Juggling workload and quality in Music

Ernie Redekop: You are the head and director of UWOpera, as well as the Graduate Co-ordinator in charge of the voice section of the Performance Department, Faculty of Music, and lately, a founding member of the new Vocal Health Clinic, cross-appointed to the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. I am here as a member of UWOFA's committee on the first workload survey since 1996, and I want to ask about the ways in which teaching is done in the Performance department and about your views of the place of the performing arts, especially opera, in this university.

Theodore Baerg: I'm happy to answer your questions, although I should state that I am not speaking for the whole Performance department. I can speak for the opera program and the graduate vocal studies area, since I am coordinator of both.
The opera program has almost tripled in size in the last decade and even though my own credited hours devoted to this program have not increased, I'm not complaining. In the arts we must look to growth and professional relevance. However, when we have had success in these endeavours we must follow up with support in teaching and faculty. In order to increase the number and quality of graduate students in this field, we must have a first-rate opera program, since this provides the most significant recruitment focus.
Our reputation in this faculty for the teaching of voice, of opera and choral singing is beginning to draw some important international attention: the September 2005 issue of Classical Singer, a major American journal in the field, has an article on the four largest university vocal programs in Canada, the programs at McGill, Toronto, UBC and Western. It describes these programs as "vibrant and well respected internationally," devoting two pages to a description of Western's program.

Redekop: I know from my own observations as an opera fan how much your opera program has grown over the past decade, both in size and in quality, but in reading the article, I am impressed not only by the descriptions of these programs but also by the author's strong advice that American students should seriously consider these four Canadian music schools. This reputation derives from the high quality of the teaching and the students, which brings me to my next question: how are the various appointments distributed in your area?

Baerg: We have three full-time professors, two who are on limited-term contracts (one of these primarily in the choral conducting area) and an additional twelve or thirteen who are part-time and paid at an hourly rate. In addition, we have an essential group of professionals associated with our opera program who are paid for their services on a contractual basis. Several of these people have significant national reputations, and we would be much better and effectively served if there were funding for such anomalies, especially for additional limited-term appointments.


Redekop: It seems to me that, within the Faculty of Music, the Performance department is unique, not only because of its central role in the Faculty, but also because much of the teaching has to be on a one-to-one basis. This makes teaching expensive. What is your view?

Baerg: Yes, this department is unique within the faculty and the university in the teaching of performance music, but not when compared to the other significant programs in Canada or the U.S. While there are significant costs involved in the delivery of this kind of teaching, the results of the past decades would suggest that the money has been very well spent. With the growth of quality and recognition must come a greater recognition of our corporate responsibility for increased and well-targeted support. In the UWOpera program, we would not have been able to foster this growth without the special PASF funding that has enabled us to sustain this program for the past four years; however, there remains significant room for an improvement in funding.

Redekop: What are the implications for faculty members of your success in enlarging and improving the opera program and in the faculty's attracting some 160 undergraduate students of voice and 18 graduate singers?

Baerg: I'll answer that by pointing out that each new production of an opera is analogous to a new course for me; there is a brand-new schedule of rehearsals and virtually every part of the process connected with the production has to start from scratch. The quality of the result, both as a learning experience for the students and the performance on the stage is directly linked to making each year's experience meaningful for all participants. Like other professors, I'm expected to keep up my own schedule of performances (for example, I have just agreed to play the role of Emile in next season's production of South Pacific at the Stratford Festival). This is our equivalent of research as practiced in other departments. Thus there is always a tremendous pressure on available time.

Redekop: What would enable the opera program and indeed the whole Performance department to meet the challenges presented by an ever-increasing student enrolment? Do you need more appointments? If so, what kind of appointments do you need?

Baerg: Yes, we badly need more appointments and we will always need to include part-time teachers. However, our current statistics tell us that the work-load is skewed in the wrong direction. Our growth in numbers and quality, and the long-term health and indeed the future of the institution, clearly deserve the commitment that only full-time faculty can provide. Such commitment is always reciprocal. I personally feel very committed to UWO, since I have received a real commitment from the University.
In our particular area, I believe that we need some appointments that are limited-term; however, not at the current 36-hours/week level. In the teaching of music performance, every hour is a contact hour and there is no credit for the necessary preparationBso the limit on hours/week should never go beyond 30 hours, and even that should be carefully monitored.


Redekop: You seem to be suggesting that in your area, limited-term contracts would be preferable to tenure-track appointments.

Baerg: No, I'm not suggesting that; but in some cases, as in the coaching of opera, as well as in some studio teaching areas, limited-term contracts would be appropriate. Our present and future funding could provide much needed additional courses and support if it were targeted carefully at some of these needs. Tenure-track appointments, of course, are always preferable, for all the reasons of commitment and community so necessary to the creation and maintenance of unfettered creativity.

Redekop: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. We hope that the appointment and work-load problems in your department can be addressed and ameliorated. Meanwhile, I, for one, will continue listening to you and the outstanding young singers taught by you and your colleagues.