The EAMT Development Plan states that improving the working environment for researchers shall be set as one of the objectives related to the development of RDA. At the moment there are major shortcomings in the infrastructure for both research and creative activity. There is severe lack of office space at EAMT. Most of the researchers, including the heads of the departments, have to share an office with several colleagues. There are not many quiet study places in the Library either. Although the EAMT main building is relatively new and the building of the Drama School was renovated recently, the infrastructure for artistic activity is also lacking at the moment: most of EAMT concerts take place in a chamber hall with a maximum of 100 seats. EAMT is obliged to rent other venues for larger projects, which is very expensive. Theatre productions can be produced in cooperation with professional theatres, which, while good on one hand, sets many limits on the artistic activity of the Drama School.
The situation will improve considerably after the enlargement of EAMT with the building of a new wing with additional 6000 m2, which will include:
Concert Hall with 500 seats;
Black-Box with about 130 seats;
new recording room and multimedia studio;
offices for research-oriented academic staff (280 m2);
21 rehearsal and practice rooms.
The outlook for building this extension is excellent – in June 2016 the government approved the assignment of 4 million EUR from the EU structural funds. A further 5 million EUR will be allocated from the investment funds of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. The construction work will start in 2017.
Among important investments in the infrastructure in the last five years, the modernising of the research tools and equipment of the electronic music studio through the EU structural funds should be mentioned anew. The development of the studio is important both from a research perspective and in terms of artistic activity. In 2015 a significant investment in musical instruments took place, thanks to the special funding from MER (EUR 800,000). This investment enabled the Academy to buy new grand pianos for the Chamber Hall and several classrooms, to renew the percussion class and to create suitable conditions for early music studies.
STRENGTHS:
EAMT has a long-standing and well developed support system for artistic activity, associated mainly with the Concert and Performance Centre. Formation of the Research Committee and the position of a research secretary should also improve the support system for research activity.
EAMT Library supports equally well both the artistic and research activity. Thanks to special funding from the research budget its collection and electronic resources have considerably expanded.
The students and academic staff benefit significantly from the active participation of EAMT in many international networks and cooperation projects, focusing both on artistic and research activity.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
Financing of RDA activity should be increased. Joint efforts of the EAMT management, individual researchers and leaders of artistic projects are needed to achieve improvement in this area.
Stronger cooperation between institutions within Estonia is necessary. A network of performing arts among Estonian universities should support joint artistic activities of students. EAMT researchers should strengthen their contacts with colleagues from other institutions and build up joint research groups. In the field of musicology CEES provides a good platform for this.
Building a new hall complex next to the present main building of EAMT will require a lot of attention in the coming years. Completion of the hall complex will create a set of completely new opportunities for the development of music and theatre education in Estonia, which should be used to maximise the positive impact for the quality of education, as well as artistic and research work.
