Brief Notes Compiled and Written by Kristiina Ilmonen Former Department Head and Current Teacher
History of the Sibelius Academy
The Folk music department - one of the smallest but among the boldest
International activities
The curriculum
Publications, clubs and concerts
History of the Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy, located in the centre of Helsinki, was founded
in 1882, and received its present name in 1939. The name of the Academy
derives from the supreme position held by Jean Sibelius in the history
of Finnish music. Sibelius was a student at the Academy (then Helsingin
Musiikkiopisto) from 1885 - 90. He studied both violin and composition,
and his compositions were frequently performed in concerts at the Academy.
During 1890 - 92 Sibelius taught music theory at the Academy and later
also composition.
In 1966 the Academy was granted the status of an institution of higher education. It was a private college until 1980, when administrative reforms made it subordinate to the state. The degree structure and administration were revised that same year. The Sibelius Academy enjoys university status since 1998 as a state music college and is an integral part of the system of higher education in Finland. It is the only university of music in this country and the largest in Scandinavia.
The Academy now covers virtually all aspects of music, from baroque to music technology. There are more than 1700 students and approximately 170 new students are admitted every year.
The undergraduate degrees at Sibelius Academy are Bachelor of Music and Master of Music. The doctoral degrees at Sibelius Academy are Licentiate of Music and Doctor of Music.
The Folk music department - one of the smallest but among the boldest
The general profile of the folk music department can be very briefly characterized as follows: Finnish traditional and contemporary folk music with special emphasis on improvisation, creative musicianship, multidimensional arts projects, artistic research and innovations.
The Degree Programme in Folk Music was initiated at the Sibelius Academy in 1983 and since then, it has been the prime engine of the traditional music revival in Finland.
At present, the programme has around 70 Master students, 15 Doctoral students and a small number of Junior Academy students. The teachers, seven of whom are full-time, include dozens of top musicians in the field both from Finland and elsewhere. The students and teachers of the department are a fundamental and active part of Finnish and international folk music life.
The department acts as a missing link between past and present in the chain of tradition. In the early days, old masters were frequently used as teachers and some of them are still available for that purpose. However, since the living tradition of many of the folk instruments and traditions has already been almost forgotten, the teachers and students have had to dig deep into the vast archives of traditional music and poetry in Finland.
The history of the department has been full of experiments and adventures, as well as challenging and dissolving musical and other barriers. Its musical base is in the Finnish and global folk music traditions, but another key focus is to create new music, also in interaction with other fields of music and the arts in general. As a result, traditional music in Finland has become more alive than what was imaginable. The educational structure has also had an effect throughout Europe, encouraging other institutes to establish similar departments dedicated to traditional/world music.
As well as making new music, research of the historical tradition is of equal importance at the department. Many of the ancient, almost forgotten instruments have been brought back to life because of the work done by the students and teachers of the department. Good examples would be the revival of bowed lyre (jouhikko), jew's harp, overtone flute and the various types and historical styles of kantele music.
With the introduction of doctoral studies – artistic as well as scientific - at the department, the level of artistic research has been brought to a new era. Now there is extensive, systematic practise-based research about such things as harmonica playing, voice improvisation, historical models of jouhikko, shepherd´s music etc.
International activities
The department has been communicating with almost all of the similar institutions around Europe and with some non-European ones as well. Often when there has not (yet) been a similar educational institution in a country, the department has communicated with individual traditional music professionals and associations. While the status and achievements of the Folk music department in Sibelius Academy have been a role model for many others who have visited to see how it has been done, the department has as well gained a lot from these numerous encounterings. Many of them have resulted in an ongoing communication and teacher and student exchange.
The most active partner throughout the years has been Kungliga Musikhögskolan i Stockholm (KMH), whose folk music education began around the same time as in Sibelius Academy, even though structured differently from Finland's. In the early years, the department employed some Swedish teachers who visited frequently enough to become involved in the development of the pedagogy and spirit of the department, probably taking something back to Sweden as well. Two of the most influential figures at that time were musicians Sven Ahlbäck and Susanne Rosenberg, who have since been in charge of the folk music education at KMH, and who still are involved in some the activities at the Sibelius Academy Folk music department.
A big impact on education has come from the other Finno-Ugric peoples, whose musical traditions have always been a part of the department's program. The teachers of the department have traveled actively in Estonia and the former Karelia area as well as in more remote locations such as Mordovia and Mari El, bringing back connections and music such as unique singing styles that have had a direct influence on contemporary folk singing in Finland.
Another influential connection has been that of the Bagamoyo Arts College in Tanzania. Heikki Laitinen visited the leader of the school, the late, great musician Hukwe Zawose in Tanzania in the early years of the department, which was a beginning of a long friendship of the two traditions. A student of the folk department at the time, Kimmo Pohjonen studied at Bagamoyo for a year, developing his skills in playing the mbira but also broadening his musical horizons. Tanzanian musicians and teachers of Bagamoyo have been visiting the department, teaching workshops, and one of them, Arnold Chiwalala has stayed long enough to enroll at the Sibelius Academy. He is currently about to finish his studies, graduating as Doctor of Music. In the process he has developed a new kantele style incorporating elements from both Finnish and Tanzanian cultures.
The latest international project of the department has been the development of a joint master degree programme together with KMH and Carl Nielsen Academy in Odense, Denmark. The Nordic Master in Folk Music programme aims to educate a small group of master students in a Nordic environment, focusing special attention to Nordic music and the music management skills, knowledge and networking that today's folk music professionals need in real life. The students work as an ensemble and the real innovation of the programme is that they spend half a year together in each country, getting the best from each school and developing as a group. The first priviledged studenst have started a year ago and are next heading towards an autumn in KMH, Stockholm.
The Nordic countries have always had a close relationship and not less so in music. The institutions involved in higher education in folk music have a decade ago established a network Nordtrad, which has served as an important meeting and discussion forum for both students and teachers, organising annual conferences and exchange.
The folk music department has also been actively engaged in the European Network of Traditional Music and Dance, with projects involving professionals and intitutions from different folk music oriented professions around the continent.
The curriculum
The basic Master degree curriculum stresses the studying of musical skills, but it is also possible to specialise in pedagogics or research at this point. The studies focus on both historical and contemporary folk music. The approaches are based on aural memory, improvisation, and exploring one's own, original musicianship.
Students can specialise in voice, kantele, accordion, violin, harmonica, harmonium, keyboards, guitar, mandolin, wind instruments, percussion instruments, double bass, or any separately approved instrument. A secondary instrument and singing tuition provide the students with multi-instrumental skills, and a large amount of ensemble playing is included in the studies. Other studies include folk music theory, composition and arranging, history and research, pedagogy, instrument construction, and folk dance, to mention but a few.
Publications, clubs and concerts
Every year the Department of Folk Music produces a number of CDs as well as teaching material and occasional multimedia publications. The Department and its people arrange some of the major folk music events in Helsinki area, including concerts, clubs and the annual Taiga Festival in April.
The department library contains a selection of Finnish and international literature, published recordings, record archives and video material. The department also has its own studio, some smaller recording and editing units, and a multimedia unit as well as other sound equipment. There is a collection of folk music instruments available as well as a workshop for building instruments. Otherwise, all the facilities and equipment provided by Sibelius Academy are available to the folk music student as well.
For more information on the Sibelius Academy:www.siba.fi/en/
More information on Finnish folk:
www.fimic.fi
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