Save Our Conservatory

The health of a community cannot be measured only by productivity. "There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts. The age of Pericles was also the age of Phidias. The age of Lorenzo de Medici was also the age of Leonardo da Vinci, the age of Elizabeth also the age of Shakespeare, and the new frontier for which i campaign in public life, can also be a new frontier for American art." JFK, Letter to Miss Theodate Johnson, Publisher, Musical America, September 13, 1960 "This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor." JFK, State of the Union Message, January 14, 1963

MRU’s Conservatory/Academy program has been a large part of building Calgary’s vibrant music community. As the parent of two daughters who took part in these programs, I can testify to the importance the Conservatory played in developing their ability to play music at an advanced level. They grew up participating in high-level musical training, complete with small and large group and orchestra experiences. Losing the Conservatory would be a huge blow to the city and to the children who grow up here. Mr. Kadz and Mr. Van der Sloot were instrumental in creating the internationally-renowned reputation of this program. It would be devastating to see an institution that has produced so many world-class musicians go down the drain in the name of corporate development. Please protect this one-of-a-kind Conservatory program.

Please reconsider your position on these terminations you have your reputation as a board and individuals to uphold. Thankyou

On a number of its website pages, MRU extols the virtues of the Conservatory: “This (the Conservatory) world-class performance and teaching facility serves tens of thousands of Calgarians each year...” “The MRU Conservatory has played a pivotal role in Calgary’s performing arts scene since 1911...” “The Mount Royal Conservatory is famous for its high quality music and speech arts instruction...” “Mount Royal University also serves its communities by providing...through its internationally recognized conservatory, music instruction particularly for younger people.” “With this new space, the Conservatory can teach more than 6,000 students, making sure there is another century of teaching excellence.” MRU president Dr. David Docherty speaking at the opening of the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts. The many comments already made here bear testament to these accolades. However, measures such as those implemented last week seem deliberately designed to cripple the Conservatory. One can only conclude that those responsible for recent decisions are 1) ignorant of the Conservatory’s importance at civic, provincial, national and international levels 2) incognizant of how arts-based schools function and/or 3) oblivious to what MRU says on its own website. How is preventing John Kadz from teaching, and Bill van der Sloot from administering the Academy programme, supposed to help perpetuate the Conservatory’s ‘teaching excellence’? How did the Conservatory become ‘internationally recognized” in the first place, if not by the dedication, passion and expertise of its instructors and own administrators? I find it very disturbing that MRU has taken measures to ‘punish’ two employees—strong Conservatory advocates who have protested vociferously actions that undermine years of careful planning and hard work.

As a Calgarian and Conservatory alumnus, I have long valued the important role the Conservatory plays in this city and the nation. There is no other institution to fill this role in the city. It has earned and deserves continued support. a

Save the conservatory. Don't fire them

I am concerned that the latest terminations of John Kadz and Bill van der Sloot will further compromise the Conservatory's status as a credible educational institution of excellence. Is this move motivated by a wish to dissolve the Conservatory entirely? I hope NOT and appeal to the Board of Governors to immediately rectify this problem by reinstating Mr. John Kadz and Mr. Bill van der Sloot to their posiitions.

John Kadz is my team teaching partner. To lose the ability to work together is disastrous for our students and me. Together we are and together we will stay.

The Conservatory is an educational and cultural gem that needs to be preserved for future generations. Surely the city that just opened the National Music Centre can sustain this wonderful institution too!

I'm concerned that some of the best teachers that have been teaching for so long have been let go and for what reason? Unfortunately this action has now lowered the standard of the mount royal conservatory by a lot and students are not getting the best.

Academy program alumnus. What happened??

If MRU can get away with this the conservatory is going to turn into a shell of itself. If there are people making decisions like this that are in charge we're looking at the end of a school with any integrity

This is awful. This is more than the teachers. If this isn't solved I worry for the arts in the west as a whole

Music students pick the teacher not the university. The conservatory seemed to realize this. The administration at mru don't know what they're doing

part of a balanced society is having Arts built into our educational facilities and into our lives. It makes no sense to terminate people of this calibre. Please reinstate these renowned gentlemen.

The arts have done far more to determine the culture of any nation than has any other field of study. Failure to support the arts represents a failure to acknowledge the dignity of peoples and cultures.

I very much disagree with these decisions and urge that Bill van der Sloot and John Kadz be reinstated.

Closing this conservatory will result in an artistic and cultural talent drain to other cities across Canada and North America. Please don't let this happen.

Killing this iternationally famous program is insane.

Save our conservatory !