At the New School Early Music Education Is Under Assault
by Gloria
For the longest time, I stayed out of this battle. I lost so much energy and sleep over the last 3 years trying to keep our Mannes Prep program alive, working countless extra hours to make sure our students continue to pay tuition and to make up for all the cuts the New School imposed on our program. I did it because I was hoping that better days were yet to come and that if we all stuck together, we could pull through everything together as a community. And I still believe that! But I ran out of steam. I hit too many walls, and I received no support whatsoever.
But the assault on the skills of pre-college music educators and the insulting demeanor with which we are being treated is a little too much. I am furious and not going down quietly. The New School is basically telling us — if you don’t want to work here, leave. Should we let them do this to our students? Treat our community like we are disposable? Disrespect our skills and humiliate us in front of our colleagues across the university? Force us to explain the basic principles of early music education because they are too ignorant to understand that professional music training begins at age 4? Corner us into a position of submission?
I had no idea that the New School was learning its tricks from Starbucks.
I have given Mannes Prep more than 7 years of my life. When I got on board, my biological kids were ages 8 and 6. I brought my musical kids to the program and kept recruiting new students through its ups and downs (mostly downs lately). I have worked there every Saturday, often for over 10 hours straight. I have given up attending my own kids’ recitals, soccer games, and other family activities in exchange for spending time with my musical family and community. Due to the intense Saturday schedule, I often was too exhausted to do anything with my family on Sundays. I have gladly given up my family time, I would have done even more because I love the school and its principles.
I loved every second of it!
I can speak for everyone on our faculty when I say that we have given our lives to this school. Gladly, willingly, passionately! Some of us have been there for 30–40 years. We all worked like crazy to help our community face tremendous challenges — pandemic, 5 interim directors in 3 years, program cuts, you name it. We were there for each other. And we are ready and eager to do it again and again because we are Mannes Prep, we love our students, and we are a robust community of educators.
Today is the deadline the New School administration gave its 1,600 striking part-time faculty to accept an insulting contract proposal, which it called its “last, best, and final” offer. It gave its faculty an ultimatum — take it or leave it and decide by noon today, November 22.
The proposal includes a 7 percent raise in the first year and a 2.5 percent raise in each of the next four years. After not seeing a wage increase in four years, professors will receive an annual wage increase of only 1.8 percent. With inflation currently running at 6 percent, this would be a sharp cut in real wages.
The New School offered no compensation for out-of-class hours, including advising students and preparing classes. The New School’s health care proposals include cutting the Mannes School of Music faculty teaching private lessons from participation in a medical plan. Other workers will have to pay premiums that could rise as much as 10 percent each year, along with other out-of-pocket expenses that can be unilaterally raised by the university at any time. The New School will also retain the power to terminate workers after they have taught nine semesters.
This is one of the worst things that I have experienced in my life. It’s deeply personal for all of us.
What are we going to do about it?
VOTE IT DOWN!