Singing from the deepest soul

Passionata - Music lessons make the difference

During a choir rehearsal, I once again watched Tim* singing with confidence and in the most beautiful tones. If someone were to ask me why we have a choir at the school, I would say: «Sit down and watch a child for an hour, for example Tim.»

Tim is not the boy who immediately stands out. He doesn't come forward to sing a solo, he's not out to get attention. He is in the front row, but at the very back. For the most part, the children are allowed to choose their own place.

Tim doesn't stand out. But once you have him in your sights, it's almost impossible to look away.

Tim is a safe bet musically and organisationally. He sings with presence, never misses a rehearsal and remembers instructions. When we leaders can't remember whether we started the movement with the right or left in a choreography last term, Tim is one of the children whose answer you can rely on. Tim doesn't stand out. But once you set your eyes on him, it's almost impossible to look away. He radiates a connection with the music and also with the group.

Good music lessons are a matter of luck

I teach the subject of basic musical education, MGA for short, at primary school on behalf of the Music School of the City of Zurich. The MGA lasts two years. From the third year onwards, we music teachers are no longer allowed to teach classes, only primary school teachers. But some of them don't know how to make music with groups. This is because music didactics can be opted out of at many teacher training colleges. In the end, it is a matter of luck whether a child receives music lessons at primary school, as required by the curriculum.

Our Holderbach school tries to make up for this shortcoming with musical programmes. With the choir, my colleague Valérie Spreng and I have created an oasis that is very popular. Valérie is also an MGA teacher. Thanks to the choir, saying goodbye to our children after the second grade is no longer so tearful, because after the summer holidays, the newly graduated third graders can continue to come to us voluntarily and stay until the end of primary school.

Music finds its way

The Holderbach choir sings at a very high level. The children have already trained their hearing and their voices in the MGA and can memorise melodies at lightning speed. They come up with their own ideas for movements or the structure of the songs.

They get involved in experiments, screech like monkeys and parrots for a jungle sound or imitate a thunderstorm. Our young singers have a flair for quality and they enjoy the music. On Monday afternoons, children and adults alike stand in front of the window when the sound comes from the singing hall.

What is the value of school education and a later career if children do not learn how to live?

Making music means being aware of yourself as a person. On the one hand, this happens physically through breathing, posture and movement. The music also finds its way deep into the soul. I teach the subject, not because I expect the children to make music for the rest of their lives. Nor do we offer the choir so that the children can enjoy a moment of fun or light-heartedness. These are all side effects.

Making music is about recognising beauty, experiencing passion, feeling gentleness and approaching the unfathomable. What is the value of school education and a later career if children do not learn how to live?

A rucksack full of problems

Tim is not a self-confident child outside the choir, doesn't fit in easily and carries a rucksack of problems with him. When I told him after the rehearsal that I had listened to his voice and was really impressed by how great he sang, he said: «Shall I tell you a secret? It's not me who sings so well. I'm just copying. I listen to a lot of songs and copy the musicians.»

I corrected him: «No Tim, that's you. That's your voice. Listening to other musicians is called inspiration, imitating them means practising. Because you experience beauty in the process. What I hear when you sing is one hundred per cent Tim. Your body, your soul and your clever mind.» We both had tears in our eyes after the conversation.

*Thenames of the children have been changed by the editors.