Feds inject $7.5 million into Royal Conservatory to further world-domination plans

Thanks to some help from the federal government, thousands of young’uns from across the U.S. will soon be able to participate in the parental disputes over practising and pre-exam anxiety that are an essential part of a musical education with the Royal Conservatory of Music (okay, there’s also the joy of making music). Yesterday, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced that the feds would fork over $7.5 million to help the RCM export its curriculum and assessment regime around the world (the program started last year in a joint initiative with Carnegie Hall, which has already ensnared 6,000 students in exams). Canada’s centralized music exam service has always struck us as one of those “socialist” concepts that could never take off in the States. But then again, you can’t really argue with a list of alumni that includes Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson and, um, David Foster. [Toronto Star]