Music Education

"Young and Old United" is the motto of the intergenerational project "Generation POP: YOU - Young and Old United". Students of the Johannes-Kepler-Gemeinschaftsschule in Mannheim rehearse their own songs once a week together with the senior band (F)Altenrock from Mannheim as part of a working group. The songs are written by the members of the unusual band themselves. They address all possible areas of their respective lives.

The project aims to use music to promote understanding between young and old and to sensitise them to each other's living conditions. In group work all participants create something new with which both generations can identify. Generation POP thus makes a valuable contribution to generational understanding. This is also effectively presented to the public through numerous concerts. For example, they performed at the district festival GO WEST in the Lutherkirche in Neckarstadt-West and on the cultural stage of the neighbourhood festival "Der Busch spielt" in Jungbusch.

As part of the cultural agent programme, pupils from four classes in grade 8 from the Tulla Realschule were able to become active in pop music and write their own lyrics, get to know pop music instruments and try out modern software for music production. The foundation of the creative work, and thus the design of the lyrics, was the interpretation of paintings by the artist Edward Hopper. The participants were to interpret their thoughts and feelings about these works of art and translate them into lyrics in the creative process.
The four classes were divided into two groups. While one group dedicated themselves to writing and singing song lyrics, the other laid the musical foundation as a band or producer. Under the guidance of lecturers from the Popakademie, three songs were created, rehearsed and presented live at the end of the project.

Background
Cultural Agents for Creative Schools Baden-Württemberg is a Landesvereinigung Kulturelle Jugendbildung Baden-Württemberg eV prroject funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Baden-Württemberg, MUTIK gGmbH, the Federal Cultural Foundation and the Stiftung Mercator as well as the cities of Baden Baden, Freiburg, Göppingen, Heidenheim, Heilbronn, Constance, Mannheim, Pforzheim, Schwäbisch Gmünd and Ulm.

During the 2017/18 school year, the Popakademie realized the project InterSchool - Integration, Intercultural Music and School.

At five primary schools in Mannheim, pupils in 3rd and 4th grade were approached in the form of clubs and challenged to become musically active. As part of the integration project, graduates of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, in cooperation with professional guidance from teachers, implemented the measures. To strengthen professionalism within the schools, further training on the subject of practice-oriented songwriting was also offered at the Popakademie for the participating teachers.

On 22 June 2018, the final concert of the project took place at the Mannheim Technoseum.

The aim of the project was to strengthen young students in the city of Mannheim with pop and world music influences through a musical programme. The playful study of the German language through music served as a motivating factor.

The participating elementary schools and their sponsoring clubs were:

• Neckarschule – Lions Club Mannheim
• Bertha-Hirsch-Schule – Lions Club Mannheim Rhein-Neckar
• Friedrich-Ebert-Schule – Lions Club Mannheim Rosengarten
• Vogelstangschule – Lions Club Mannheim Quadrate
• Humboldt-Grundschule – Lions Club Mannheim Schloss

The project was realized through the financial support of the Lions Clubs e.V. Humanitarian Relief Organization as part of the 100th Anniversary of the Lions Club International.

No one finds it easy to leave home. But the migrant people who come to Germany with their abilities and talents are an enrichment for society and make an intercultural exchange possible. They create the basis for encounters and dialogue.

By financing the Art Innovation Fund of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg and cooperating with the Department of Labour and Social Affairs of the City of Mannheim, the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg was able to realise the INTERMUSIK project.

The project offered fugitives in the LEA - Landeserstaufnahmeeinrichtung, Industriestraße/ Pyramidenstraße Mannheim a space to merge the music of their homeland with the local music culture. Musical abilities were promoted and competences were discovered which were further developed on the basis of the culture of origin.

The residents of the LEA were able to take part in weekly music workshops and make music. The workshops were free of charge and open to interested people aged 18 and over. The professional guidance of the workshops was provided by alumni and students of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg.

In the multi-generation pop music pilot project "Komponiere Deinen Neckarsong", around 30 senior citizens, with the help of students from the Popakademie, expressed their love for Mannheim in the specially written and composed song Neckarsong and successfully presented it to audiences on stage at the Popakademie. The subsequent financial donation through the Fuchs-Petrolub-Förderpreis enabled the project to be continued over a period of one year in a continuous setting.

At the multi-generation home in Mannheim, seniors work together with students of the Popakademie to develop their own pop music lyrics and compositions and repeatedly work towards a concert setting. The participants over the age of 60 determine the underlying topics themselves. In their texts, they express the inner voice of a generation and show their view of life.

Shortly after the start of the project in 2012, the participants founded the band (F)Altenrock. In addition to singing as a pop choir, the group also plays several instruments. Several public appearances have already been made through the regular weekly rehearsals, for example at the New Year's Reception of the City of Mannheim in January 2014. In the near future, further appearances and studio work are planned at the Popakademie.

The integration of music in one's private life promotes the ability to perceive and express, creativity, social behaviour and the ability to concentrate. Thus, pop music is a suitable instrument for seniors to help keep themselves physically and mentally fit. As part of the workshops, students and senior citizens expand their mutual experience and deepen their understanding of each other's needs. The workshops thus make a valuable contribution to intergenerational understanding.

In addition, employees of the multi-generation home and social health professionals participate in qualification measures in the field of cultural education. These measures are carried out by master students of the Department of Popular Music.

The teaching has been funded since 2014 by the Innovation Fund Art of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts MWK.

Are you interested in a weekend or vacation workshop in your school, community or organisation?

In addition to in-house workshops and continuing education offerings, the Popakademie offers the chance to carry out projects and workshops for pupils from the 5th grade on. During half- or full-day coaching sessions, pupils will write their own song lyrics with our coaches, play in a bad or create their own interpretations of favourite pop songs. More musical contents can be adapted to the individual needs of the group.

These workshops allow children and youth to approach the basics of rhythm through body percussion. They can try out instruments like the electric guitar, electric bass, drums or keyboard, work on a self-written song as part of a band or choir, and perform it.

We will advise you regarding organisation, planning and conception of your workshop.

Pop music is an important component of modern, cultural education - the integration of music during the school day promotes abilities of perception and expression, creativity, language development, social behaviour, teamwork, and concentration. The foundations for future academic and professional success are already being laid in childhood. The Popakademie offers half- or full-day workshops for teachers and educators.

The following modules can be chosen within the coaching sessions and workshops. The choice of topic, for example Songwriting, will be adapted to the participant group and their professional backgrounds.

• Body percussion/ Warm-up
• Band coaching
• Songwriting/ Singing
• Singalong/ A-cappella
• Recording songs

Team building builds trust, increases personal competence and opens up new paths of communication in a playful way. Music reinforces the feeling of belonging, promotes reciprocal listening and helps people to value different qualities.

Experience how making music together strengthens your team and supports creative thinking and action. The Popakademie is your competent partner for musical workshops and coaching sessions with team-building character.