The Bardic Collegium is part of the Valdemaran integrated Collegia system housed in the Palace Complex in Haven.
To qualify to attend the Bardic Collegium, a student must have two of the three Gifts: Bardic Gift (emotional influence over the audience), Talent (performance), or Creativity (the ability to compose music).[1]
The Bardic Collegium predates the Heralds' Collegium. Initially, Herald-Trainees might attend the Bardic school for some formal classes in subjects such as history, but the Bards and their students remained the primary focus.
When training Heralds changed from apprenticeship to classroom education during the reign of King Kiril, the Bardic school served as the model for the new Heraldic training program.
In Vanyel's time, the Bardic Collegium was "a square fieldstone structure." It was three stories tall: the ground floor was classrooms, the second was the instructors' rooms, and the third was for apprentices and journeymen.[2] Vanyel's History classroom was hardly bigger than his bedroom; he was disappointed by the "scuffed floor, dusty furnishings, and faded paint."[1] It is no wonder that they insisted on a new building when King Kiril built the Heralds' Collegium.[3]
In present-day Valdemar, the integrated Collegia system functions seamlessly. Beginning Bardic students attend joint classes in the Heralds' Collegium, alongside unaffiliated students as well as those from all the collegia. The Bardic Collegium itself comprises dormitories, faculty offices, soundproofed practice rooms and performance spaces, large and small.
Staffing[]
The Bardic Collegium has a dean who oversees the curriculum, and disciplines Bardic-trainees as needed. Some of the shared classes are taught by Master Bards, as are all of the courses that are exclusive to Bardic students: such as instrument, voice and performance classes. The Trainees are taught drama and acting as part of the curriculum.[4] Trainees study Bardic history and music composed by previous bards.[5] They learn to perform noted pieces as well as to compose their own. The Bardic Circle is hosted here.
Uniforms[]
The students at each collegium wear uniforms, which are color-coded to their school. Each is a pale or subdued version of the uniforms worn by the graduates. In the case of Bardic-trainees, the uniforms are a rust color, a subdued version of Bardic Scarlet.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Magic's Pawn, chapter 4
- ↑ Magic's Price, Chapter 2
- ↑ Foundation, Collegium Chronicles, volume 1
- ↑ Exile's Valor, Chapter 5
- ↑ Wil and Lelia Miniseries