Musaik Dresden

Musaik is a social music project for children from different social and cultural backgrounds.

Why a social music project in Dresden?

Learning the piano, trumpet or clarinet at music school, testing one's singing talent in a choir, performing with a big band at events in Germany and abroad - these are the dreams of many a child in Germany. After all, the social inequality of our education system continues in the field of music. Whether young people can make music depends crucially on the education and income of their parents.

That is why music educators Luise Börner and Deborah Oehler initiated the social music project "Musaik - Grenzenlos musizieren e.V." in Dresden. The Cellex Foundation helped set up the project together with the association from 2017 to 2019. Since then, the foundation has been advising the association, supporting it in the acquisition of funding and making its network available.

The project

In 2017, Societaetstheater Dresden and Neighborhood Management Prohlis initiated the long-term art and culture project "ZU HAUSE in Prohlis" at KIEZ, a space in the Prohlis shopping center. There, Musaik offered free instrumental lessons and orchestra opportunities three times a week. After a short time, they reached 25 young musicians from different nations. At Christmas 2017, the first public concert was given.

A unique musical education project blossomed in Dresden - valuable both for the children, parents, participants in Dresden-Prohlis and for the city of Dresden, which quickly recognized the potential of the young ladies and the idea. In 2019 and 2020 concerts followed at the International Weeks against Racism, at the Hygiene Museum with the Philharmoniker e.V., at the Festspielhaus Hellerau with the Dresden Symphony Orchestra and concerts in Prohlis and the surrounding area.

The association in the Dresden district now offers free music lessons several times a week for about 100 children and young people - especially from low-income families - and thus offers a chance to participate in a musical community and promotes social connectedness.

Targets

  • Musaik offers free, intensive musical education to children from different social and cultural backgrounds.
  • Musaik trains creativity, creative processes, self-confidence, patience and perseverance with group lessons and ensemble playing.
  • Musaik promotes social skills such as teamwork, frustration management, responsibility and communication skills.
  • Musaik thus opens up new perspectives for children and promotes social and cultural participation.
  • Musaik uses music as a medium to help shape social change.

More information about the project and the performances can be found here.