Professor Bernhard
Tluck). The Chancellor is Hans-Werner Ittmann.
The second senate of the Nuremberg-Augburg School of Music
was elected in June 2003.
Both departments offer a syllabus that covers the core subjects
required for either a performance diploma (Diplommusiker)
or a teaching diploma (Diplommusiklehrer), with the following
subjects being taught: all orchestral instruments, piano,
singing and elementary music education.
In addition, both locations have their own particular specialities:
In Nuremberg there is an emphasis on early music / historical
instruments, jazz, classical saxophone, accordion and organ,
plus a course in reformed music education that offers the
possibility of obtaining several different qualifications.
In Augsburg the emphasis is more on church music (“Diploma
Class A”), wind band conducting, guitar, and music
therapy (the latter being offered either as a postgraduate
or supplementary course for practicing musicians).
Furthermore, since 1st October 2003 Nuremberg now has its
own International Opera Studio, in co-operation with the
Nuremberg State Theatre.
Both departments – Augsburg and Nuremberg –
enjoy the additional support offered by a number of patrons.
The way in which the Nuremberg-Augsburg School of Music
has been accepted in both cities, not only by the general
public but also by politicians and economists, is a cause
for great optimism. We have now become an accepted part
of academic life in Bavaria, as well as being a cultural
infuence in the area. This has also been reflected in the
increasing numbers of applicants for our entrance examination,
the recent successes of our students in competitions, as
well as the quality of our orchestral concerts and opera
productions.
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