Prof. Carmelo Giudice

Ministerial Decree of Appointment

Curriculum Vitae and Remuneration

European Perspective 2020 - Programme Guidelines for the Development of the Conservatory

The completion of the process that led to the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in 2010 in compliance with Act 508, 21 December, 1999, which transformed Music Institutes into university level higher education establishments, placed the Italian conservatories within a highly competitive European context to which the country of Italy will have to respond in a way that is both convinced and convincing of the requirements put forward in 2011 by the European Commission, which in its strategic plan “Europe 2020”, laid down the guidelines for the  internationalisation  and modernization of all higher education institutions and also announced the destination of budgetary funds aimed at Universities and Research Institutes that are to finance  specific European projects for the period 2014/2020.

In order to face the challenge posed by Europe 2020 Il Conservatorio Bellini of  Catania will use all of its energies to bring to fruition a project of  development and modernization over the course of the 2014/2020 timeframe in accordance with the principles outlined in the five key points outlined in European Commission document. Our highest priority is to equip our graduates with the most important skills they will need to face the challenge of inserting themselves into the international job market. Putting this principle into action involves: a deep reflection upon the contents of the university level course curriculum offered to students; a capacity to develop new and modern  training programmes; an ability to adapt the teaching and training in each of the curricular disciplines that will arise from a close attention to what is required within a continually evolving  world of work within the field of  music; a capacity to self-evaluate the quality of proposed learning programmes; and, finally, a capacity to objectively evaluate  the results achieved by each student, in line with European standards. 

In the light of these considerations it is therefore necessary to implement a monitoring scheme for the existing three year academic degree programmes (for which, upon successful completion, a Bachelor's degree is awarded), and, where necessary, modernise and restructure the curricular contents, stimulate the interconnection between the various disciplines, and logistically organise the lessons, allowing the students a comfortable timetable and adequate time to devote to individual study.  It is also necessary to provide a thorough restructuring of the curriculum for the two-year academic degree (Master's degree), both in terms of identifying new and modern curricula that meet the specialized needs of the international labor market in music, and in terms of deepening and improving the quality of the content of the individual disciplines in the knowledge that student involvement is essential in the practice of live music (whether this involves live performance or high quality recording). In addition, forms of collaboration with other institutions belonging to the EHEA will be stepped up, as will the students' choice to include in its curriculum a period of study in another European musical establishment, which will be facilitated and encouraged as much as possible.

The conservatory will also focus a great deal of its attention on the quality of its Foundation in Music Training programme for those students who show great musical talent at an early age and who wish to dedicate themselves to the professional study of music as early as possible. The Bellini has therefore implemented  a development and restructuring plan for this high quality programme for students who are simultaneously attending middle or high school, fostering their growth through the provision of the highest quality provision possible in musical education. This programme is designed to provide the best training background in order to access the university level courses offered by the Institute, whether in terms of ear training, instrument training, theoretical, historical and analytical instruction. 

Today, the composition of the student body has reached a rational and sustainable programme objective: 70% of students enrolled at higher education academic level, and 30% of students attending the "nursery" pre-academic music courses. 

The recent transformation of  the Istituto Bellini from a music high school to a university level institute of musical studies has called for the establishment of a development project which also demonstrates a considerable awareness of competence and responsibility within the cultural sphere. In this regard, the City of Catania has all the potential to be able to establish close cooperation between the institutions of higher education and artistic training institutions, in order to create a centre of excellence which operates in the arts and performs a function of promotion of specialized projects which may involve the entire area of south-east Sicily. 

In addition, alongside its institutional role as a provider of higher education with music for professional purposes, the Bellini has the fundamental task being a central hub for the promotion of musical culture at basic and intermediate level instruction within the area. With this commitment in mind, partnership agreements are already in place or being established with organizations and institutions with the aim of creating a network of operators whose goal is to set in motion a virtuous cycle of development and dissemination of training and quality music production in the belief that music is a language that should become part of the core assets of the individual and the citizen from an early age, and that the widespread dissemination of musical culture corresponds to a fundamental evolution of society itself.