Interview
3 questions @ Immanuel de Gilde on the further development of music education at Stegreif
Editor: What exactly is music education?
Immanuel de Gilde: That's a good question, but not an easy one to answer. First of all, I would say that music education is actually everything – that is, every form of musical performance and its reception. At Stegreif, this area is characterised by the fact that it is largely separate from classical concerts and guest performances. In concrete terms, this means that I deal a lot with workshop offerings, school concert formats, group coaching, but also with communication and presentation. Such processes always involve a little more effort because they are co-creative and more oriented towards the respective needs. Music education here perhaps describes a focus on the process alongside, with and around music. If you would like a more in-depth insight into the topic, feel free to listen to the podcast series “Changes – Future Skills for Musicians”: (German only)
R: How does Stegreif's music education work differ from other programmes?
I: First of all, I would like to emphasise that, in addition to Stegreif, there are a number of wonderful programmes that complement each other and compete to offer the best music education format. But what sets Stegreif apart, in my opinion, is its unique combination of decades of experience and flexibility in terms of content. This means that every workshop is new and reimagined. Of course, our improvisational experience is an advantage here, as is the fact that, although we have been drawing on classical music since our inception, we are also reinventing it for ourselves. This can be extremely contagious, which is essential in the field of music education.
R: What would you like to do with a workshop group?
I: Ooh... there's so much! I'd love to work really intensively with a group of children and young people over a long period of time, who may not have much previous musical experience, but are simply curious and enthusiastic. Together with them and many wonderful Stegreif musicians, we would then develop an entire evening programme that plays with the facets of the concert but rethinks them. Perhaps something we would never have come up with because we are too stuck in our structures. I find it super exciting to capture the entire process leading up to the result, and that's exactly what should be turned into a film that, in the best case scenario, makes music education a bit more tangible.
