Capturing the stories behind 100 years of Music at Otago

What was it like to study music at Otago? How has music teaching evolved over the decades? And what relationships, experiences and innovations have shaped this programme?

Ka mua, ka muri: 100 years of Music at the University of Otago, a new book edited by Honorary Senior Lecturer Dr Ian Chapman, answers those questions through the voices of staff and students of music at Otago. The book is in honour of the Music programme’s centenary this year.

The whakatauakī or proverb in the book’s title ‘Ka mua, ka muri’ translates to ‘walking backwards into the future’. To do this, Ian has compiled a collection of personal reflections from almost 90 current and former students and staff, creating what he describes as a "horse's mouth" account of music at Otago.

"It's much more a collection of personal reflections than an institutional history. People speak candidly about what it was and is like to study or teach music at Otago."

The project took two years to complete and draws on material from Uare Taoka o Hākena - Hocken Collections alongside recollections and personal archives from the Otago music community.

As editor and coordinator, Ian spent much of his time tracking down contributors through former colleagues, alumni networks, social media and personal contacts, “and then being a sheepdog, continually nipping at their heels until they delivered the goods”.

One story that particularly captured his attention was the creation of Otago's Contemporary Music degree, sometimes known in its early years as the "Rock Degree".

Having joined the University's teaching staff to help deliver the programme, Ian was fascinated by former Head of Department Emeritus Professor John Drummond's account of how the degree came into existence.

"At the time it was revolutionary," Ian says.

"It was the only degree of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. I'd completed my own music degree only five years earlier when it was 99 per cent classical music, so I was very struck by the rapidity of change and the foresight behind it."

The book also traces the origins of the Music programme at Otago. Music teaching began with a bequest from local music enthusiast, former miner and seed merchant John Blair, whose bequest funded the University's first music lecturer, Professor Victor Galway.

"It all grew from there," Ian says.

For Ian, the project has also been a chance to reflect on his own long association with the University.

He studied for his undergraduate music degree between 1990 and 1995 before joining the academic staff as an assistant lecturer in 2002 and remained on staff until the end of 2023.

While teaching, he completed both a Master's degree and PhD part-time, with both theses focusing on musician David Bowie. Many people will know Ian’s Bowie-inspired glam-rock alter-ego, Dr Glam, now retired he occasionally reappears for special occasions.

Ian continues to hold an honorary position and remains connected to the Music programme.

"What I value most in the University music community is the ongoing quest to explore and question from both students and staff, the camaraderie, and the research facilities," he says.

Ian has since turned his attention to a new project, having been commissioned by the Regent Theatre to write a book marking its upcoming centenary. He continues to perform occasionally as a musician, contributes a regular music segment on Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon, and undertakes guest speaking engagements on a range of topics.

Ian acknowledges the support of several colleagues who helped bring the book to life, including friends and former colleagues Emeritus Professors Anthony Ritchie and Peter Adams, who were “invaluable unofficial sounding boards throughout the project”. Alumni Relations Advisor Lizzy Lukeman is another, "Lizzy has been a great and very patient ally in the typesetting and layout of the book, going above and beyond."

This book was published with the support of the Development and Alumni Relations Office.