ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins, nature, and purpose of the Conservatoire de musique marocaine, founded by French settlers in 1930 as a “laboratory for Moroccan music.” Its overarching agenda was to teach and revitalize the Arabo-Andalousian tradition, part of the “cultural protection” movement in the French empire. Thanks to newly discovered local archives of colonial administrator Prosper Ricard and the publications of its first director Alexis Chottin, we can investigate how the Conservatoire took shape and functioned, its teachers hired, and the diversity of Moroccan students admitted. As in the decorative arts, where Ricard preferred “indirect supervision” of artisans, management was minimal, both Ricard and Chottin were committed to “no interference” in the teaching, and Moroccan instructors practiced their own pedagogy in fulfillment of the curriculum, with special importance given to singing and improvisation. Dissemination of teachers’ and students’ work in concerts, especially on Radio-Maroc, research collaborations resulting in publications, and regional partners in Fez, Meknes, and Marrakech were also important in its success. Still functioning today, the keys to the CMM’s longevity were exchange, shared responsibilities, and co-production of knowledge and musical experiences.
