Alumni and the Profession

Alumni are truly at the crossroads between conservatoires and the profession. On the one hand, these professional musicians have undergone training at the conservatoires and may continue to look to them for lifelong learning opportunities, and on the other they are now vital, active members of the profession. As such, alumni constitute a vital link between the two, helping, through their feedback, to ensure that conservatoires stay abreast of ongoing developments in the profession, taking these into account in the training programmes offered, and thus forging new partnerships that enhance professional opportunities for students. Alumni in turn benefit from contact with their conservatoires via lifelong learning opportunities and through possibilities of maintaining and developing networks amongst themselves as well as with current students and teachers.

Alumni can be invaluable in providing professional opportunities for students as well as knowledge of the professional network; they can also inspire, providing students, professors and staff with precious advice and guidance. Maintaining links with former students help conservatoires see what new skills need to be taught as well as their relative weight in the professional world. Finally, keeping a pulse on professional developments via alumni may suggest which areas are providing the greatest employment opportunities and those in which dwindling resources and/or increased competition make employment opportunities rarer.

A Handbook on Alumni policies was developed. This handbook addresses issues such as:
• The alumnus relationship: why it matters to the institution and to the individual     
   alumnus
• The student experience: its importance in shaping the alumnus relationship
• Organisational responsibility for alumni: where does it belong?
• Contacting and tracking alumni: the major challenge
• Building an alumni organisation

• What alumni want from their alma mater
• Benefits and services for alumni
• Optimising our relationship with alumni
• The alumnus as staff member 

• Conclusion and recommendations

Downloadable Documents
Handbook on alumni policies: Today's student: tomorrow's alumnus	English Deutsch Francais

Alumni policies in European Conservatoires

The Profession working group conducted a study of alumni policies in European conservatoires. While such policies are prevalent in North American institutions of higher education where they serve first and foremost as fundraising vehicles and secondly to support the development of a career service network, the phenomenon is a relatively recent one in Europe and responds to different perceived needs. 

The text included here includes a brief study of current alumni policies in European conservatoires and the focus of their activities.

Downloadable Documents
Questionnaire on existing alumni policies	English
Alumni policies in European Conservatoires	English

The following texts describe two models of good practice, one of which takes a socio-economic approach to professional integration of alumni, the second of which puts alumni at the center of encounters with representatives of the profession organised for students.

 

Downloadable Documents
Example of good practice: The Observatoire for Professional Integration and the Professions at the Paris Conservatoire	English
Example of good practice: The Days of the Profession / Les Journées de la Profession, Conservatoire de Paris, 21–22 September 2006	English