PETITION ABOUT THE GRADING OBJECTIVITY OF PRINS CLAUS CONSERVATORIUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Sandra Lenarsic and I would like to tell what I have seen, heard and witnessed at Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands.

The event that made me write this, in short took place on the 8th of June when my boyfriend- Sandi Stor, a trumpet player from Slovenia, had his final exam. I know that he spent those 4 years working extremely hard, and every day filled with long hours of practice; he participated in and out of university music related activities, eagerly attended various workshops and most of all always had a good grade during his study and the professors were always happy with his work. The final exam concert that he made impressed everyone with an excellent musical vibe and an interesting story line that resulted in a standing ovation. However, the grade he got of 7,5 is not satisfactory and humiliating. The professors knew him very well and they know that his scholarship clauses state that if he is not able to get grade higher than 8, he needs to return the money. Before the public announcement, the professor told him that the grade is just a number and it means nothing. However, the grade doesn’t make sense because the audience was happy, the fellow musicians gave their honest opinion and Sandi felt good about his performance. And yes, the grade means a lot to these musicians and has a grave impact upon their future career opportunities.

To shorten, the grading of professors of Prins Claus Conservatorium (Hanzehogeschool Groningen) is not objective, It is rather humiliating and unprofessional. In my opinion, many students who study at the Prins Claus Conservatorium can confirm and relate to this experience. After such a grade, many good musicians who had the potential in him/herself could no longer develop and quit their career precisely for this reason. The students have listened to strict criticism of the commission, which even included some students being told to sell their instrument because this person shouldn’t expect a music career.

Sign the petition if you or someone you know had to go through this unfair grading system. There should be a change such as having all of the exams recorded, more external graders and more objective grading guests. Finally the system should be more transparent in terms of expectations and the system of grading.

I believe that if all the students of Prins Claus Conservatorium unite, there will be a change for good!