James Morrison Academy of Music to close as Mount Gambier tertiary institution reborn as “pop up academy”

The James Morrison Academy at Mount Gambier has played its final tune, with the world-renowned musician announcing he’s taking jazz education on the road.

The final curtain has fallen on the James Morrison Academy of Music as a tertiary institution with the world-renowned musician announcing a change of tune for the jazz school.

Head of the school, James Morrison, has unveiled plans to take the Mount Gambier-based education facility on the road as a “pop up academy”.

The call comes after University of South Australia parted ways with the academy in February with Mr Morrison announcing there would be no new student intake for 2021.

At the academy’s valediction award ceremony on Thursday, he said there was “no workable way” to continue offering a bachelor degree after the fallout of the pandemic forced UniSA to cut third-party programs like JMA.

“They have borne a lot of the brunt of the fallout of students not being able to come from overseas,” Mr Morrison said.

Instead, he announced the academy would “pivot” to continue educating the next generation while honouring the legacy of another jazz legend.

On Friday he said the “pop up academy” would run short courses in regions and schools identified with the “greatest need” to help create opportunities for further musical experience and education.

“Young people who would otherwise not have the opportunity can experience this music,” Mr Morrison said.

“My lifelong friend and mentor Don Burrows spent much of his career teaching, and in particular, he had a passion for bringing music to the disadvantaged.

“It may be a week in the outback, it may be a day in the inner city, and it may be on the other side of the world.

“We want to take that logo ‘James Morrison Academy, Mount Gambier, South Australia’ around the country and even around the world.”

JMA launched in Mount Gambier in 2015 and Mr Morrison said it would remain heavily connected to the city.

“It is early days yet for details of what can happen in Mount Gambier but we will have some announcements in the coming months with more specifics,” he said.

“At this stage we can say that one of the plans is to have intensive training sessions for not only students but also for teachers.

James Morrison, head of school at the James Morrison Academy of Music.

“Seven years ago we started the academy here in Mount Gambier and it was an adventure, a journey, we had no idea where it would lead or how it would work.

“We just knew what we wanted to do and that was to share this love and passion for this music and any knowledge we could with a future generation of musicians.

“I believe that’s what we’ve done.”

Mount Gambier Council chief executive Sarah Philpott said the council was looking forward to a continued relationship with the academy.

Earlier this year a UniSA spokesperson confirmed the three-year Bachelor of Music program and one-year diploma and honours courses offered at the Mount Gambier campus were being “phased out” with all enrolled students to complete their studies in 2021.

On Friday, a spokesperson confirmed the university would continue to offer a general performing arts major within its arts degree.