Dumbed down and disappointing

If you have ever wondered why NZ is plummeting in the education ranks this may enlighten you a bit. I have now completed my first semester of Ara's Certificate in Music Level 4 but I will not be continuing.  That would be throwing good money after bad. They don't know how to teach (they are musicians, not trained teachers), how to organise and how to encourage keen learners. They are very good at walking away when regular problems arise and at supporting (by abrogating responsibility) bad behaviour and lack of student commitment. It seems ingrained into their culture and curriculum. Their marketing was misleading. I am not commenting on their degree course.

Did I learn anything? Very little. Fees-free provided by the taxpayer encourages those without talent or discipline to waste time and free money for a bit and then maybe the taxpayer will pay for them to go on the unemployment benefit. The 'me, me' generation is a horror to try to work with though there must be individuals amongst it that are productive citizens. This course boasted maybe two? The other three older students (including myself) suffered, but most particularly me, because I did not have the oppportunity to learn what I went there for and I saw through the whole thing.

 Most of the students on this programme should not be in tertiary education but it keeps them off the unemployment statistics for a few months. Some will fail yet have student debt to pay back but they just don't give a damn. Some of the tutors should not be responsible for certain courses because their idea of teaching is simply babysitting, at best. Serious content is just not there. I believe students who pass completed courses should be reimbursed by the government rather than throwing money away on the useless ones up front. That is simply an investment in failure and mediocrity. How about rewarding Kiwis who make a decent effort after they have proven their worth?

I was determined to finish the first semester but felt I should report my disappointment and despair somehow so I approached student services and student advocacy. Both, after reading my almost 6 page analysis, commented I should expect a refund.  I was eventually invited to an interview with management to discuss my concerns. They understood each point and wrote copious notes but at the end I was hearing corporate-speak and knew my cause was lost. I was the only one on the programme with sufficient relevant qualifications and experience to have realised what was going on there and to articulate it. 

They have refused to reimburse me despite a list of problems the length of your arm, which they acknowledge and say they will action (cue Tui Ad). On moral grounds they most definitely should have given me at least some money back but they have hidden behind a convenient condition which says reimbursements will only be given for students who withdraw within 2 weeks of starting a programme. No justice there.

As I did when I studied for my degree in communications and PR at MIT, I wanted to see how good I could be at each course in the programme. With the exception of one (theory) I was not given the chance. One course lacked content of any value. It was simply time-filling.  Another course, Performance, never delivered even the basics for me to learn band musicianship. They knew it too. They also told me that realistically nothing would improve for the rest of the year. I was told by two tutors that if I wasn't getting any satisfaction I should go elsewhere. Alas, there isn't anywhere better.

I didn't have a functioning band to learn from or to perform in for the first term and that situation continued into the second with a different mix of students of the 'me' generation. They couldn't be bothered making their studies a priority and their families didn't support them to have the right behaviour. Not only did they let themselves down but they ruined MY learning experience which I had paid for myself. There was absolutely no team commitment and they always got away with it.

The other band members often did not turn up for weeks or were very late, unprepared, wasting time on cellphones or teaching others in the group chords they should already know. Vocalists didn’t know the songs even when they actually chose them. I sat there with nothing to do while guitarists tried to borrow cables from tutors or restring guitars or try to work out how to tune their instruments. Heh??? They knew they are supposed to turn up in tune, warmed up and knowing the songs. This never happened. Each time there was band practice I turned up tuned and ready to go after at least 2-3 hours practice beforehand to warm up. I really don't think starting at 10am is too early for students to get up and be on time.

A very belated pep talk by the course coordinator had zero positive effect because there are no consequences for bad behaviour. Most of the time the tutors aren’t there to take the rolls near the start of practice, if at all. They were aware of my predicament.  Tutors told me that some years’ intakes are good or less good and that this year is bad. Why should that determine my learning experience? I pay the money and I don’t get fees-free, my application for a scholarship was declined and I don’t know why. Where was the value of this course? There was only one functioning band on the entire course. Unfortunately it wasn't mine and I wonder what I might have achieved if it had been. I seem to have passed all my courses but that's down to my own determinated efforts, no thanks to Ara.

I am happy to say that the music theory course is excellent. The tutor is kind, caring and uses good pedagogy. If you want extra help he gives it. There is plenty of good teaching in each lesson and he tries to make it fun which simply highlights the gulf between him and the other teachers/courses. In his course I exceeded the competencies I had when I was 15 and 'hummin.'

This blog could detail all the ways Ara disadvantages good students (5 pages worth) but it would get too lengthy and depressing. I feel utterly let down and at rather a loose end now with no structure to my days and limited opportunities to play in public. I have decided to take some private bass lessons with a reputable teacher who instinctively understands how to actually teach me bass. So refreshing, so I will do that until my limited money runs out. I'm getting out and about to open mics to meet musicians and support those folks who support my dreams. Currently I am hoping a rock band might invite me to join them on a regular basis in the near future. I'm willing to put the work in for them and am putting this sorry episode and disappointment behind me. I remain determined to succeed.