Music at University of Quebec/Université du Québec

Music at University of Quebec/Université du Québec

University of Quebec/Université du Québec. Network of higher education and research establishments, created by an act of the Quebec National Assembly 18 Dec 1968. It includes four constituent universities: Montreal, Trois-Rivières (each with a Module de musique), Chicoutimi, and Rimouski. The U du Québec is a self-governing public body administered by a board of directors, as are its component members. The traditional faculties have been replaced by a two-tier structure: departments that include the teachers and the various courses, and modules designed for the students. Under the authority of a dean, the modules are grouped according to field of study, discipline, or objective. Programs are offered at the levels of bachelor, master, and doctor in all the major fields of study except medicine and in some quite new areas. More than half the students are adults taking advanced, evening, or retraining courses.

Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

University which serves metropolitan Montreal and defines itself as 'public, urban and ''québécoise''.' Its originality lies chiefly in its programs in communications, jurisprudence, urban studies, management and environmental studies. It opened in 1969 in buildings that had housed the Collège Ste-Marie and the École normale Jacques-Cartier. A new campus in the heart of the city was inaugurated in 1979. In 1990-1 UQAM had about 37,000 full- or part-time students and 2000 teachers in some 20 buildings.

UQAM had a service contract 1969-76 with the École normale de musique; in 1976 the latter was integrated as the Module de musique and moved into a part of the third floor of the Palais du Commerce on Berri St. In 1990-1, 300 students were enrolled. Marcelle Corneille set up the module and directed it from 1969 to 1978, introducing many up-to-date teaching methods. She was succeeded in turn by Hélène Paul 1978-82 and Thérèse Boucher 1982-7, succeeded by André Lamarche in 1987. The regroupement musique (music planning) which became a department in 1985, has been directed by Louis Cyr 1976-8 and 1982-4, Jean-Marc Tousignant 1978-9, Marcelle Corneille 1979-80, Jacques Hétu 1980-2 and 1986-8, Pierre Jasmin 1984-6 and Guy Vanasse from 1988.

A baccalauréat with specialization in music education was granted, along with an official teaching certificate, 1969-78. The title of the degree was changed to baccalauréat with specialization in music (B SP MUS) in 1978, though the program remained the same. The B MUS, initiated in 1969, offered four options: performance, music education, theory, and musicology; a fifth, music therapy for schools, was introduced in 1975. In 1985 the B MUS was restricted to three options: group teaching, performance, and music therapy. Popular music was added as a new option in 1990, as was musicology in 1991. Among the teachers are Colette Boky and Joseph Rouleau (voice), who also are responsible for the Atelier d'opéra founded in 1980, Alvaro Pierri (guitar), Nicole Beaudry (ethnomusicology), Miklós Takács (choral conducting and musical pedagogy), Alain Trudel (trombone), and Anne Lauber (orchestration).

A laboratory of 15 electric pianos was installed for a group keyboard introductory course. Keyboard harmony is also taught there. The library in 1989-90 contained about 27,718 books and scores, the record library close to 15,839 sound documents (LPs, CDs, cassettes, etc). Added to these is the collection of 12, 880 CBC tapes entrusted to UQAM. The Concerts Musiqam have provided public performance opportunities for the Module de musique students. A 800-seat concert hall and new quarters were under construction in 1991.

The Petit Ensemble vocal of the UQAM Module de musique, a 30-to-40-voice mixed choir recruited from among the students, succeeded the Ensemble vocal of the École normale de musique. Formed and directed by Miklos Takács, it made its debut in 1973 and has performed regularly on the CBC program 'A cappella.' In 1974 the ensemble gave eight concerts in Poland on a cultural exchange with the University of Lublin Folk Dance Ensemble. In June 1975 it placed first in the national finals of the Canadian Music Competitions and made the LP Suavi Cantu (MS-11403-11404). In 1976 it performed in the BBC radio competition 'Let the Peoples Sing'. In 1977 Takacs established a second choral group, the UQAM Choir, made up of about 40 voices and open to the entire university. This choir, made up of more than 300 members, replaced the Petit Ensemble vocal, and has presented major works from the vocal repertoire. It has performed an average of four concerts each year. It made two tours, in Europe and in the USA. In 1989 the choir performed Verdi's Requiem at the Salzburg Cathedral, and in 1991 Kodály's Psalmus Hungaricus at Carnegie Hall in New York.

A preparatory music school was sanctioned 26 Jun 1978 by UQAM's board of directors. It originated in 1976, under the direction of Sister Marcelle Corneille, with the conservatory operations of the École normale de musique and was designed to offer a graded pre-college, pre-university program of theoretical and practical courses, with examinations and diplomas. Certificates of equivalence were initiated for successfully completed refresher courses at college level. Classes at the preparatory school were designed to accommodate both young and adult students, and teachers and trainees alike were intended to evaluate the effectuality of the program through sustained observation. Among the teaching methods encouraged by the school and advocated by the Module de musique are Corneloup, Dalcroze, Kodály, Martenot, and Orff. For the 1990-1 school year the UQAM preparatory music school had an enrolment of about 300 students. Private teachers have been affiliated to the school and in 1984 private institutions and vocational public music schools of certain school boards were added. In 1990-1, the Preparatory School evaluated more than 1700 students attending their official programs, thus encouraging a consistent level for all grades.

Université du Québec à Trois-rivieres (UQTR)

Founded in 1969 in the heart of the Bois-Francs and the Mauricie region, and deeply rooted in the community, this university's enrolment had reached some 11,000 by the 1990-1 academic year. In addition to its 15 departments, UQTR set up a leisure study centre offering a program in recreational science unique in Quebec universities. It also initiated a summer course in French for Canadian and US English-speaking students.

The music section was opened in 1969 as part of the department of plastic arts and modern languages. Jean Chatillon served 1969-74 as its first head and was succeeded by Lorraine Casaubon. Jacques Larocque was director of the Module de musique 1971-90 and was succeeded by Dorvalino De Melo in 1990. The module was located 1971-4 in the Antonio-Thompson building and later moved to the Michel-Sarrazin building, where the Rodolphe-Mathieu concert hall was set up in 1979-80. The available music degree is a B MUS in music education.

Some 75 students attended the Module de musique in 1990, under Lorraine Casaubon (solfège, ear training), Jacques Lacombe (theory), Michel Dussault (piano), Jacques Larocque (saxophone), and Dorvalino De Melo (teaching methods), among others.

Many instructional texts have been published by music teachers of UQTR: theory texts and compositions by Chatillon, a dozen books on dictation and solfège by Lorraine Casaubon, transcriptions and arrangements for saxophone quartet by Jacques Larocque. Two LPs produced by UQTR were issued on the L'Oiseau-Coeur label (see M. Daveluy and M. Dussault).

The Souper-Concerts Prestige series, organized by Lorraine Casaubon, began its 10th season in 1991. The Académie de musique of the UQTR was set up in 1987 to supervise the exams of pupils studying privately in the region. Céline Dussault has conducted the UQTR vocal ensemble, Jacques Lacombe the instrumental ensemble, and Dorvalino De Melo the jazz ensemble.