Reviews of pre-college institutions and programmes

Under this process, pre-college institutions and programmes have the opportunity to engage in a Quality Enhancement Review, i.e. a peer-review visit which results in an advisory report. These quality enhancement reviews of pre-college institutions and programmes are based on a specific set of standards, the Standards for Pre-College Music Education, which aim to guide pre-college music education providers in evaluating their activities and enhancing quality.

Objectives

• To provide the opportunity for pre-college institutions and programmes to choose to be evaluated through a procedure devised and implemented by those with specialist knowledge and understanding of such institutions
• To offer a procedure that is intrinsically international in its outlook and in the range of countries from which experts are drawn
• To stimulate the process of internal reflection on quality issues and, where relevant, to assist institutional leaders in implementing quality-related reforms
• To bring fresh ideas and wider perspectives into institutions, encouraging the principle of ‘many correct answers’ to questions concerning the pursuit of quality in pre-college music education

Process

• The institution is asked to prepare an analytical self-evaluation report, which is sent to the peer-reviewers at the latest a month before the site-visit
• The peer-reviewers (at least four persons, including a student), accompanied by a Secretary, conduct a site-visit of a minimum of 1.5 during which they meet members of the Management Team, of the Academic, Artistic and Administrative Staff, Pupils, Representatives of the Profession, Parents etc., and have the opportunity to visit classes and lessons, and attend concerts/recitals

Outcome

• The outcome is an advisory report, highlighting good practice and including a set of recommendations for further improvement, written by international specialists in the relevant musical fields
• The report is published here.