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that demands on them are often excessive.
They are also justly proud to be
professional and flexible enough to meet
internal and external demands. Since
their duties are varied and wide-ranging,
there is never any danger of getting
bored by a daily routine. Being in contact
with different groups of people such
as musicians, pupils, teachers, stage directors,
local politicians, civil servants
and cultural workers, constantly opens
up new perspectives and makes them experts
in dealing with a variety of lifestyles
and attitudes.
Most interviewees realise that developing
and planning new concepts needs
to be based on solid organisational knowhow.
They are aware that organisational
structure is a framework that influences
major parameters of a project’s artistic
content. In this context, interviewees deplore
the under-staffing of many music
education departments. In most cases,
the department consists of only one person.
Where departments consist of more
than one person, 7 of the 40 interviewees
say that the departmental workload is
shared between small teams. In German
speaking countries, such teams consist of
a maximum of 1.5 full time equivalents.
In Anglo-American institutions, music
education departments are usually bigger
and consist of up to 7 members of staff.
All interviewees cherish the artistic
and conceptual freedom they have when
planning and creating their projects. Frequently,
they are involved in the entire
process from the very first idea up to the
actual workshop or concert. Often, they
can decide for themselves if they want to
be on stage as presenters or if they prefer
to stay in the background to pull all ‘dramaturgical’
strings.
Motivation
Personal experiences such as watching
happy children run and play around in a
concert hall or seeing ‘a shine in a child’s
eyes’, are often what gives meaning to
the everyday work of our interviewees.
According to them, emotional moments
are more important than even the most
frenetic applause after a concert. Education
managers rarely target large groups
of people: ‘When I go into a concert with
a class of 13 to 15 year olds, they often
grumble. But if one of them says: “This
is it, now I get it”, then I feel like a winner.’
The interviewees are conscious of the
fact that although they reach out to a
large number of people, what they offer
in their role as educators is temporary
and sometimes can only properly reach
particular individuals.
It is remarkable how often we heard
that the work itself is fun. Despite education
managers being overworked lone
fighters with low budgets, they gain a lot
of positive energy from their work environment.
The positive reactions of children
and adolescents, a sense of achievement
during a project or exchanging
ideas with like-minded people are all
sources of job satisfaction.
Most interviewees consider themselves
key players when it comes to introducing
children and adolescents to
classical and modern music. They use
different methods and communication
strategies to spark an interest and maybe
even a passion for music. One commented
for example: ‘The question I was
interested in from the very moment I
started my career was: “What is the relationship
between a piece of music and
the person who listens to it?” This is my
main interest.’
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On their quest, our interviewees are predominantly
influenced by their personal
attitudes and backgrounds. Most often,
they are open-minded and think in an
interdisciplinary way. Last but not least,
one of their main motivators is a deep
love for music.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCERT HALLS AND
ORCHESTRAS
What music education work of orchestras
and concert organisers is regarded as of
high quality depends primarily on the
local cultural tradition, which is why we
selected a higher percentage of interviewees
from German speaking countries.
When choosing candidates from Germany,
Austria and Switzerland, we took
into account the different orchestral
landscapes in each country: therefore,
the sample contains a relatively high
number of orchestras from Germany.
Wherever possible, preference was given
to ensembles of modern music.
Furthermore, we included ensembles
from France, England, USA and Luxemburg.
A representative selection of European
concert organisers (Spain, Portugal,
Luxemburg, Germany, Austria et al.) was
also asked to introduce their music education
work.
The beginning of music education work
in orchestras and concert halls
Music education was not invented recently.
In Europe, concerts put on especially
for children and adolescents have
been part of cultural life since World War
II. In the USA, orchestras started planning
these types of concert the moment
they were founded.