For the second year in a row, Cambrian College is suspending its intake of first-year students into its music performance program due to low registration numbers.
Only 10 students had registered to enter the program’s first year in the fall of 2021.
After suspending the intake of first-year students to the music performance program last fall, the college did a revamp of the three-year program to try to attract more students.
Unfortunately, those efforts have not met with success. A spokesperson for Cambrian said only four students have confirmed they wish to attend the college’s music performance program in the fall of 2022.
At least 34 students are needed to begin a new three-year cycle of the program.
“At this point, all it means is September’s intake is suspended,” said the spokesperson. “We’ll have to assess the program again after that.”
Laurentian University cut its music program in 2021 as part of its insolvency restructuring, leaving Cambrian as the only post-secondary school in Sudbury still offering music.
The only other post-secondary music option in Northern Ontario besides Cambrian is Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie.
Cambrian College’s music students are speaking out against intake to the program being suspended for the second year in a row.
That includes Ro Mullen, who’s in her final semester of Cambrian’s music performance program, specializing in bass and viola.
She said she entered the program as a mature student, and originally wanted to study vocal performance, but couldn’t continue in that specialization due to surgery she’d had.
“The faculty were amazing in helping me navigate that, trying to get through to something that I could do,” Mullen said.
Now that she’s close to graduation, Mullen, who has a background in social services, said she’d like to use her musical skills to help others, perhaps by giving lessons to underprivileged kids or sharing music with those at the end of life.
As for Cambrian’s decision to suspend the intake of first-year students once again, Mullen said she wishes they’d give it a bit more time.
“Music students really run to the beat of their own drum,” she said. “We’re notoriously late for everything and we’re notoriously slow … To suspend applications in February is absolutely ridiculous.”
A joint email sent out by Cambrian’s past and present music students said they wished to express their “animosity” at the college’s decision.
“Despite what college officials have said, we believe the college is attempting to terminate our program entirely,” said the email.
“We believe that the college will attempt to give false information in statements they release to push a narrative that our program is not desirable or wanted by incoming students.
“We, as students, know that this is not even close to being true. We understand that enrollment has taken a downward trend but that has only been since COVID-19 has been a factor. Our program had, in fact, been on an upswing trend prior to the pandemic.”
The statement said the students have seen the effects the music community has suffered with the recent loss of Laurentian University's Faculty of Music.
“Losing Cambrian’s music program would surely kill many music events and feeder programs in Greater Sudbury,” the statement goes on to say.
“Unfortunately, our world-class faculty, who also run these events and programs, will have to relocate if they lose their jobs at Cambrian. This would be a devastating loss as our professors are some of the most accomplished and dedicated musicians we have ever met.”
