Staff in the music department
Here I would suggest looking out for four things:-
1. The qualifications of the lecturers
2. The music industry or professional experience of the lecturers
3. The ratio of staff to students
4. The tutors abilities as teachers
Normally a music tutor will have a M.A. or Phd in some field of music. Check that there is at least one member of staff that has post-graduate qualification with specialisation in music technology or production. (For example, New York University runs these kinds of post-graduate awards). It’s also important to find a music department where one or two of the lecturers have real music industry experience, preferably with music production credits. See if you can find out the ratio of staff to pupils – don’t be misled by a long list of staff and facilities, as these resources may be stretched thinly across hundreds of students. Lastly, and perhaps the most difficult but important thing to test, is the abilities of the tutors at actually teaching. In your interview, do they come across as approachable? Do they communicate well? Is there anything on youtube where you could see them in action, or do you know of anybody that has been taught by them? Somebody may have incredible music credentials, but if their teaching skills are poor they will be of little use to you. |