This is how lessons at Tölz music schools run during the pandemic

With the start of school, music lessons in the various facilities began again.

The demand is great everywhere.

Organizationally, there were a few things to clarify for the teachers.

Bad Tölz / Lenggries / Reichersbeuern

- During the Corona lockdown phase in spring, many music students were taught via the Internet.

But already towards the end of the school year, the institutions were able to offer face-to-face lessons bit by bit, and since mid-September this has been possible again everywhere, albeit in a different form.

"We have divided ensembles in which more than twelve children play," reports Harald Roßberger, director of the Tölzer Sing- und Musikschule.

A maximum of four children plus teacher are now together.

“That of course also changes the room allocation plans and the teachers' attendance times.” But “the core business works,” says Roßberger.

90 percent of the usual scope can be carried out.

Around 900 children and adolescents are taught at the Tölzer school, and Roßberger is pleased that the number of enrollments is again at the usual level this year.

In addition, everyone - i.e. teachers, students and parents - would understand the measures.

"Everyone helps to ensure that it works as well as possible," says Roßberger happily.

No big ensembles

This is also reported by the heads of private institutions.

"We have returned to normal," said Johannes Deißenböck from the Tölz "Drum Head Music Center" happily.

Normality, that means: No large ensembles, everyone wears face masks in the hallway and has to use disinfectants.

If the distance in the room cannot be maintained, Plexiglas walls or transparent rollups are set up between the student and teacher.

There is also good demand for the “eardrum”: “We have around 400 students on average every year and we will be doing this again this year.” Concerts have not yet been planned, but the aim is to counteract this with creative ideas: “We can, for example Invite parents specifically or record a film with the students, which we then send via WhatsApp, ”says Deißenböck.

Disinfectant on each piano key

Everyday life has returned to the “MüsikWerkstatt” run by Sepp and Nicole Müller-Pürzer in Lenggries.

Around 400 children are also taught here.

"Everyone is happy that they can come back," says Müller-Pürzer.

Internet lessons have proven to be a good alternative - only in the drums subject there were difficulties.

Sepp Müller came to the families' homes on request.

The groups were also divided up in the “MüsikWerkstatt”.

Müller-Pürzer can also see something positive about the situation: "Parents no longer send their children to class sick."

Clap instead of drums

Families can buy some instruments themselves, which is usually difficult with the harp and piano.

"We have disinfectants specially tailored to instruments," says Harald Roßberger from the Tölzer Music School.

But that would not do any instrument any good in the long run, say all facility managers.

Nicole Müller-Pürzer therefore mainly does "body percussion" in early musical education, for example rhythmic clapping and stamping.

Also read: Who receives Bavarian folk music in the Tölzer Land?

Music teacher Natalia Panina-Rummel from Reichersbeuern can also go back to her work as usual.

She is currently even observing an increased interest in music lessons.

In the vocal ensemble at the Max-Rill-Schule this year there is even “the greatest demand of all time”, she is happy.

“We finally have boys and are a 'real' choir that can do great things.” The 20 students rehearse in groups.

"We're in the auditorium, and every singer is standing in front of a window."

Panina-Rummel organizes the international piano festival "Clavis", which was held online this year (we reported).

Participants came from all over the world, and new connections were made in the spring.

Panina-Rummel continues to look after some young people, for example from Russia, Canada and Japan, via the Internet.

“I did not expect that it would be so easy to do online with Skype and Zoom,” says the teacher happily.

Also read: This is how music lessons work over the Internet