Strategic Plan

Crescendo 2026

VISION AND PLAN FOUNDATIONAL PRINICPLES

As a unique community, we inspire excellence, nurture curiosity, and educate adaptable musicians, poised to realize their full potential, and contribute to a better society.

  1. Ongoing collaborative, cross-departmental/interdisciplinary conversations and consultation - the ongoing revisiting and reassessment of our aspirational priorities through faculty governance mechanisms based on contextual circumstances.
    2. To use this three-year plan submission and amalgamated priorities as a starting point and guiding reference for strategic directions, asks, investments, and fundraising priorities
    3. Assure alignment of Crescendo 2026 with Western 150 priorities.

 

OVERARCHING QUESTIONS AND GOALS

Story: What is the story we want to tell? How can we tell it louder and better, what differentiates us from our peer music programs, why should students care about and come to the Don Wright Faculty of Music and Western?

Educational Narrative: What is our educational narrative? How can we best serve and prepare our students for musical life in the post-pandemic era?

Capacity: Maintain and strategically augment our future budgetary, curricular, operational, and infrastructure capacities

Operational Excellence: Uphold the highest possible standards of operational excellence, stewardship, integrity, and efficiency in our processes, governance, and communication.

 

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND LEARNING COMPETENCIES

In keeping with our vision and overarching goals, Crescendo 2026 focuses on five overall themes, which center on the central learning outcomes and core curricular competencies that our graduates should exhibit as adaptable musicians and Western ambassadors:

 

1. Research/teaching excellence:

  • Musical/academic/research excellence
  • Engaged, deep learning for students
  • Expansion of interdisciplinary programs and opportunities for students
  • Faculty/staff support and investment for teaching and research excellence

 

2. Community engagement/relevance to community

  • Leverage CLEE (Don Wright Faculty of Music Community Leadership, Engagement and Entrepreneurship Laboratory) to further strengthen community involvement and partnerships
  • Formalize targeted partnerships with Aeolian Theatre, London Symphonia, and Boys and Girls Club of London through Solomon/Lent fellowship and SPF 
  • Documenting, telling, and publicizing the story of the many ways we currently engage our external and internal constituencies

 

3. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization

  • To foster further awareness of and competency in diverse musical styles and cultures
  • Targeted hires of new faculty and staff
  • Pilot newer EDI-D and accessibility curricular offerings and programs
  • Expand diversity of performance repertoire and programming
  • Guest lectures and commemorative musical events
  • Training sessions and modules (implicit bias, GBSV, etc.)

 

4. Technology

  • Student and faculty training and engagement in social media, motion media, and digital recording platforms
  • Appropriately resourced expansion of livestreaming and web presence internationally
  • Targeted infrastructure investment (e.g. – smart classrooms, updated streaming and recording technology, automated streaming/recording, virtual international auditions

 

5. Student career readiness (curricular relevance)

  • Transitional courses and career coaching/advising
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Career readiness networking events, seminars with guests
  • Explicit linkages with experiential career readiness opportunities internally and externally
  • London’s recent designation as Canada’s first UNESCO city of music will create a landscape rich in collaborative possibilities to help our students experientially achieve 21st century music industry related competencies.