It did not take long for ANU to find a music school head to replace Ken Lampl who announced he was stepping down a couple of weeks back – but then, the university did not have to look far. School associate professor Kim Cunio’s appointment was announced Friday.

Dr Cunio says he wants, “our music school to be beloved by both the university and the community. All of us, staff and students and friends, can all work together to imagine what music and music education will be for the next generation.”

CMM suspects what ANU wants is quiet. Mr Lampl was in the job for less than two years before deciding to continue at ANU but not as head of school. He arrived in February 2017, when the school had been without a permanent head since Peter Tregear left in August ’15. There had also been dispute often and on, mostly on, since 2012, when then VC Ian “the gent” Young decided cuts and teaching changes were needed to make the school financially stable. That controversy only ended when a report by Andrew Podger led to Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt committing $12.5m over five years.