Come join us at the Popakademie
What is Pop macht Schule?
The Popakademie Baden-Württemberg's "Pop macht Schule" support program has set itself the task of introducing pupils to the topic of pop music. The senses are sharpened at an early stage for the creative use of popular music - because making music together promotes creativity and one's own aesthetic judgment and teaches social skills such as teamwork, self-confidence, patience, respect and reliability.
The project takes place at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim. Every year in February, four schools have the opportunity to take part. They each come to the Popakademie for one morning (8.30 am to 12.30 pm) with up to 60 pupils and are coached by Popakademie students in various workshops. At the end of the morning, the students present their own small concert.
The Popakademie Baden-Württemberg's "Pop macht Schule" support program has set itself the task of introducing pupils to the topic of pop music. The senses are sharpened at an early stage for the creative use of popular music - because making music together promotes creativity and one's own aesthetic judgment and teaches social skills such as teamwork, self-confidence, patience, respect and reliability.
The project takes place at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim. Every year in February, four schools have the opportunity to take part. They each come to the Popakademie for one morning (8.30 am to 12.30 pm) with up to 60 pupils and are coached by Popakademie students in various workshops. At the end of the morning, the students present their own small concert.
Pop macht Schule 2026 will take place from February 23 to 27.
Application deadline: September 30, 2025Joint public final concert featuring all participating schools: Monday, April 20, 2026, 6 p.m. at the Capitol in Mannheim.
Which workshops are offered?
During the band workshops, students get to know the typical pop music instruments drums, electric guitar, electric bass and keyboard. They can also try out instruments from global music: Bağlama, oud, kanun and darbuka. Of course, they can also sing, write lyrics, make their own beats and produce songs. The coaching teams consist of students from the Pop Music Design and Global Music bachelor's degree programs.Want to join?
All types of schools are welcome, e.g. Grundschulen from grade 3, Realschulen, Werkrealschulen, Realschulen Plus, Gesamtschulen, Gemeinschaftsschulen, Sonderpädagogische Einrichtungen, Förderschulen from grade 5 and Gymnasien from the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. Each school should aim to organize school clubs in the areas of music, creativity and/or technology (school band, choir, computer club, etc.). Several classes and/or school bands should participate per school (approx. 50-60 pupils).Participation in Pop macht Schule is free of charge.Interested schools should contact Stefanie Bub by email at stefanie.bub@popakademie.de.Bitte by September 30. Please let us know why you want to participate in “Pop macht Schule,” whether your school has a band (and if so, how big it is and what instruments it plays), and anything else you would like to tell us about your school. You will be notified in the fall whether you have been accepted.Information on data protection:
For the application, we need the name and address of your school as well as the contact details of a contact person. The contact details of the contact person are used exclusively for correspondence with the Popakademie and are treated as personal protected data under the German DSGVO.
During the band workshops, students get to know the typical pop music instruments drums, electric guitar, electric bass and keyboard. They can also try out instruments from global music: Bağlama, oud, kanun and darbuka. Of course, they can also sing, write lyrics, make their own beats and produce songs. The coaching teams consist of students from the Pop Music Design and Global Music bachelor's degree programs.Want to join?
All types of schools are welcome, e.g. Grundschulen from grade 3, Realschulen, Werkrealschulen, Realschulen Plus, Gesamtschulen, Gemeinschaftsschulen, Sonderpädagogische Einrichtungen, Förderschulen from grade 5 and Gymnasien from the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. Each school should aim to organize school clubs in the areas of music, creativity and/or technology (school band, choir, computer club, etc.). Several classes and/or school bands should participate per school (approx. 50-60 pupils).Participation in Pop macht Schule is free of charge.Interested schools should contact Stefanie Bub by email at stefanie.bub@popakademie.de.Bitte by September 30. Please let us know why you want to participate in “Pop macht Schule,” whether your school has a band (and if so, how big it is and what instruments it plays), and anything else you would like to tell us about your school. You will be notified in the fall whether you have been accepted.Information on data protection:
For the application, we need the name and address of your school as well as the contact details of a contact person. The contact details of the contact person are used exclusively for correspondence with the Popakademie and are treated as personal protected data under the German DSGVO.
History & achievements
Since 2005, "Pop macht Schule" has been implemented as a very successful concept of cultural education in schools in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. In 2009, the project received the State Teaching Award in the Art and Music Colleges category from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. In 2010, it was honored as a "Selected Landmark" as part of the "Land of Ideas" campaign. "Pop macht Schule" was supported by BASF SE from 2005 to 2023.
Publications
The music education concept for "Pop macht Schule" is now the basis of various training courses for prospective teachers and can be found in
- Schwarz, Axel, and David-Emil Wickström. 2017. Artists to teachers – teachers to artists: providing a space for aesthetic experience at secondary schools through popular music. In The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education, edited by Gareth Dylan Smith, Zack Moir, Matt Brennan, Shara Rambarran, and Phil Kirkman, 217-30. London, New York: Routledge.
- Schwarz, Axel. 2015. Pop macht Schule - Neue Wege zur Vermittlung von Popmusik. Mainz: Schott.
