Course cancellations in Kean’s Music Conservatory cause alarm

By Paige Fleming | Published by March 4, 2020

Popular courses within the music conservatory have been canceled and class caps have increased, leaving both music and non-music majors left with few options when choosing music courses.

On Dec. 18, 2019, a few days prior to the winter break, faculty received word that Music Survey (MSU 1000) would face cancellations in the spring semester concurrently. Originally, five sections of MSU 1000 were available. Two of the sections were canceled and one section had its class cap raised to 38 students and the remaining two sections had their caps raised to 50 students. The original class cap for this course was 35 students. 

According to the Music Conservatory faculty, this decreased the number of students originally registered for Music Survey from a potential 175 students to 138. 

Dr. Matthew Halper, a professor within the Music Conservatory, said this decision does not make sense from a financial point of view.

The two canceled sections of MSU 1000 were going to be taught a senior professor in music who is a highly respected, sought-out professor within the music conservatory, according to faculty.  The professor is in charge of arranging the class syllabus and course material, as well as overseeing the adjunct faculty teaching the course. 

The professor has since been reassigned to unspecified non-teaching duties in the Nancy Thompson Learning Commons. He is a full-time, tenured professor of music. 

Vice President of University Relations Karen Smith said that some faculty are providing “additional student support in the Nancy Thompson Learning Commons” in response. 

The uncertainty within the Music Conservatory has been causing scheduling issues for music students. Music education student Samantha Caballero had to postpone registering for a music course she needed in order to graduate. 

“There is usually a second class, but they canceled it,” Caballero said. “Not every class is offered every semester. You have to hope you get lucky it’s offered at a time you can take it.”

Additionally, the remaining sections of MSU 1000 have been relocated to the North Avenue Academic Building, which lacks the necessary materials used for the course, such as a piano. 

Halper said reassigning experienced tenured professors to “other duties” is not new at Kean. A former professor of music in the music conservatory was pulled from teaching in the music program similar to the actions taken against Dr. Lewis Kachur, an art history professor.  Both fought and won their arbitration decisions to remain to teach. 

Music Conservatory faculty said that the Kean administration took these course change actions without the formal process of going through the curriculum committees or the University Senate. 

“The various stakeholders were not able to give constructive criticism and point out possible pitfalls with these decisions,” said Halper. 

Besides the music majors, students who need general education requirements in liberal arts are now having their music courses cut as well. 

“What typically offsets the cost of these more expensive programs is the service they provide to the general student population through general education courses, such as Music Survey, Music Fundamentals, Art History, Acting for Non-Majors,” said Halper. “These are things that we can get larger numbers of students in, and help pay the bills, so to speak. This is what helps justifies our existence.”

Typically, the music conservatory serves over 600 students per academic year in non-music major courses.

Abigail Fabe, a student in the Music Conservatory, has also experienced trouble with scheduling her music courses. 

“A methods class I needed to graduate got canceled,” Fabe said. “It’s honestly a whole mess with how inconsiderate they are to this department altogether if you ask me. I have other friends who are music majors and minors or music concentrations who also lost music and art history classes.”

When asked, Smith said that “Music 1000 is being offered this semester. Some sections of the course that had the lowest enrollments were canceled and all other students were offered spots in other sections.” 

Despite what the Music Conservatory has recently experienced, the faculty are working with the current administration to make the case that music and the arts provide an essential dimension of well-rounded university education.  

“We’re hopeful that the incoming administration will evaluate the importance of the arts overall at Kean University and help us refine and revitalize our mission and role as part of a comprehensive university,” said Halper.

 

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