Mount Royal University conservatory students hit the picket line on Thursday to get two popular teachers reinstated after one was let go and the other was demoted a few weeks ago.
Just before the start of the school year, students were told that cellist John Kadz was let go and Program Manager Bill van der Sloot was demoted.
Dean Charles Webber told CTV News that the cuts were for economic reasons adding that the program was going in a different direction.
The students are hoping their outcry will be heard by MRUs president and that they will be able to meet with the school’s president, board chair or dean, but so far have heard nothing.
The budding musicians argued that the conservatory is independently funded and they want proof of the monetary issues.
They are also hoping to get their teachers back and say many students come from all over the world to train with them.
“John Kadz as a teacher and administrator, Bill van der Sloot, as a teacher and an administrator, are two of the last faculty that still understand the inner workings of the conservatory. The Mount Royal University Conservatory is world renowned across Asia, Europe, Australia, the States and Canada. We have a summer program called Morningside Music Bridge that pulls in students from all of those countries and continents and the success of that program as well as the conservatory at large, that being the advanced performance program, that being the academy programs have been because of these two teachers,” said student Andrew Taisoon Park.
Dean Webber told CTV that he respects the students right to protest but a tight financial situation has left them to make these tough choices.
**The original version of this online story incorrectly referred to John Kadz as John Katz**
