Fall Welcome from Dean Hisama
To the Faculty of Music Community:
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto Faculty of Music operates.
For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit.
Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.
I’m thrilled to be able to welcome all of you to the Fall 2021 term at the Faculty of Music. I am honoured to serve as your new Dean. Now in my fourth month in Canada, I’m discovering the delights of living in Toronto and of working at this university.
As we stand together at the start of the new year, I would like to direct our collective gaze to the horizon of possibility and hope which will shape our work.
I would like to acknowledge everyone who made it possible for us to be together at the Faculty of Music – families, friends, and teachers. Let us always remember the ancestors, the Indigenous people who were here long before us and are still here, the many people who contributed their work and toil who are often invisible and unacknowledged.
Many in our community have experienced huge challenges over the past year and a half, experiencing illness first-hand or that of family, friends, and loved ones; mental health issues; financial worries and pressures; and much more. I deeply admire your decision to be here. The world needs musicians, artists, composers, scholars, and teachers of music more than ever.
There is much work to do. My next message (please see below) will directly address actions we are taking towards equity, respect, caring, inclusion, and belonging at the Faculty of Music, including formation of a new Faculty of Music Task Force on Equity and Belonging that will work in partnership with the Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Committee (ARAO) in its second year on activities such as creating a set of guidelines about faculty and student interaction.
At the entrance of EJB, there is now a print titled Enchanted Owl (1960) by the Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013). I hope you will take inspiration from her work and vision.
In closing, I offer my sincere thanks to the dedicated staff that has been working around the clock so that we could reopen; the talented faculty who make up the Faculty of Music; and the students for their dedication to the art of music and to this University as we grow together, stepping towards the horizon of possibility and hope.
Warmly,
Ellie M. Hisama
Dean, Faculty of Music
Professor of Music
University of Toronto
____________________
September 15, 2021
Dear Members of the Faculty of Music community,
In a series of listening sessions held this summer, I have spoken with more than 70 students, staff, and faculty. You have made abundantly clear your dedication to the Faculty of Music and your commitment to its renewal and success.
In my July 15, 2021 message to our community, I announced that I had commissioned a Climate and Culture Review of the Faculty of Music. This assessment is designed to examine issues of climate and culture, leadership, departmental morale, and the extent to which our working and learning environment reflects our shared values of inclusiveness, belonging, and respectfulness. My decision to undertake this review is based on our shared commitments to a positive and supportive environment that provides the conditions necessary for us to work and learn together successfully.
I write to provide two important updates.
Climate and Culture Review
First, I am pleased to announce that the Faculty has retained the services of Rubin Thomlinson LLP, an independent third-party law firm, to conduct the Climate and Culture Review, which will start on September 23.
Elizabeth Bingham of Rubin Thomlinson will lead the process with assistance from her colleagues, all of whom have extensive experience conducting similar reviews in public and private sector organizations and workplace settings, including within the University of Toronto. As part of the assessment process, she and her colleagues will be reaching out to undergraduate and graduate students, alumni who have recently graduated, staff, sessional instructors, librarians, and faculty (tenure-stream and teaching-stream, CLTAs, part-time appointments, and UTSC faculty with graduate appointments at the Faculty of Music). The review will include a survey and one-on-one interviews to gather information about our teaching, learning and working environments.
The survey and interview process will provide an opportunity for you to communicate directly with the reviewers, and a way for them to learn directly about the experiences and observations of members of the Faculty.
The reviewers will analyze the information obtained with the aim of identifying overall themes, including an understanding of what is working well, possible root causes of any workplace and learning environment issues, and their impact. They will also provide expert advice and guidance on the options that are available to the leadership of the Faculty to improve relationships, manage issues, and improve the climate and culture of the Faculty. We have advised representatives from CUPE 3902 and USW, and UTFA of this assessment and its purpose.
The review process will include:
- An online survey available to students, alumni, faculty, and staff, asking them to share their experiences at the Faculty of Music.
- A dedicated, confidential email address and an invitation from the external reviewers to students, alumni, faculty, and staff to share their experiences or request a one-on-one interview.
- One-on-one interviews with a cross-section of students, alumni who have recently graduated, faculty, librarians and staff members, as well as interviews with key stakeholders, including members of the Faculty’s Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Committee, the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association, Music Graduate Students' Association, the Faculty of Music Anti-Racism Alliance, and representatives from CUPE 3902, USW, and UTFA.
- At the end of the review process, Rubin Thomlinson will issue a report of their findings and recommendations from the information gathered, including from the survey process and interviews. To the extent possible, I will provide a summary of the findings and recommendations from the report to our community.
Your full participation, openness, and candour will help to ensure that the review is fair, robust, and thorough. All communications will be directly with the reviewers and her team and will be kept confidential. Information that you provide to the review team will not be specifically attributable to you in any report nor will they provide any direct, attributable information to the University. Any interviews conducted will be for the purposes of obtaining perspectives from our entire community and will not be of a disciplinary nature. We believe that this confidentiality is vital to ensure that our entire community is comfortable participating in the review.
Any staff wishing to have union representatives, or any faculty member or librarian wishing to have an UTFA representative or another support person present during interviews is welcome to arrange this. During the interviews, an audio recording and notes will be used to document the provided information. The review team will not submit the recording or interview notes to the University. The only exception to this confidentiality is if there is a disclosure of potential risk of physical harm to individuals (either self or others), threats or risk of violence and/or the disclosure of a potential criminal act.
You will receive further details before the launch of the Climate and Culture Review directly from Rubin Thomlinson.
Director, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Second, I would like to affirm that the Faculty is proceeding this fall with a search for a dedicated Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and we will be working with Amorell Saunders N’Daw, Partner and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead at Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette (KBRS). This critical addition to our team will be responsible for working collaboratively with academic, administrative, and student leaders to develop and implement initiatives aimed at advancing equity, diversity and inclusion within the learning and working environments across the Faculty of Music. The position will be posted in the coming days, and I encourage you to share this important opportunity with your networks.
During the Fall 2021 term, Heather Hines, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Vice-President and Principal at the University of Toronto Mississauga, will provide administrative support to the Faculty of Music. She will assist us with the Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Committee and with the external climate and culture review, among other responsibilities.
I commit to ensuring that we have in place a positive Faculty culture that contributes to a healthy and safe learning and working environment. I ask for your full participation in this review and beyond as we work together towards constructive change, healing, and renewal for our community. Thank you in advance for your patience with this process – meaningful change will not happen instantly, but it is my strong belief that this review marks the beginning of a new era for the Faculty of Music.
Yours in community,
Ellie M. Hisama
Dean, Faculty of Music
Professor of Music
University of Toronto
TORONTO
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TORONTO MUSIC
Home to Canada's largest number of musicians and venues, Toronto is a creative and business hub for music in Canada.
While in Toronto, plan on attending a performance of the Canadian Opera Company or the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Check out Toronto Life and Toronto (the official website of Tourism Toronto) for current shows, concerts and events.
There's music around every corner.
OUR U of T
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U of T is a leader in research and teaching, an intellectual environment unmatched in depth and breadth.
We live here.
U of T MUSIC
The Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto brings together creative and motivated students with outstanding educators. With extensive curricula in fields such as classical and jazz performance, music education, composition, music history, music theory, and ethnomusicology, the Faculty of Music also offers courses that explore music’s intersections with health sciences, technology, and humanities.
Our commitment to artistic and academic achievement, the vast possibilities of the University of Toronto campus, and the vibrant and diverse cultural life of Toronto provide an exciting and inspiring learning environment.
HEAR
Our season is well underway and there is so much to choose from.
Visit our online calendar often for concerts and events and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exciting premieres, livestreams and performances from our archives.