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"Invite your coursemates, your colleagues, your friends and all musicians around you who know and care what is at stake. Lets make a noise they can't ignore: let's make music."
Dear Musicians, Academics, Music Lovers and anyone who cares about those who are and the things we produce,
As of today (07/02/25), well over 23,000 people have signed a petition to 'Save Cardiff University School of Music' ( https://www.change.org/p/save-cardiff-university-school-of-music ), one of many schools facing the axe alongside hundreds of job cuts in the Vice Chancellor's proposed restructuring.
Former Students Union President and graduate of the music school, Jackie Yip, described the planned closure as 'horrifying;
She writes: 'A school that has consistently outperformed others at Cardiff, with strong student satisfaction results, and dedicated staff who have tirelessly worked to create some of the brightest and most resilient graduates. And yet, the arts must always take a backseat. Every music student is so tired of having this fight, but here we are again, defending the value of an education that enriches lives and shapes the culture of our society. The Cardiff School of Music is a beacon of excellence, a space where creativity flourishes and resilience is built. Its closure would be nothing short of a tragedy.
The arts are not expendable.'
An official statement from the School of Music is yet to be released.
Meanwhile, all over social media, hundreds of former students have raised their voices to testify the impact the school and it's staff have had both on their careers and their lives as a whole. They are joined with thousands of others who recognise the wider impact this move will have on music in Wales and beyond- undermining a culture with Music at its core and threatening the future of current and future musicians and all they offer the world. Without support, the arts will die and without the arts, so does the heart of community.
We want to do something about it.
Since the news broke, people continually ask, 'What can I do? How can we protest? Should we stage a flash mob?'
We wanted to create a space to organise where that can happen.
On the afternoon of Saturday 22nd of February we hope to come together to create an orchestra across the ages who will gather together in pride, sadness, anger and solidarity to express those feelings in the best way we know how: a 'Salvation Symphony Orchestra', if you will.
Invite your coursemates, your colleagues, your friends and all musicians around you who know and care what is at stake. Lets make a noise they can't ignore: let's make music.
We create this group and event as a space to organise and to network. We are not an organisation but individual students who wanted to take action. Our focus will be on creating a powerful statement through the largest orchestra and choir we can build, but we welcome both support and autonomous actions and organising around this.
Other suggestion has been to expand this event: create tag teams of musicians who want to keep the music going before and after : 24hr music marathon? Different groups and individuals tagging in? Making it a family space with teach outs and testimonials visible? It will be as big or as small as we make it. This is YOUR Music School and these are YOUR actions.
The google form below will allow you to sign up to join our planned ensemble on the 22nd, say what you wish to contribute, provide contact details, sign up to create your own actions around this and request to join a Whatsapp group of fellow alumni and musicians. But we highly suggest you also use this group to find others to organise with and create unified action so we cannot be ignored in our Facebook family circle rants or isolated protests.
This protest is an independent gathering where all attendees are responsible for their own conduct.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevc23RbZD_a3ozOgQsuHYJRkHFQois7Bzssw89km5ttc5rTg/viewform?usp=sharing
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Cardiff University School of Chemistry, Museum Ave, Cardiff CF10 3AX, Cardiff, United Kingdom
