Just in: Barenboim pays for music in Berlin primary school
NewsThe 48th elementary school in Berlin’s Conrad-Blenkle-Straße has been earmarked for a new project by the Daniel Barenboim Foundation, offering each pupil 15 minutes of one-on-one instrumental tuition three times a week.
The project was launched today by the Berlin Senate for Education, the Barenboim Foundation, the Pankow district and the 48th elementary school. The concept, special staff training and start-up financing will be covered by the Daniel Barenboim Foundation for two years. After that, the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family will pick up the bill.
Daniel Barenboim said: ‘I am happy and proud of the start of the musical school, a pilot project that will hopefully find many imitators. I am deeply convinced that musical education is essential both for the individual development of people and for our society. The government subsidies for musical institutions in Germany are of course great, but music is neglected in today’s school education. It is just as important as mathematics or history. In our music kindergarten we show that early childhood musical education means that a large number of children will continue to occupy themselves with music in their lives. The musical school is a logistical continuation of this commitment and I am very much looking forward to the next few years.’
Sandra Scheeres, Senator for Education, Youth and Family: “I am very happy that the Daniel Barenboim Foundation is implementing the concept of the ‘musical school’ in a public school. I would like to thank Mr Barenboim very much for this initiative. The ‘Kornblumenklasse’ is the first class of the 48th elementary school in Pankow, which has already started piano lessons. With these piano lessons, the promotion of the musical side of all children begins. It is not about training future concert pianists. Rather, with learning an instrument, access to musical education should take place holistically. Music can inspire, make you happy or calm down, and it broadens the horizons of students. It is very important to Mr. Barenboim and me that this opportunity is offered to all students.’
Strictly speaking it’s the Barenboim Foundation paying for it (not Danny-boy himself)
Won’t do much to stem the flood of #metoo coming his way, nor to prop up the flagging myth that he’s a good person, but nice PR buy.
Let us just see how many contributors can find in their hearts[?]something negative, nasty or downright rude and offensive to say about Daniel Barenboim over this.
Well done. I hope they incorporate a longitudinal study of some kind to see what an impact that training will have on the kids over time. It might inspire other philanthropists and foundations to imitate this project.
Good of DB to put money on the table to promote music.
He will be 79 -shortly and never gives up!
Well done. I have learned piano in my childhood and I hated practice. It didn’t go anywhere and now I can’t even play a song on the piano without struggling reading score.
But that helped me to become a classical music fan, which enriches my life.
For some silly negative comments here: early music education is not at all about producing future instrument players. It’s about introducing music in people’s lives.
i spent a lot of money on music
lessons. i could never pick it up.
but it made me go to many concerts. and collect many records. which i still do.