2008-03-25
Acting as an educator, manager and mediator in the arts
During the symposium "The Art of Music Education" in Hamburg we've got to learn the example of The Sage Gateshead near Newcastle (UK), which is indeed not only an outstanding arts venue, but also a centre where music education is an essential part of the whole programming. We spoke with the head of the education department, Joan-Albert Serra, asking him to share with us about his success.
AMN: How do you see yourself, do you feel more like being an educator or a mediator that has to connect people in an organization?
Joan-Albert Serra: Well, in my case, I feel more like being three in one: educator, manager and mediator. In am heavily involved in the planning of the program and I have a background as a professional musician and teacher. My experience in all those fields has helped me a lot in what I am doing now.
AMN: You are saying that being a professional musician helped you to succeed in your career.
JAS: Yes, absolutely. It is a crucial element. You dont have to be a musician but it is important for arts managers to have an inside knowledge of music.
AMN: Indeed, I can agree with you on that because of my own personal career experience. How big is your team?
JAS: We have a total 550 people (equivalent to 250 full time) working at The Sage Gateshead. In the education team there are about 150 people (musicians, tutors, managers, coordinators and administrators), some of them working part time, with a full time equivalent of 80.
AMN: So there are a high number of staff members working for an educational department. Is it a sign for an entire project like he Gateshead that you cant create a new venue without a social background?
JAS: It was designed to have education and performance at the same level, in terms of management, work force and resources. We feel being equally treated and we work well together. We always try to find how we can benefit each other.
AMN: Is there a pressure coming from local authorities, to earn more money for instance, because it is an impressive venue that can be used as another success factor for getting more profit.
JAS: No, we are lucky that Gateshead Council understands and supports the project. For a city with a population of 190.000 it is quite remarkable. The only pressure is the fact that we have to make the project sustainable and viable.
AMN: Yes, sustainability is an open question also here in Germany. Sustainability gets under pressure when politicians try to get results rather than waiting until the next poll pushing for results.
JAS: In our case, we are a trust, with our own board and a charitable status. We have a social mission but feel quite independent. We think that we can really do things in the best interest of our community.
AMN: How do you measure the results?
JAS: Each program has different ways of measuring results. Sometimes is the number of students or schools that we reach, and sometimes it is just a matter of changing a persons life, like when, thanks to our program a person can move from not having a goal in life to wanting to devote his/her life to music. In terms of measures, we have to consider all types of measures, both quantitative and qualitative, not just numbers.
AMN: What is your target group, immigrants, industrial workers or younger people?
JAS: We do not have a main target group in that sense. The entire community is our target.
AMN: What about a publics opinion? Is there a discontent about building the house? I mean the money that was invested in building the house could have been used for schools, etc.
JAS: No, there is no such a problem. I think people understand that we are a public service and the community benefits from what we are doing. Both directly and indirectly, we have already generated important economic benefits for this region.
AMN: And how affordable are ticket prizes?
JAS: We have some 7 pound tickets for all concerts, which is about 10 Euros. It is pretty affordable and people seem to like that price. We try to give everyone a chance to attend our concerts.
More information: http://www.thesagegateshead.org
Joan-Albert Serra: Well, in my case, I feel more like being three in one: educator, manager and mediator. In am heavily involved in the planning of the program and I have a background as a professional musician and teacher. My experience in all those fields has helped me a lot in what I am doing now.
AMN: You are saying that being a professional musician helped you to succeed in your career.
JAS: Yes, absolutely. It is a crucial element. You dont have to be a musician but it is important for arts managers to have an inside knowledge of music.
AMN: Indeed, I can agree with you on that because of my own personal career experience. How big is your team?
JAS: We have a total 550 people (equivalent to 250 full time) working at The Sage Gateshead. In the education team there are about 150 people (musicians, tutors, managers, coordinators and administrators), some of them working part time, with a full time equivalent of 80.
AMN: So there are a high number of staff members working for an educational department. Is it a sign for an entire project like he Gateshead that you cant create a new venue without a social background?
JAS: It was designed to have education and performance at the same level, in terms of management, work force and resources. We feel being equally treated and we work well together. We always try to find how we can benefit each other.
AMN: Is there a pressure coming from local authorities, to earn more money for instance, because it is an impressive venue that can be used as another success factor for getting more profit.
JAS: No, we are lucky that Gateshead Council understands and supports the project. For a city with a population of 190.000 it is quite remarkable. The only pressure is the fact that we have to make the project sustainable and viable.
AMN: Yes, sustainability is an open question also here in Germany. Sustainability gets under pressure when politicians try to get results rather than waiting until the next poll pushing for results.
JAS: In our case, we are a trust, with our own board and a charitable status. We have a social mission but feel quite independent. We think that we can really do things in the best interest of our community.
AMN: How do you measure the results?
JAS: Each program has different ways of measuring results. Sometimes is the number of students or schools that we reach, and sometimes it is just a matter of changing a persons life, like when, thanks to our program a person can move from not having a goal in life to wanting to devote his/her life to music. In terms of measures, we have to consider all types of measures, both quantitative and qualitative, not just numbers.
AMN: What is your target group, immigrants, industrial workers or younger people?
JAS: We do not have a main target group in that sense. The entire community is our target.
AMN: What about a publics opinion? Is there a discontent about building the house? I mean the money that was invested in building the house could have been used for schools, etc.
JAS: No, there is no such a problem. I think people understand that we are a public service and the community benefits from what we are doing. Both directly and indirectly, we have already generated important economic benefits for this region.
AMN: And how affordable are ticket prizes?
JAS: We have some 7 pound tickets for all concerts, which is about 10 Euros. It is pretty affordable and people seem to like that price. We try to give everyone a chance to attend our concerts.
More information: http://www.thesagegateshead.org
An article by Dirk Heinze, editor-in-chief
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