On September 12, Manhattan School of Music students gathered on the Ades Performance Space terrace for a reading of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, conducted by MSM alumnus Benjamin Grow.
“The music world has been devastated by the effects of the global pandemic. But for all of the challenges facing professional musicians during this time, an equally herculean obstacle has been facing another part of the music industry: our conservatories,” writes Heather O’Donovan last Friday (9/18) at New York classical station WQXR. “Music schools around the country are opening their doors—whether literally or figuratively—for the new semester…. Leadership at conservatories across the country [have] adapted to these unprecedented times [with] ingenuity, creativity, and resilience…. In New York City, three conservatories—the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, and The College of Performing Arts at The New School—decided upon three distinct plans,” ranging from fully remote to hybrid models with remote and in-person instruction. Also included in the article are the Thornton School of Music at USC and Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University (fully remote), the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and New England Conservatory (hybrid). The article covers issues that include working across time zones, adapting to Zoom instruction, ensuring access to technology, performing in remote and socially distanced settings, and continuing adaptability.
