Doctoral Colloquium (Music) | Ellen Bakulina

The Doctoral Colloquium is open to all.

Doctoral Colloquium: Ellen Bakulina, Schulich School of Music, McGill University

Title: The institutional structure of professional music education in Russia

Abstract:

The purpose of this talk is to outline the music-educational structure in Russia across all levels, from children’s schools to advanced research degrees. While this structure involves some terms familiar to North-Americans and Europeans, such as “conservatory” and “school,” the meaning of these terms is different and can thus be misleading to someone unfamiliar with the context. Overall, the emphasis throughout the different levels is on (1) structural consistency across institutions within the country—the standardization inherited from the Soviet era, (2) skill building at the pre-conservatory level called Uchilische, and (3) career building in research and advanced performance at the Conservatory, in many ways resembling the “school of music” in a North-American university. Drawing on my own experience, I will also talk about the dynamic between various areas of music research, as well as what it’s like to be a music student in Moscow.