The emphasis of the Fort Hare music programs of the 1970s and 1980s was on Western music. It was only in 1998 that Dave Dargie introduced an innovative African syllabus – one that reflected the cultural background of the students and their specific, practical way of learning – by integrating traditional African music which was collected in the field and added to course content. At that time most of the students came from rural schools and hardly had any formal music training before registering at the university. The new BMus degree program, which was introduced in 2012 in East London, still follows Dave Dargie’s most fundamental ideas, namely: practical approaches and compulsory components of African music. Yet the needs, the demographic composition, and the schooling background of the student body at the department have changed since then, bringing new expectations and challenges with reference to the entrance level and career wishes of students, but also new opportunities for a young society.