The children used to be home for lunch and have time for their hobbies in the afternoon. Today, many children stay in day care centers and schools until late afternoon. So the Max Bruch Music School comes to them. For example in the forest kindergarten – and 28 other institutions.
Barbara Ruthmann holds up a chestnut: “Look, they’re wrinkled this year.” A child from the forest kindergarten replies promptly: “That is definitely a grandma’s chestnut.”
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This creativity and imagination of the children inspires the music school teacher even after 30 years of professional life at the city’s Max Bruch music school. There she mainly teaches children between one and six years of age. For over 15 years she has been campaigning for the music school to come to the city’s day-care centers and schools.
The first cooperation came about after a musical training course for day-care center employees. Kindergarten teachers approached Barbara Ruthmann and asked whether it was possible for the music school to go to kindergarten.
“The will was there immediately,” reports Barbara Ruthmann, “and so everyone sat down at a table and we discussed how it could work.” The aim from the start was that all children in a daycare center benefit from this offer and that Girls and boys also benefit from this outside of the one music lesson, which is why the teachers take part in the lessons.
“Especially the children, who may not be confronted with music at home, literally soak up everything and enthusiastically join in. It’s always nice to see how the children benefit from each other, ”says the mother of two.
15 partnerships with daycare centers and schools
This first collaboration has meanwhile resulted in a total of 15 collaborations, ranging from small parenting initiatives such as the “Mole” in Refrath to large daycare centers such as Kradepohl in Gronau.
Mira Bormann, director of the Kradepohl day care center, sees the project as a real enrichment: “Children experience the music lessons with a lot of fun and enjoyment and carry what they learn throughout the facility. By singing the songs and learning the lyrics, the children gain new self-confidence in the field of language development. “
facts and figures
15 partnerships with day-care centers
7 partnerships with primary schools
7 partnerships with secondary schools
In total, well over 500 children in Bergisch Gladbach attend cooperative courses at the music school in elementary and primary schools.
—Every cooperation is different – just like every kindergarten is different. Sometimes it’s the daycare centers that approach the music school, sometimes the parents ask. “At the beginning of every collaboration, however, there is a long conversation in which it is clarified what is desired and what the music school can offer,” says Barbara Ruthmann, who is now the coordinator for collaborations at the music school.
All of this is made possible by sponsors such as Brigitte and Prof. Dr. Reiner Müller-Peddinghaus Foundation, the Lions Club Bergisch Gladbach and various support associations.
There are numerous collaborations with schools so that older children can also benefit from the music on offer. “It is important to us that we as a music school reach as many children as possible,” says Agnes Pohl-Gratkowski, acting director of the music school.
Diverse offer in schools
The cooperation ranges from instrumental lessons on site directly after school through offers in the afternoon care to lessons during school time. An example of the latter is JeKits – a cultural education program financed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia that is currently taking place at the elementary schools in Moitzfeld and Kippekausen.
Currently, the children of these schools are getting one more hour of music lessons in the second grade and can then choose an instrument they want to learn in the third grade. The general conditions will change somewhat from autumn 2022, when the program begins in the first grade and from the second up to and including the fourth school year the children can choose their instrument.
Loan instrument for the home
Cello, guitar, piano or keyboard – whatever they choose, the children can borrow an instrument to take home. And in addition to taking instrumental lessons, they make music every week in the large JeKits orchestra of the respective school.
The director of GGS Kippekausen Sonja Frohleiks says to JeKits: “It is good when something other than school takes place in school – a real enrichment.” She reports that the children always look forward to the orchestra in particular.
“The cooperation with the elementary school in Moitzfeld has been going on for the longest time,” reports Agnes Pohl-Gratkowski. “Of the 23 third graders who decided to learn an instrument as part of JeKits last year, 18 continue to take instrument lessons in fourth grade even after the project has ended. We try to make this possible for them on site at the school. ”
JetKits orchestra makes music fun
Despite the corona pandemic, a total of 49 children have registered for the instrumental phase in the JeKits for the coming autumn. She also attributes this success to the new approach that is practiced at JeKits. “In the past you had to learn an instrument for four or five years before you could join an orchestra,” she recalls.
“Today the main focus is that the children enjoy making music together. If they are motivated by this, at some point they will also want to acquire more difficult playing techniques. ”
“The pandemic year was not always easy for us,” says Barbara Ruthmann. “Some collaborations had to pause in phases, others were able to be continued very creatively through various online formats in the form of live connections and hands-on videos. Unfortunately, some collaborations did not survive this turbulent year. But new ones have been added. ”
The most recent cooperation is with the Herkenrath grammar school. Since this school year, the music school has been offering lessons for fifth graders on site, which are financially supported by the school. The school hopes that this will bring new talent to its in-house ensembles such as the big band and the orchestra.
The children as well as the schools and the music school benefit from the numerous collaborations. Have you also been interested in a cooperation? Then please contact Barbara Ruthmann at 02204 – 984894.
