Short History
The Association of Finnish Music Schools, which serves both as a link between the communities which maintain music schools and as a protector of the music schools' interests, was founded in 1956 by a group of thirteen music schools. In the words of the minutes of the founding meeting, "music school activity requires close cooperation; the internal operations and teaching methods of the individual schools are quite diverse. It is the task of the Association to make the work of the music schools more uniform and better organised."
The original responsibilities of the Association, namely the promotion of music education at national level and the strengthening of cooperation between music schools, remain to this day the Association's main task, even as the services offered by the Association have expanded and diversified greatly since those early days.
Immediately after its establishment in 1956, the Association of Finnish Music Schools (SML) tried to stir up debate about the need for separate legislation concerning music school activity. The process took over ten years and involved continuous discussions with the Ministry of Education and MPs as well. At the end of the 60's the struggle at last came to a happy end, and in the beginning of 1969 Finland instituted legislation on state aid for music schools.
The separate legislation not only strengthened the financial stability of the music schools, but had a strong influence on almost all activities, including the competence of teachers. At first state aid was very modest and given to only nine music schools in different parts of Finland. Today, state aid covers about 49% of costs, and there are 89 music schools enjoying this valuable support. Conservatoires, being institutes of professional training, receive higher state aid through a different sector of education.
The music schools provide 43 000 hours of instruction per week and the Finnish Government funds basic training in music with a total of 46 million €. The state grants cover 49 %, local government payments 34% and tuition fees 17 % of the annual expenditure of music schools.
Finland has had a comprehensive law concerning basic education in the arts since 1992. Since January 1, 1999, music schools, too, have been covered by this law.
During the last 30 years, the Finnish people (about 5 million in all) have raised the quality of their musical life to a level which enjoys international respect. All types of musical activity have benefited from this development. The positive effects are also reflected on the public schools and high schools, if not directly, at least indirectly.
This rise in artistic and technical standards is mostly the result of three different factors: separate legislation for music schools, state aid, and the existence of a cohesive network of music schools adhering to nationwide curriculum standards and the diploma course system.
