The Sound of the Republic: Musiki Muallim Mektebi (School of Music Education Teachers)

The Music Education Teacher School, present day the Ankara State Conservatory, was established in 1924 to educate music teachers for secondary schools by order of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who placed importance to the development of music and performing arts.

The school which formed the basis of the first conservatory of the Turkish Republic carried on its activities in a hotel. It was established under the Ministry of Education. This institute was made up of three adobe brick houses that belonged to a person called Şakir Efendi.

The incapacity of the school’s physical conditions had not been corresponding to the overwhelming attention to the school, in consequence, demolition of the previous structures and construction of a new building was decided. The construction of the new building of the Music Education Teachers School was completed between 1928 and 1929 which was designed by the Swiss Architect Ernest Arnold Egli.

Written applications

The letter of Sedat Sonat, written to apply to the opera department of the Theatre and Music Academy.

The letter of Şevki Hasırcı, written to apply to the theatre school.

The letter of Saadet, written to apply to the Music Education Teachers School

Establishment of a new institution, comprehensive of diverse musical types was intended for. Famous German composer Prof. Paul Hindemith made a survey in line with this purpose between 1935 and 1937, and it was decided that in the institution which would be established in consequence of this survey to consist of a school to educate teachers, a classical music education school, and a Drama School.

Students playing harp in the Music Education Teachers School

Students of the Music Education Teachers School in class

The German composer Paul Hindemith was administering the music classes.

Photograph of Remzi Ayhan who applied to the State Theatre.

Photograph of Seniha who applied to The Music Education Teachers School

The German actor Carl Ebert administered the drama classes.

Music Education Teachers Schools Education Department was combined with Gazi Secondary Teachers School and Education Institute in 1938-39 and its name was changed as Gazi Secondary Teacher and Education Institute Music Department.

The conservatory which consisted of music and performance (theatre, opera, ballet) departments, had two training programs delivering secondary and higher education degrees. The conservatory was developed more in 1950 as Yeşilköy Ballet School which was established in 1948 in Istanbul started delivering training programs as the department of Ankara State Conservatory. This department carried on its activities until the 1980s. In 1982 it was combined with Hacettepe University Fine Arts Faculty. Today the school is maintaining its activities as Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory.

The Ankara State Conservatory (Musiki Muallim Mektebi) Collection which is one of the digital collections of Koc University VEKAM, mainly consists of student application documents dated between 1934 and 1956. The applicants who want to enroll in the theatre, opera departments and students who desired to become music teachers expressed themselves through these corresponds, photographs and documents. These documents reflect the socio-economic state of the country as well as the education system between 1925 and 1956. The digitalization of the Ankara State Conservatory (Musiki Muallim Mektebi) Collection is an on-going process, constantly new materials are added, and the collection is developed.

Student Applications;

Tevfik Efendi’s son Sami Efendi’s candidate form

References

1. Gökyay, O. Ş. (1941). Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı Tarihçesi. Koç Üniversitesi VEKAM.
2. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı. (t.y.). Musiki Muallim Mektebi. http://www.konser.hacettepe.edu.tr/sayfa/hakkinda/tarihce
3. Halıcı, Ş. (2009). Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı’nın kuruluşu: Prof. Carl Ebert’in raporları. Koç Üniversitesi VEKAM.
4. Musiki Muallim Mektebi, Maarif Vekaleti, Gazi Eğitim Enstitüsü, fotoğrafları. Koç Üniversitesi VEKAM Arşivi.
5. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. (t.y.). Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı. http://www.meb.gov.tr/meb/hasanali/egitimekatkilari/devlet_konservatuvar.htm
6. Kaynar, H. (2013). Artisliğe fazla hevesim vardır…”: Musikî Muallim Mektebi’nin Evrak-ı Metruke’sinde saklı kalanlar”. Ankara Araştırmaları Dergisi, 1(2): 56-78. https://www.journalagent.com/jas/pdfs/JAS_1_2_56_78.pdf
7. Oktay, E. (2013). Atatürk müzik devriminin simge kurumu Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı. Koç Üniversitesi VEKAM.