Every September, head teachers from the cantons of Central Switzerland meet at the regional conference. It is jointly organized by the VMS and the Lucerne School of Music and serves as a forum for exchange. This year, inputs on the topic of lesson development were on the agenda in the morning, and in the afternoon the participants sat down in small and changing groups to discuss what they had heard. "It was a successful and very interesting event in terms of content," reports Eva Crastan from the organization team. She greatly appreciates the event - both as a board member of the VMS and as head of department at Lucerne Music School. "Musical education doesn't stop at the cantonal border," she says. "We can develop ideas together and thus have more clout when it comes to implementation."

There are two VMS music schools in the canton: the Conservatoire de musique neuchâtelois (CMNE ) and the Collège musical, the municipal music school in La Chaux-de-Fonds. They have a total of around 3000 students and 130 teachers at 18 teaching locations. Different subsidy regulations apply to both schools, but in fact parents throughout the canton pay between 30-40% of the costs of music lessons themselves. At both schools, school fees are based on parents' income and there are scholarships that provide support of up to almost 100% at both schools.

The affiliation of the Conservatoire with the canton's Department of Education and the Collège musical with the Department of Education of the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds ensures that the music schools have solid political roots. "This gives us a very good connection to the elementary school," says Farine. Around 150 pupils from brass bands in the canton benefit from a reduced tuition fee. Pupils with disabilities are integrated into the CMNE - teachers are specially trained for this and there are partnerships with specialized institutions. According to Farine, the collaboration between music schools and political actors works very well: "You can really make a difference here."

In 2015, a new cultural law was passed in the canton, which also defines the structures and subsidies of the recognized music schools. "It's pretty unsatisfactory for us, to be honest," says Piazza. The canton covers 20% of the teaching costs. If a municipality decides to make additional contributions to school fees, it receives a third back from the canton. The fact that the additional support from the municipality is voluntary means that families have to pay 80% of the tuition costs themselves, depending on where they live - while the national average is around one third.

Two additional challenges are the fact that the minimum wage for teachers stipulated in the Culture Act may only be charged to pupils at a maximum factor of 1.5, and that the canton only provides subsidies for pupils under the age of 20. As a result, the music schools lack financial resources, which are compensated for in the areas of organization and management with volunteer work and a great deal of passion. For Matteo Piazza as FeSMut President and for the other school directors in the canton, lobbying has therefore become an important part of the work. "We have very good connections in the cantonal parliament and the association is very cohesive," he says. Piazza is therefore optimistic about the future: "We have fought a lot and tried many things, but the work for more equal opportunities in music education continues - together!"

In addition to his political work, the father of two remains principal of the Centro di Studi Musicali della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, teaches drums half a day a week at the Accademia Ticinese di Musica in Locarno and plays around 150 gigs a year in various formations.

www.fesmut.ch

The canton recognizes the Ecole Jurassienne et Conservatoire de musique, or EJCM for short, as a cantonal music school. This makes it the only subsidized music school in the canton. The performance agreement contains guidelines from the Quarte Open Label - for the school director and VMS delegate Blaise Héritier, the certification has tangible political weight because parameters such as salaries, regulations and premises are laid down. He greatly appreciates the good, respectful cooperation with the canton. The subsidies are divided into two areas: Firstly, the canton pays annual contributions depending on the number of pupils at the music school, so that the school fees for parents amount to around 45%. And secondly, there is a gifted and talented program with space for 24 students.

During the Corona period, the EJCM was able to set up a video project with the support of the canton, which presents instruments and teachers as individual video clips or as a whole 40-minute film. This is particularly helpful because there is no tradition of cooperation with elementary school and municipalities in the canton - partly for budgetary reasons. On the other hand, there is very active cooperation with the brass bands. Most members attend lessons at the music school and benefit from a special rate.

Héritier values the exchange with cantons in French-speaking Switzerland (including during the annual Conférence romande) and throughout Switzerland. "If we know what works for others, it helps us with our own further development," he says. He has been Head of School at the EJCM since 2016 and is therefore also a VMS delegate. Previously, he worked as a conductor and as President of the Music Committee of the Swiss Wind Music Association.

www.ejcm.ch

In 1803, Napoleon decided to merge the then cantons of Aargau, Baden and Fricktal - thus laying the foundation for today's cantonal territory of Aargau. Politically, the canton of Aargau is one of the most conservative of the larger Swiss cantons, unlike in the 19th century. It is small-scale and, in addition to medium-sized towns such as Aarau, Baden and Wettingen, has a rural character. The small-scale nature is also evident in music education, as VMS delegate Valentin Sacher reports. "Almost every municipality has its own regulations," he says. Tariffs, subjects, subsidies and salaries are not regulated at cantonal level. For this reason, the Aargau Music Schools Association has developed cantonal guidelines to serve as a basis for the municipalities. They contain minimum standards based on the quarte open label of the VMS. The only legal stipulation - in the cantonal school law since 1865 - is that pupils in grades 6-9 are allowed to attend 15 minutes of music lessons per week and an additional ensemble free of charge if there are six or more participants.

With just under 70 music schools and around 22,000 students, the number of small and smaller music schools in the canton is high. "The fact that we can offer lessons almost everywhere locally is our big advantage, in contrast to sports, for example," says Sacher. "On the other hand, it is important that we can offer the full range of subjects at all locations and professionalize the administrative apparatus." Sacher himself has been principal of the Unteres Fricktal music school for 17 years - a position for which he gave up his job as a percussion teacher. He now lives out his musical side as the director of the Brass Band Zuzgen.

He is optimistic about the future of music and music education in the canton, as the canton is planning a complete overhaul of instrumental and solo singing lessons. "I see the situation in our canton as a huge opportunity," he says, "We can achieve a great deal in the next 2-3 years." The newly appointed VAM Association Council, which is made up of people from politics, could play an important role in this, which promises increasing political support.

www.vam-ag.ch

From Schönebuech to Ammel
From the Bölche to the Rhy
Lyt free and beautiful the Ländli,
where I am at home (...)

Es wächsle Bärg und Täli
Dear all(...)
Nei nicer than in the Basel region
That's not right.
From the Baselbieterlied, the unofficial anthem of the canton of Basel-Landschaft (1862)

About the canton of Basel-Landschaft

The canton of Basel-Landschaft is one of the smaller cantons in Switzerland in terms of area, but is more densely populated than average - the population density is three times the Swiss average. The cantonal capital is Liestal. In addition to urban municipalities in the Basel agglomeration, the canton also includes numerous small municipalities.

Parent third since 1957

The first music school, Birsfelden Music School, was founded in 1957. In 1962, the canton created the legal basis for music lessons - a quarter of the costs for the music schools were to be borne by the canton, a third by the parents and the rest by the respective sponsoring municipalities. The 2002 Education Act enshrined music schools in law with a catalog of compulsory instruments. In order to ensure access to music education for all, it was also stipulated that the tariff for music lessons for parents may not exceed one third of the total costs. Talent promotion has also recently been recognized as a specialist agency in an ordinance.

About the cantonal association

15 music schools belong to the Basel-Landschaft Music Schools Association (VMBL). They are as heterogeneous as the canton itself. In the lower Basel region, there are larger music schools that are easily accessible geographically, while central schools in the upper Basel region, such as Sissach and Gelterkinden, try to offer music lessons in the smallest communities too. "We always try to be as close to the children as possible," says Regula Messerli, municipal councillor in Oberwil BL since 2008 and responsible for education, youth and family. The association supports many activities - including inter-school projects, also together with the elementary school, the cantonal ensemble competition and joint talent promotion. A service agreement with the canton of Basellandschaft exists to finance these activities. In summer 2023, a major event is planned in Augusta Raurica, in which all 15 music schools will participate organizationally and musically. "We hope that this will have a knock-on effect," says Messerli. She has been passionately committed to the music schools in the canton for years, as well as to the canton's concerns in the VMS, because music education is close to her heart. "Music education is enormously important as a supplement to teaching at elementary school. Music is simply something enriching!"

continue to the website of the Association of Music Schools Baselland