Offers of the music school

These courses are aimed at children from the age of 2, giving them the opportunity to discover and develop the fun and joy of sound, rhythm and movement.

Piccolini
The Piccolini are our smallest students in the music school. They come to us with a parent when they are about two years old. In the lap of their confidants, the children embark on the adventure of music. The active participation of the parents is the role model for the children.

Bambini
The Bambini course is for children from around three years of age and is usually attended after a Piccolini course, so that the children are already familiar with much of the content. New children are also supported by this support. Together with a parent (or another accompanying adult), the children (further) immerse themselves in the world of music.

It offers children from about 4 years of age a variety of opportunities to encounter elementary musical experiences and expressions.

• Sensitization of the perception (especially the hearing)
• Experience the connection between music and movement
• Dealing with the voice / singing
• Exploratory play on sounding objects and instruments
• Own musical design
• Experiencing and getting to know a variety of musical pieces and instruments
• First insights into musical contexts
• Dealing with basic elements of music theory

Elementary music education promotes individual musical abilities and creates the basis for diverse musical developments.

In the area of elementary music education, the music school cooperates with over 20 daycare centers in Hilden. In the EMU concept (Elementary Music Education in Daycare Centers), the music education specialists from the music school come to the respective facility. In each case, an educator from the facility is also involved on site, who can incorporate songs, movement games and other content of elementary music education into the daily routine of the daycare center.

Since 2017, the music school has switched to the modular "Kita & Musikschule" concept in several daycare centers and family centers. In the municipal facilities "Arche", "Mäusenest" and "Die kleinen Strolche" as well as in the daycare center "Im Park" e.V., the music school thus enables intensive musical support for all children of the facility in even closer cooperation with the entire daycare team. Depending on the budget situation and the interest of the facilities, the gradual conversion to this concept is planned in other daycare centers in the coming years.

"JeKits - Every Child Instruments, Dances, Sings" is a cultural education program in elementary schools funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Every child is now given the opportunity to be musically active throughout their elementary school years, to start learning an instrument and to make music together with fellow students in the JeKits orchestra.

JeKits" is carried out in cooperation between elementary schools and non-school educational institutions, which in Hilden is the music school.
JeKits has three alternative focuses: Instruments, dancing or singing. With the focus on instruments, all Hilden elementary schools are involved in the program.

The music school is an official educational partner of Hilden's schools.

In addition to the cooperation with Hilden's elementary schools ("JeKits"), the music school maintains close cooperation with the Protestant School Center (Dietrich Bonhoeffer High School and Wilhelmine Fliedner Comprehensive School) in the form of various offers to make music together.

• "Just Music" for 5th/6th grade students (see also info flyer for download at the bottom of this page).
• "Sinfonietta" (Youth Symphony Orchestra)
• "Young Symphony Orchestra Hilden"

A merger of the school orchestras of both Hilden high schools and the symphony orchestra of the music school. For more information, please contact the secretary's office of the music school and the respective schools.

The cooperation with the Marie-Colinet secondary school is currently suspended for organizational reasons. However, we hope to be able to offer the students opportunities for active music-making there again in the near future.

With a wide range of subjects, the music school enables its students to learn and develop their own musical expression with an instrument.

If you don't quite know which instrument might be right for you, you can find out about the various instruments and get individual advice at the music school's annual "Open Day".
Trial lessons and introductory courses are also available (see below in the "Courses" section).

The regular instrumental lessons take place as partner, group or individual lessons 1 x per week and are given exclusively by studied instrumental teachers.

In almost all instrumental areas, the music school also offers rental instruments, which can be borrowed for the first one or two years of lessons, for a fee.

Anyone can sing or learn to sing, regardless of age. Making music with your own versatile voice is possible in all musical styles. Whether in classical music (lied, musical, opera) or in jazz/pop/rock training: singing puts you in a good mood and is wellness for the soul, as a soloist or in a group. The vocal training also trains a confident appearance with your own personality.

A central task of music school work is making music together from the very beginning. Making music with others makes it possible to apply what has been learned in instrumental/vocal lessons, provides stimuli for the next learning steps, trains the ear and the ability to react, increases motivation and conveys social competence. Within the music school education, making music together with instrumental or singing lessons forms a coordinated unit.

Accordingly, ensemble subjects at all levels are an integral part of the music school's holistic educational concept. The techniques and rules of ensemble playing must be learned and practiced just as much as instrumental playing and singing itself. Only the ability to do this enables independent participation in active musical life.

In making music together, communicative and social forces, which are part of the essence of music, become tangible, effective and learnable, and of course it is also quite simply fun to make music together with like-minded people.

The introduction to active music making and the further development of the ability to create and express oneself with an instrument and/or the voice corresponds with the joy of learning, of doing one's own thing, of achievement and success.

In the case of children/young people with a strong musical interest and signs of above-average talent, it should be noted that they should be challenged and encouraged to a special degree so that their joy in making music and in their own advancement is maintained in the long term.

It is especially important that they perceive their above-average musical potential as something positive and that they can develop their own interest in expanding it further.

The teachers of the music school follow the general musical and instrumental or vocal development of their students very closely and decide, together with the school management and also in discussion with the parents, which additional measures are useful and should be implemented to promote any special talent.

Adults are also welcome to take lessons at the music school. The music school offers the entire range of instruments from A for accordion to Z for slide trombone as well as singing lessons not only for children and young people, but also for adults.

Instrumental and vocal lessons are offered with weekly lessons (outside of school vacations) and as a compact course with 5 or 10 lessons within a semester (see also Courses). When booking a compact course, the individual lesson dates are arranged directly with the respective teacher.

In addition to instrumental and vocal lessons, there are also various opportunities for making music together (see above under "Making Music Together").

Trial lessons and introductory courses

The course area of the music school offers the possibility to get a first impression of lessons on a desired instrument or singing lessons within the framework of trial lessons or introductory courses. Trial lessons of 30 or 45 minutes each can be booked individually.
Introductory courses range from 5 to a maximum of 16 lessons of 30 or 45 minutes each. They can only be taken once in one instrumental or singing subject. It is then possible to continue the lessons (only) in the regular music school area or (for adults) in the form of a compact course.

Compact courses

For adults who, for professional or family reasons, are unable to attend regular lessons once a week, or who just want to "brush up" on previously acquired knowledge and skills, the music school offers compact courses of 5 or 10 lessons of 30 or 45 minutes each.
For pedagogical reasons, the compact courses are intended for adults only. They can only be taken once within a six-month period and cannot be extended.

Master classes for mandolin and guitar

Every three years, the master class for mandolin and guitar, known far beyond Hilden, takes place with renowned national and international lecturers.

Several times a year, the music school offers workshops and courses that are self-contained in terms of time and content.
These courses and workshops - usually held on weekends or during school vacations - offer the opportunity to broaden one's own musical horizons, to delve deeper into a special style of music, special playing techniques, unusual rhythms and forms of music-making, or to play and/or sing in a special ensemble.

"Motti macht Zirkus", a project for primary school children in the 5th week of the summer vacations (August 5 - 9, 2024), funded by the Lions Club Hilden. The project is aimed in particular at children from needy or disadvantaged families.

As part of this vacation project, up to 20 children create and develop the musical "Motti macht Zirkus" with jazz singer and singing teacher Vanessa Vieto and musician Volkmar Müller. The project involves singing, dancing and acting as well as painting, crafting and much more. The project will culminate in a performance of the musical on July 9 at 3 p.m. at the music school, Gerresheimer Straße 20, 40721 Hilden (Heinrich-Strangmeier-Saal).

Registration takes place via the music school (for more information call 02103 / 72 - 1256 or send an email to musikschule@hilden.de).

Registration deadline: June 15. Participation is free of charge.

"Magic Harp", a project for residents of the Senior Center on Erikaweg, who make music together on so-called "magic harps" (easy-to-use table harps).

Since the fall of 2018, the group has been meeting once a week at the Senior Center to work on well-known songs and melodies together. The focus is on the joy of making music together.

In the meantime, the "Magic Harp" project also exists at the Hummelsterstraße Senior Center.

These projects are financed by funds from the Rotary Foundation Hilden Haan and the Förderverein der Seniorendienste Hilden.

"Trallafitti - Fun with Music"

Since November 2023, a state-funded project for children from families with mental health problems has been taking place in cooperation with the city's social services. Once a month, children come together with music school teacher Vanessa Vieto and one other musician to experience musical togetherness in a relaxed atmosphere.

For the initial lessons, pupils can be provided with instruments within the scope of the music school's stocks against payment of a fee according to the respective valid fee statutes. As a rule, the loan period should not exceed the duration of one school year. The following instruments can be loaned within the framework of the inventory: Flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, violin, viola, cello, double bass, accordion, guitar, mandolin.

In the cooperation program "JeKits - Every Child Instruments, Dancing, Singing" and with the Hilden elementary schools, the loan of an instrument is included in the monthly fee from the second year (thanks to state funding). In addition to the instruments mentioned above, e-pianos, keyboards and cajons are also loaned out.