In order to renew its registration on the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), MusiQuE is undergoing an external evaluation process and being assessed against the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

Following the production of its self-evaluation report by December 2019, MusiQuE has been visited on 10-11 February 2020 by an external Review Panel, composed of:

  • Mark Wait (Chair), Dean, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, USA
  • Rico Gubler, President, Musikhochschule Lübeck, Germany
  • Norma Ryan, Higher Education Consultant, Ireland
  • Oliver Vettori, Dean for Accreditation and Quality Management, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
  • Mirela Matei, PhD Student, National University of Music Bucharest, Romania
  • Pieter-Jan Van de Velde (Secretary), Independent Quality Assurance Consultant, Belgium
The Review Panel interviewed representatives of institutions and programmes reviewed by MusiQuE, a group of MusiQuE reviewers, representatives of accreditation agencies which have cooperated with MusiQuE, as well as representatives of the three partner organisations of MusiQuE: AEC, the European Music School Union (EMU) and Pearle* – Live Performance Europe.

The Review Panel highlighted MusiQuE’s impressive accomplishments in the short time since its conception in October 2014 and emphasised how MusiQuE, through its procedures, has aided the music institutions and programmes.

MusiQuE was commended in particular for its Critical Friend Review, which seems to be a useful, helpful, creative and productive procedure, its devotion and attention to student-centred learning and its training and selection of reviewers.

The Review Panel also shared a set of recommendations including the further development of MusiQuE’s Follow-up Processes, the revision of its Complaints and Appeals Policy, setting specific targets and goals in its operational plans and further building its long-term financial sustainability.

The Review Panel will draft the review report and submit it to MusiQuE within some months. The EQAR Committee will then assess MusiQuE’s re-application on the basis of this report and of MusiQuE’s self-evaluation document