Cardiff University has announced the start of a consultation whose proposals, if realised, would entail the closure of the School of Music by the end of 2030. With 234 students, Cardiff is the largest university school of music in Wales and one of the largest in the UK. It is shocking to hear that many staff and students first heard that the School of Music is at risk in the press, the day before formal meetings were held. Further, the School of Music and wider university have yet to receive all of the information needed for counterproposals during the consultation period. This contravenes proper institutional procedures around consultation.

The announcement is particularly problematic given that the University places at the heart of its mission ‘championing excellent educational experience for students of all backgrounds and experiences’. The School of Music delivers on this aspiration: it achieved 95% overall satisfaction for its teaching in the 2024 National Student Survey, and this amongst a highly diverse cohort of students, more than two-thirds of whom come from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education.

In the field of ethnomusicology specifically, the School of Music at Cardiff has launched the careers of many ethnomusicologists. Numerous graduates of the School of Music now hold ethnomusicology positions in Russell Group universities, and in excellent universities overseas. The School of Music made a strong contribution to the 2014 and 2021 Research Excellence Framework rounds. In 2014, ethnomusicological work at the School was described as outstanding in the REF report, and in 2021, one of the School’s two high-scoring impact case studies was by an ethnomusicologist. The ethnomusicology pathway at the School has ensured a diverse curriculum and ethnomusicology staff have produced a range of public-facing events and outputs that have raised the profile of the university nationally and internationally.

Both staff and alumni of The School have been members of BFE Executive Committee, while one current staff member was formerly Chair of the BFE.  The School has also hosted three BFE conferences (2008, 2013 and 2024), attracting delegates from all over the world. Put simply, the School of Music has played a pivotal role in developing and sustaining ethnomusicology across the UK. The closure of the School would have significant detrimental effects on the vitality of the discipline.

Across musical disciplines, The School of Music has played a vital role in the music profession in both Wales and the wider UK. This is evidenced by the success of the School’s MA Music Education pathway and its Business of Music scheme. The latter has seen through 250 students and worked with over 100 industry organisations, including Music Mark, the PRS, the BBC, the BPI, Classic FM, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, and over a dozen UK orchestras.

The School of Music is one of Cardiff’s oldest departments, stretching back to the University’s foundation by Royal Charter in 1883. Its alumni include internationally renowned composers such as Morfydd Owen, Grace Williams, Alun Hoddinott and Sarah Lianne Lewis, Wales’s first female resident composer with the BBC National Orchestra. One of the School’s most eminent alumni, composer Sir Karl Jenkins, stated: “Money should be found for this, because it [the School] is not just training students through music, it's an investment in the cultural future of our country … it's always been an integral part of Welsh academic culture” (BBC Wales, 1/2/25). The School of Music has also trained many revered performers such as Giselle Allen, Jeremy Huw Williams, singer and presenter Steffan Rhys Hughes and bassist Ursula Harrison (BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024). Ultimately, the School of Music is one of the most visible schools in its embodiment of the University’s strategic focus on ‘Culture, Cynefin, Community’.

Members of the BFE, and of its international sibling subject organisations, have expressed bewilderment at the proposal to close the School of Music. Whatever the top-line financial woes facing Cardiff University, it is difficult to understand how a closure would make sense in terms of any long-term vision for the institution or its reputation. A decision of this nature would be unwise, unfair and institutionally deleterious.

Cardiff’s presence in the higher education music community is of immense value, and we are deeply concerned that plans to narrow Cardiff’s offer will impact the current and future flourishing of ethnomusicology in the United Kingdom. We call on the University to reconsider its decision and embrace a strong music offer as essential to the equipping of a future cultural workforce. We also ask for immediate reassurance that current students and staff will be supported and courses maintained whilst further consultation is carried out. Finally, we also offer our help and advice if you wish to consult us.

The Executive Committee of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology