Teaching Composition: strategies and possible pitfalls

I have been teaching composition for about 30 years and still find it both challenging and frustrating at times. When I was studying music as an undergraduate, teaching composition was often avoided and the practice discouraged. At Manchester University in the late 1970s, there was an underground composition class run by the composer Geoff Poole for composers, which was not allowed to be on the official timetable. Students weren't allowed to compose their own music as part of the course until they had learnt how to copy (usually badly) the 'masters' in harmony and counterpoint classes. Fortunately this approach is no longer prevalent, and composition is usually offered on undergraduate music courses and also at 'A' level and GCSE.
    So what should we teach when we teach composition? I get the impression that this is a problem for many music teachers - and the ubiquity of the Sibelius notation programme appears to have made this worse (composition as unthinking and 'unhearing' note input - who cares what it sounds like as long as it looks like music). So where should we start in teaching composition?
    It seems to me (on the evidence of first year Undergraduates) that the experience of composition teaching at pre-HE level is quite patchy, so it makes sense to build up some foundations first. Isolating and exploring individual musical elements such as texture, rhythm, line and harmony. It is easier to deal with these elements on their own rather than in a complex combination. One then examines these elements through analysis of suitable musical examples to see how these compositions have been put together using these fundamental features. Practical compositional exercises can then be set to allow students to explore the specific element to gain an understanding of its nature, and how to use it. For example, we would look at Varese's Ionisation for percussion ensemble to see how rhythm can be used for compositional discourse, and how the composer develops his rhythmic cells. Therefore this method of teaching composition is underpinned by the use of analysis of relevant models, and practical exercises/compositions. These student works would be played for further discussion and feedback from the whole class.
    Once these fundamentals have been examined, one can move into more complex or sophisticated areas of music through analysing specific techniques/features of contemporary music such as Farbenmusik, minimalist music and the use of systems in music. Alongside this study one would also examine more general topics such as larger scale structural models, development of material and more advanced harmony. It is important for students to be exposed to a range of good contemporary music and to see how it was put together (obviously this is often speculative). The genre of popular music, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in HE, has similar considerations although the specific elements and materials are clearly different. It is useful to use models from a range of sources, and in a range of styles.
    What cannot be taught, however, is imagination and invention - although one can encourage it when it has been recognised (rather than stamped on).We must be careful when teaching composition (and indeed other music subjects) that we allow students to make mistakes and take risks in their work. In composition (and performance) the 'safe' approach is rarely the best one. We need to recognise and nurture the sparks of imagination, and encourage students more, and criticise less. Composing is a real challenge even for experienced practitioners (I think only active composers should teach composition in HE because of this) so we should treat student composers considerately, and beware of crushing their confidence. Alongside this approach, however, we also need to teach our students to be self critical - to teach them the tools they need so they can be independent from their teachers.

A Second Visit to Oldenburg University

I was invited back to Oldenburg University's music department at the end of October 2012 for a week on the Erasmus scheme to do some further observation and teaching. The second visit was useful as you notice different things on a return, and I also went to different classes. The music department at Oldenburg is focused on training teachers, and students can either do a BA over 3 years, or the Masters over 5 years which you need to do to become a teacher. The course structure is still a little hazy for me but seems to have some compulsory modules (such as theory etc) and the rest are optional and decided by individual tutors. Students can take a module or course without being assessed in it - indeed you might have a whole class who are not being assessed. The class sizes I saw were mostly quite small - say 5-15 - but the theory one was more like 25. This time I observed a clear focus on developing aural skills, and most of the classes I saw were very practical and quite demanding. In the Solfege class you had to do the hand signs as well as sing. I also observed an excellent class focused on how to  train young singers which also including dance and movement.
     Other classes included Katzenmusik (Cat's music) taught by a professional percussionist which was excellent, covering issues of form, texture, timbre, improvisation, and aesthetics. The class I saw was using wine glasses and glass bowls to create an orchestra of glass, and creating simple scores to control the semi-improvised music. The theory class I saw was very inspiring and taught with great enthusiasm and verve. It was quite a traditional approach but the students clearly got a lot from the session. The teaching materials were very clear and logical.
    My own teaching was composition-focused, although I also talked about Ligeti and Bartok and their relationship. I tried to take quite a practical approach with my teaching and get students to try out compositional ideas in the class - I got the impression that this wasn't usually the case in composition teaching here. I also presented a colloquium on my own composition and played part of my Saxophone Quartet. I had also composed Eleven Haiku after Cage for piano specifically for the Colloquium which was well played by Roberto Reale. It was quite interesting to interact with the general public and one of the audience suggested that my music was not very good to relax to (I had to agree). This prompted a more general discussion of the nature and function of contemporary music and how to understand it. It seems to me that one can only develop an understanding of any music through deep, thoughtful and repeated listening - and having an open mind to new ideas.
    My other observations of the week are that the tutors here seem to have more freedom over what and how they teach in their modules - there appears to be less of the obsessive QA culture here (although I may have had a false impression). There is also less of the sense that tutors are aware of the overall structure of the course and how everything fits together. I also noticed that they had just appointed 3 new lecturers which suggests funding here is pretty good in comparison to the situation in the UK.

Editing a Journal for the first time

I ran a one-day conference on the later music of Ligeti in March of this year at London University, and had arranged for the papers to be published by Contemporary Music Review (this has just come out, click Ligeti's Later Music). As I hadn't edited a journal before I was both excited and rather nervous. I asked a friend of mine with some experience of book editing for advice, and what he said was very helpful - he said that you need to be quite firm with contributors and if you feel something is not quite quite right, then you must say something sooner rather than later. It is perhaps too easy to try to be too relaxed and laissez-faire. I also decided to ask one of the presenters to be a co-editor to lessen the load - it was a good idea as you have someone to look over your own contribution.
    The main issue was that we had been given relatively a tight amount of space for each article, and quite understandably contributors wanted to provide full examples which often went beyond this allocated space (the journal was very understanding and allowed more space to accommodate this). Another issue was concerning footnotes and references, and what might be the optimal length for these. I had successful (if slightly protracted) discussions about reducing these in one case where the footnotes gradually expanded to become nearly as long as the article. This is perhaps more a matter of style, which I think is the editor's responsibility. Another issue was getting colleagues to get the final copy in on time (I suspect that this is common)- so it is important to set a deadline well before the final deadline given by the journal. We also had a delay caused by the copyright fees charged by the composer's publisher which seemed rather large given likely sales, and beyond the relatively modest budget. It seemed a little curious that a publisher would want to potentially jeopardise the publication of an academic journal covering one of their composers. This was thankfully resolved by the publisher of the journal and it was a relief (and a joy!) to finally see a hard copy of the issue. I have learned one thing through the process, and that is that editing a journal issue takes a lot more time, effort, and emotional energy than you would think.

Ligeti Conference March 2012: some reflections

I organised a conference of Ligeti's later music on 30th March at Senate House (in association with the Institute of Music Research - and with their support) which has taken up a fair bit of my time over the last few months. This is the first major confernce I have organised and it seemed to be a success judging by responses received. I was particularly pleased to see the number of speakers and delegates that had travelled from US, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Holland, Hungary, and Norway. The conference was mainly a series of papers plus a lecture recital by Ian Pace, a parallel analysis session for composers (led by Peter Wiegold) and a chamber 'performance' of Ligeti's Poeme Symphonique (we didn't quite manage 100 metronomes but there were two that seemed particularly persistent at the end).
    What was valuable at the conference was making contact with Ligeti scholars who one had read but not met, and being socialise with them before and after the conference. On reflection I think there should have been a round table session at the end (there wasn't time in the schedule) and it would have been good to have had questions after each speaker. I had allowed 30 minutes for each speaker to include 5 minutes for questions, but the reality was that the full 30 minutes was usually taken up with the papers (which is quite understandable) - and there was little slack in the day. There were also technical issues which soaked up time - almost inevitable when so many different computers were being used (our technical support was excellent and it is absolutely essential to have someone good to cover this). I liked the range of our speakers which showed many different approaches to the nature of the conference paper. At previous conferences I often feel that the papers were not really designed to be read out, but rather needed to be read as an article which can be quite tedious.
    There is a general orthodoxy to read papers at conferences which can be quite a challenge for the listener (I whish I had the confidence not to do this myself - our keynote speaker Richard Steinitz avoided reading out a paper, which made what he had to say very engaging). If I had to do this again I would allow more time for the papers and include a round table session at the end. I didn't do a general call for papers (on helpful advice from a colleague) and simply invited who I thought would have the most interesting things to say about Ligeti's music. I think this worked well - student researchers have plenty of other opportunities to present their work. One final thought is that it does take a lot of time and energy to organise - so bear that in mind if you feel the urge.
see Ligeti Conference London 2012  for full details - the papers will be published in Contemporary Music Review shortly.

Preparing a Composition Portfolio: thoughts

These are some thoughts I discuss with my composition students when they are preparing their portfolios:

Composition Portfolio Preparation

1. Submit with a CD recording. Full, clear and accurate notation. Full score required in concert pitch.
2. Avoid using a midi print-out (Logic etc) which can be meaningless.
3. In pop music and jazz, rhythms are often difficult to notate because of slight changes to the beat - these don’t need to be notated– keep it simple and clear.
4. Drum kit parts – keep it simple and of use to the drummer – not too complex.

Some useful texts:

5.  Runswick, D. Rock, Jazz and Pop Arranging, London: Faber, 1992
6. Baker, D Arranging & Composing: For the Small Ensemble, Jazz, R&B, Jazz Rock, Alfred Pub, 1988
7. Adler, S The Study of Orchestration, New York, Norton, 2002
8. Avoid production of looped backing tracks where there is no development nor main idea/melody – it is boring.
9. Think about overall shape of piece and sketch that out first
10. Well-structured music combines repetition and contrast. Avoid over-repetition and too many different ideas – vary and develop your ideas.
11. Notational performance details: make sure that full details are provided for the players.
12. Avoid pastiche – relate your music to today’s music scene.
13. Listen to a wide range of music.
14. Approach your own music with a critical ear – don’t be easily pleased.

Arrangement:

15. Make sure the main melody is audible – think about balance of the parts and dynamics.
16. Vary the ensemble – don’t have them all playing at once all the time.
17. Find out the range of your instruments and what they sound like in their ranges, plus other aspects of their nature.
18. Buy a book on orchestration and read it– see above.  (plus see Hugill’s website)  http://andrewhugill.com/manuals/intro.html
19. In tonal music think about which chords you are using and what the key is.
20. Listen to your harmonic progressions? Are they the most effective ones? Are there notes missing? Does it go anywhere?
21. Melody is really important – it needs to be more than just part of the harmony – it needs a life of its own. It should have a memorable shape.
22. Make sure you use a varied rhythm – not just crotchets and quavers.
23. The bass-line is a second melody and needs to be memorable and singable – avoid just using a line of root position chords – use first inversions and passing notes – make it interesting.

Inspiration

24. Anything can be inspiring: improvising – images – poems – other works – stories – events – musical processes – chemical processes – emotions (but beware of ‘cheese’…).
25. Sketch the whole piece out first with just the main line – use a sound source to help.
26. Don’t leave it too late so you cannot improve it.

A Scottish Ligeti Trip (Hamburg Concerto)

In late January I went up to Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh) to give two pre-concert talks on Ligeti's last major work the Hamburg Concerto for Horn and Chamber Orchestra performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (they also played Ligeti's Chamber Concerto which I didn't hear). I was impressed by the quality of the playing of the SCO as this is an extremely demanding and complex work. The excellent soloist was Alec Frank-Gemmill (on both French and Natural Horn) and the conductor Robin Ticciati showed a thorough understanding of the score. The work is curious for two reasons: it is in seven brief movements which are often divided up into smaller sections making it 14 in total; and it makes extensive use of the strange and beautiful tunings of the upper harmonics of the natural horn. As one goes up the harmonic series, the notes gradually deviate from the equally tempered scale of the piano, sometimes to an alarming degree. In places the natural horn quartet in the orchestra (parts which are almost as demanding as the soloist's part) are all in different keys - F,E, Bb, and D. Ligeti combines the 'out-of-tune' notes from each horn to generate quite alien-sounding harmonies that are disturbing but also beautiful. It seems to me that it would be almost impossible to be able to calculate the precise results of these combinations, but there does seem to be a strange logic in the progressions - for example in the 'Choral' in the second movement. The fourth movement is also quite interesting in the way that it combines elements of minimalism and serialism in quite an original manner.
     I also ran a Ligeti study day in Edinburgh which included a question and answer section from the soloist and conductor who explained some of the challenges of the work. These included the problems of playing natural horns high up and hitting notes that one would usually avoid (ie the oddly tuned harmonics). Robin talked about the importance of having an image of each movement in your head before working with the orchestra, and the importance of avoiding listening to other people's recordings. I felt that the audience were quite positive towards the concerto, and they said that they would have liked to hear it twice in the concert to help their understanding. This is an excellent point as it is difficult for even experienced contemporary music listeners to make sense of a new work on one hearing (whatever they might say!).
   At the end of the day I got the participants to create and perform their own compositions based on Ligeti's ideas and techniques (see http://www.sco.org.uk/experience/blog/2012/01/exploring-ligeti  for pictures) which produced some rather interesting and unusual work. It is daunting doing this kind of activity if you are an amateur musician (or just a music-lover) and I felt everyone put a lot of effort into making the best pieces possible.

New Book on Ligeti: Gyorgy Ligeti: Of Foreign lands and Strange Sounds

I have just finished reading the above new book on Ligeti ed. by Louise Duchesneau (Ligeti's assistant) and Wolfgang Marx published by Boydell Press (my first copy fell apart). It is based on papers from a conference held in Dublin in 2007 but is now much expanded. There is some really excellent material here for Ligeti scholars, particularly the chapters on analysing the sketches by Jonathan Bernard and Richard Steinitz which give insights into how Ligeti wrote his music. Bernard usefully provides categories for the various sketch-types at the Sacher Foundation, and the colour plates of the sketches are amazing - especially those of Atmospheres and San Francisco Polyphony which are vividly graphic and quite colourful.
     The chapters by Ligeti's composition students, Manfred Stahnke and Wolfgang Schultz are also very revealing about how Ligeti taught his students and his relationships with them. Stahnke says that Ligeti was both "extremely exciting...[and] also vicious and unfair not only towards other, well-known composers, but towards his own students as well." (p. 223) Clearly this was quite an idiosyncratic approach to teaching which would not be tolerated today, although it seems that his students went back for more. Stahnke also states that "Ligeti was not a real teacher. Or rather, that he was a 'transposed' teacher, one who had long ago left behind the traditional 'keys' of teaching and now strived to discover new territory." (p. 225) It is clear that Ligeti approached his teaching in a similar fashion to his composition- that there are no easy answers and that every position had to be challenged. Stahnke also said that later on  "I once told [Ligeti] that he was like a vampire who bled us dry of all our ideas. A slight giggle to himself was his only reaction." (p. 227) To a certain extent all composers who teach gain from their own students, but of course students will also gain from their teachers - although they may not be aware of the extent to which they have benefited.

A Week Teaching Music at Oldenburg University

The week of 31st October I was at Oldenburg University as part of the Erasmus Scheme. This all occurred because the Professor of Music there Violeta Dinescu approached and invited me to go and teach. This was my first such trip and I was not really sure what to expect. It was a most enjoyable week during which I learnt much about the system in Germany and their approach to teaching music - the lecturers there were very welcoming (especially the composer Roberto Reale who was a great help). The following observations may not be precisely correct but they are what seemed to be the case to me at the time.
   It seems to me that lecturers at Oldenburg are much more independent than is the case the UK - there seemed to be a greater autonomy in the courses and what was offered by lecturers. In some of the courses/modules there were student from all years which is quite different from what happens at Kingston (although some 3rd year classes are taken by MAs). The students at Oldenburg seemed to be very serious and committed students, although this might be because they were all planning to become music teachers. The course has 3 years for the BA and a further 2 years for the MA. Before they can teach in schools they also have to undertake school observations. Students at Oldenburg have a good theoretical background and all seemed to have some ability on the piano. They seemed a little reticent and reserved in my classes but that may have been because they had to speak in English.
   It was good to see lots of practical music-making going on to a good standard (I heard the Wind Ensemble and Choir). I particularly enjoyed playing 'Katzen Musik' (Cat music) with Axel Fries - it was a really inspiring class exploring improvising with bottles and wine glasses. One quirk of the German system caught me out and that was the 'academical quarter hour' - all classes start 15 minutes late and finish 15 minutes early - no-one had told me that because it is so ingrained in Germany. I thought this was an excellent idea, as in UK there is often no time between classes. However they do start at 8 am (or 8.15) which would be less popular. It was also odd to see chalk still being used and I was pleaseed to see some OHPs. The German students are also very polite and at the end of classes all knock on the tables in approval. The food in the canteen was also excellent and apparently all organic - I really enjoyed eating at the Culinarium where the food was cooked in front of you. All in all, Oldenburg is an excellent place to visit.

The Basics of Composing Music: a Personal View

I have just spent a week music teaching at Oldenburg University which was both enjoyable and rewarding. It took me a while to realise that there is an academical quarter hour - all sessions start 15 minutes late and end 15 minutes early - an excellent idea I think. As part of my teaching I decided to think up a beginners' guide to composing as some of the students had done little (although they were excellent students). In fact I didn't have time to cover all the elements below in the class.

A Very Brief Beginners' Guide to Composing Music:

Stage 1

1. Listen to lots of different music - live and recorded.

2. Decide what music you really like.

3, Analyse in depth the music you really like - find out how it is put together in detail.

4. Try to create your own versions of the music you like - perhaps mixtures of different music.

5. Get your music played.

Stage 2

6. Before starting a piece think about what the concept (idea) of the work might be - what are you aiming for?

7. Think about the structure you need - look at possible other models.

8. What instruments  are you going to use? Make sure you find out about them.

9. Try to make the most of your musical material - use improvisation to help your ideas grow.

10. Try to avoid being too repetitive or too fragmented - find a balance between these two extremes.

11. Always be self-critical of your work.

12. Compose music because you want to  - not for any other reason.

13. Get a thick skin as you will need it - but do listen and consider criticism.

14. Don't just try to please your teacher- that is always a dangerous path. What happens when your teacher changes or you stop being a student?

15. Never write complex music for the sake of it - simple music can be more effective.

Thoughts about Judging a Composition Competition

I have just spent a week in Germany teaching at Oldenburg University (of which more later when I get chance) and I was kindly asked to be on the jury of an Internatoional Composition competition (percussion piece for medium level players) whilst I was there. There were 112 (more to come) to view from all over the world  - which was fascinating (and quite hard work). What was also very interesting was seeing the same basic errors again and again. So here are my observations which may be of use:
1. Too many were poorly notated or confusing (especially the rhythms).
2. Too many scores were very difficult to play when the guidelines stipulated that it was not for professional level.
3. Given that is was for percussion; few really explored rhythm in a fashion that was audible.
4. Many were very repetitive and lacked development.
5. Many had a very dense unvarying texture.
6. Few had any really sense of drama or shape  - which is really important in a piece of music.
7. Many used new notation which would take players a long time to learn and understand - why make life so difficult for players? We want them to play our music not find reasons not to.
8. Few candidates seem to have really thought deeply about the published requirements of the composittion - for example that the name must not be on the score but in a sealed envelope (relatively few did this).
9. However there were some execellent pieces - by candidates who had actually read the instructions and thought hard about what is needed.
10. Do think about the title - it needs to conjure up an image for the listener. 
11. Don't write for the wrong ensemble? Big band???

Another observation is that it is very difficult for juries in composition competitions when there are so many applications. Therefore if you don't win or get a placed position in a competition, it is not because you haven't written a good piece, it may be because there are simply so many works to consider.  It is best to make sure that your piece stands out in some way - so it is memorable. And make sure that you have written a good beginning...

The Setting of Student Fees

Now most of the university's fee levels for 2012 have been announced it seems that the majority have gone for £9,000 or quite near to this. The Government predictably seems to be horrified that universities have made a rational decision given the restrictions that have been put upon them. At present, most Arts and Humanities courses bring in around £7,200 per student, so in theory any fee below that would cause a loss for University (unless there were counter-balancing cuts). The Government has also been making cutbacks in funding to Universities in the run up to 2012, and want to restrict the numbers of overseas students (another important source of income to universities). Another factor is that there is likely to be a drop in student applications for 2012 entry (both UG and PG) which may also cause a drop in income.
    So it seems that the universities have taken the only option open to them. After all, it costs a similar amount to teach a student whether they go to Oxford or Oxford Brookes, therefore they ought to have a similar fee. If all the ex-polys charged much less than the Russell Group Universities, then they would look as if they were offering a much inferior course, and also have less money to ensure that this was not the case. It will be interesting to see how the Government responds to this rationalism.

Turnage's opera Anna Nicole and Ferneyhough at the Barbican

In recent weeks there have been some significant and intriguing contemporary music performances in London; namely Mark Anthony Turnage's new opera Anna Nicole at ENO and Brian Ferneyhough's Total Immerson at the Barbican. These events show that new music still has the potential to surprise and delight audiences, even if in the case of the Ferneyhough they are callenging works.
    Anna Nicole based on the tragic life of the notorious celebrity Anna Nicole Smith uses a text by Richard Thomas (librettist of Jerry Springer the Opera) and is driven by the narrative. The music is effective and poignant in places but it is the text and the drama that seems to be centre stage. It seems to me that this is mid-way between an opera and a musical which makes it much more approachable for most audiences. Only in the later part of the second act does the music become more prominent. At the first performance, the audience was very enthusiastic - perhaps more so than one would expect at the first performance of a new work. To be honest it was a much more engaging evening than the last new opera I heard: Alexander Goehr's Promised End in which the music was mostly turgid and the text inaudible throughout.
    Ferneyhough at the Barbican was quite a different kind of music to the Turnage, much more challenging but also more thought-provoking. The concert I heard was with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 26th February including a UK premiere Plotzlichkeit  and also La Terre est un Homme for full orchestra. These were both very dense works with many layers of material for the listener to comprehend. It seems to me that when less was going on in the music moments of real beauty emerge - like seeing through windows in the music. We also heard Ferneyhough's early Missa Brevis which in many ways was as powerful as the other larger works in the programme, and quite astounding given it was written in 1969. Ferneyhough is certainly not everybody's cup of tea, but I think we do need composers like him to continue to challenge and amaze as well as the more crowd-pleasing Turnage.

More Destructive Government Action on Music Education

The latest ITT funding decision by Michael Gove will have a very negative effect on Music and Art Education in this country. The numbers of students who will be trained as music teachers will be cut by a third for next year and their bursary will also be removed. This is on top of the fact that music will not be in the spurious/fake English Baccalaureate being introduced by Gove. The results of both these misguided policies is that there will be a reduction in music teachers in UK schools, and also a reduction in pupils taking music. Clearly this is a policy that should be resisted unless we want our children to have purely utilitarian education. Of course in the public schools that our cabinet attended, music will still be valued and taught.

Why music notation is important for music students

One of the most controversial issues in music higher education today is the shift away from music notation amongst students in HE. This means that when students arrive at university or college we cannot assume that they can all read music, and have to to help them to learn. This wasn't the case 10 years ago so why now? The obvious answer is that you can pass and do well at BTec national diploma and A level music courses without having good music notational skills - so if you get the required grade you will get a place in HE. Once in HE students may well struggle with the notational demands. The reasons why notation is often not taught in school/college is because if takes time and patience, and you don't necessarily need it in popular music. There are also a lot of students who come to music through music technology ( not so many learn instruments because of the on-going impact of cuts to music education in the 1980s) and music notation is seen as irrelevant to these students.
    So why is it important to learn to read music? The reason is that if you don't, you are at a disadvantage compared to others who can, when you are in the workplace. For example, in film composition you are likely to need to write parts for live players at some stage (very few composers can afford to employ others to do this); in studio production you may be expected to create a string arrangement, or change one 'on the fly'. If all you want to do is play in a band, then fine you don't need to read, but if you want to analyse the detail of works and songs then it is essential that you can read. There is a problem that everyone thinks they can be a musician with next-to-no expertise or knowledge ( I sometimes see such students at interview - they seem shocked that they might need to read music to study it). This is because of the ease that you can create popular music tracks with software, pre-existing loops and samples. The reality is that it takes hard work and real expertise to be a successful musician. There are now some excellent web sources to help students learn notation and music theory such as Teoria and dolmetsch which are good places to start learning about the theory. Just as you should be able to read words to take an English degree, I think you should be able to read music to take a music degree - or at least be prepared learn how to. 

A Black Day for Higher Education

The parliamentary vote for the tripling of student fees on Thursday, and parallel savage cutting of university funding was a black day for Higher Education and for the country as a whole. It means that many prospective students (especially from poorer backgrounds) will probably not go to university because of the huge debt created (only a small number will be given scholarships). The cut to the teaching budget in the Arts and Humanities from 2012 is effectively 100%, so these areas will only be funded by student fees, and the STEM subjects will also have large cuts. This will affect academic subject departments throughout HE because if they cannot recruit students at the higher fee (because prospective students have been frightened off), they are likely to close down or be reduced in size.
    Clearly some of the right wing commentators would say that a reduction in the size of higher education would be a good thing because they think there are too many students studying given the number of graduate jobs. This is a rather facile argument as all the evidence suggests that UK plc needs more graduates in the future not fewer, therefore putting students off studying seems to be a perverse action. The Coalition's argument that HE has to take it's fair share of the required cuts (because of banker greed) doesn't make much sense given the size of the cuts mentioned above. Another oddity is that of course the loans will still cost the country about the same as the present funding scheme for many years to come (until graduates start to pay back). It is not really about cuts, it is about conservative ideology. A much fairer approach would be to raise income tax to fund what the country needs in HE, school education and NHS. This was the preferred model (until Thatcherism took hold ) in the past, and is much more 'progressive' than the scheme that has been voted in.
    So what can be done in HE about this situation? It is unlikely that HE funding will change until the next election, and even then if Labour get back in, Miliband refused to say that he will scrap the new scheme. I think that the New Universities are at the most risk because more of their students will be put off studying (see research by Leicester University   Fee research and More on this), so this is likely to be where the pressure is greatest. New Universities could ruthlessly reduce costs so that the fee can be set at the lower end of the £6000-£9000 range, but this would be likely to impact on the quality of the student experience which is crucial. The other problem is that having a lower fee will suggest that you have an inferior course (see how this impacted on Leeds Met). So it is likely that New Universities will probably set relatively high fees (to avoid degrading their courses), but will attempt to improve the quality of what is offered and increase their marketing to their poorer students. The positive aspect of all this is that there will be a renewed interest in high quality teaching, something that seems to have been lost in the rush to promote research in New Universities. Of course the main worry is that no one actually knows what new students will do in 2012, so it is very difficult to plan.