Cultivating research cultures

Research is now firmly embedded in the ecosystems of most advanced conservatoires. It is nevertheless fair to say that the full potential of the symbiosis of research with learning and teaching has yet to be realised. One of the major challenges over the last 50 years has been to transform music conservatoires from being training schools for musicians into fully fledged institutions of higher education. In this chapter, we set out to show how the idea and practice of research (broadly understood as critical enquiry) can provide the catalyst to help effect and sustain this transition. We begin by setting out some of the tensions for an institution that must combine and balance the development of professional musicians’ artisanal skills with its aspiration to educate critical and creative thinkers. Through three examples, drawn from recent activities at the Royal College of Music (RCM), London, we aim to demonstrate the unique advantages of doing research specifically within a conservatoire. We conclude by reflecting on the potential that research has for mobilising culture change, both within the conservatoire and music research more generally

Introduction: émigré musicians from Nazi Europe at Glyndebourne

With its focus on mobilities, this book takes a bird’s eye view of Glyndebourne’s early history and celebrates its internationalism. It considers the company’s extensive and complex networks and ambitions, the transfer of cultural capital that came with its artists, and the high degree of excellence achieved via the embrace, rather than the rejection, of cultural difference

Performing Handel's Ouverture HWV424 for two clarinets and horn: a first encounter with 3D printing

One of the most precious treasures in the Royal College of Music Museum's collection, the ivory clarinet in D made by Georg Heinrich Scherer around 1740 has been copied through 3D printing. This article presents the observations of playing such copies, including reflections over the compass and pitch of clarinets from that time, and the revelation of a magnificent sound response. The piece to be performed and recorded is the Ouverture HWV424 for two clarinets and horn in five movements that Handel wrote around 1741 – the same period during which Scherer built the ivory clarinet in question. In this piece, Handel promotes the clarinet's cantabile qualities alongside the trumpet-like idioms characteristic of its earliest repertory. The composer makes considerable technical demands on the players, and the 3D-printed clarinets responded with a bright and crisp quality, even in their lower register, traditionally regarded as a weak feature of Baroque clarinets. Within the project, elements of historical accuracy are inevitably challenged by questions of practical expediency. Reed position and design, for instance, reflect the experience of musicians working in the 2020s, although the performance itself aims to demonstrate a historical awareness that is facilitated by the very success of the 3D prints

Integrating regulation and creativity

Set against a climate of increasing accountability, compliance, and regulation, this chapter explores the role of governance, management, and leadership in conservatoires. At first glance, such bureaucratic domains seem at odds with the creative ethos of a performing arts institution, but this chapter uncovers how conservatoires can demonstrate agility and creativity when responding to administrative constraints. It will look at this mostly from an English perspective (Scotland and Wales have their own national funding and regulatory arrangements, which are similar but distinct), but it will also make observations about the systems of governance and oversight internationally, by way of contrast. The chapter will address the role of good governance and strategic management in a modern conservatoire towards a manifesto for institutional success

The physical and virtual spaces of the conservatoire

Conservatoires are often thought of as hubs of creativity, but what is it about their physical and, more recently, virtual spaces, that shape the creative interactions in this learning environment? This chapter considers the physical spaces that conservatoire musicians inhabit and the impact of conservatoire buildings on learning experiences. Topics include the importance of specialist facilities to support student musicians, the significance of the conservatoire’s architecture and its cultural symbolism, and the impact of increased online teaching and performance on traditional interactions. Finally, there is a discussion on optimising the physical space for tomorrow’s musical learning and what the relationship between embodied, physical, and virtual spaces might look like for artists of the future

Perspectives on musical care during the beginning of life in the United Kingdom

This data set contains responses to two connected mixed-methods surveys on musical care during the beginning of life in the UK. Some data has been redacted to protect respondents’ anonymity. The surveys are referred to in the paper: Spiro, N., Sanfilippo, K. R. M, Shaughnessy, C., Rowles, M., Coombes, E., Perkins, R., and Tredget, E. (2025), The landscape of musical care during the beginning of life in the United Kingdom: A mixed-methods survey study, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

Diversifying musical practices

This chapter focusses on one core objective of conservatoire training – the preparation of musicians for orchestral careers – to reflect on recent efforts to address issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion within the conservatoire as a training site for Western classical music. A brief outline of the conservatoire’s heritage in teaching particular types of music and their concomitant performance practices is juxtaposed with recent changes in skill set demands within the orchestral profession as perceived by two industry professionals intent on driving diversification. New training needs arising from these changes are brought into dialogue with recent new approaches to the education of musicians at the Royal College of Music, London. The chapter documents that two particular areas of change and innovation are beginning to drive the possibilities of greater diversity in repertoire, performance modes, and music’s social relevance while a third arises as a key area for future work to address questions of inclusion and belonging

The earliest source for the S-shaped trumpet—its provenance, material context, and relevance

In 1984 Peter Downey published a famously controversial article in the journal Early Music. It contested conventional understanding of the development of the trumpet in the late medieval period. The consensus view, which largely remains, is that the instrument passed through four stages: first the straight trumpet (long and short versions), followed by the S-shaped instrument and (probably in quick succession) the trumpet with a folded wrap. Then followed a variance of one or both latter versions: a single, moveable, telescopic slide was fitted at the mouthpiece yard, to form what modern writers have called “the renaissance (or medieval) slide trumpet.” This instrument provided the prototype for the trombone, which existed with most of its necessary features by about 1470. The “slide trumpet” also revealed for the first time the fundamental and revolutionary principle that a mechanical device allowing the sounding length of a brass instrument to be adjusted by its player during performance, facilitated access to a much wider range of notes and expressive possibilities than is available on an instrument of fixed length. The fixed-length trumpet continued to exist, but the version with a slide portended a new idiom and a much wider scope of deployment in both sacred and secular music

Introduction: tracing conservatoire values past, present, and future

All modern conservatoires originated from the radical developments initiated during the foundation of the Paris Conservatoire in 1795 in the wake of the French Revolution. Although its influence spread throughout Europe and beyond during the nineteenth century, no satisfactory system of professional music education yet existed in Britain some 90 years later. This chapter begins by setting out the origins of the Royal College of Music’s original three core values of access, advocacy, and excellence, reflecting on the social context at the time these values were established and comparing this with the society of today. How has the realisation of these values in practice evolved from 1882 to the present, and what internal and external factors have shaped this evolution? To what extent are these values still relevant today and are they applicable to all conservatoires, nationally and internationally? This introductory chapter lays the groundwork for defining institutional purpose today and outlines the scope for renewal

Marion Scott professional networks dataset 1906-1953

This dataset documents the professional and creative networks of Marion Scott (1877-1953), a violinist, music critic, musicologist, and co-founder of the Society of Women Musicians. Compiled from 76 archival documents and records held at the Royal College of Music, it provides a structured account of relationships and biographical details relevant to early 20th-century British musical culture. The collection comprises two interrelated datasets, each provided in both Excel (.xlsx) and CSV (.csv) formats: Marion_Scott_networks_dataset — a relationship dataset detailing 774 documented connetctions between 475 individuals, with fields including Source_ID, Source_Name, Target_ID, Target_Name, Relationship_Type, Date, Document_Type, Document_Reference, Location, Event_Context, Interaction_Direction, and Weight (1–5 scale). Marion_Scott_networks_unique_names — a biographical dataset containing the same 475 unique individuals, with details such as Person_ID, Full_Name, Gender, Nationality, Occupation/Role, Years_Active, and First_Appearance_Date. All data was manually extracted and systematically verified against original sources. The structured format supports applications in social network analysis, enabling researchers to examine women’s cultural leadership and reassess established narratives of musical history in Britain between 1906 and 1953. ***** This dataset is available open access at the 'Official URL' given below. ****