The SMPV Bern training day will take place on October 28, 2023, 9.15 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. at CAP, Predigergasse 3, 3011 Bern.
The exciting training day will provide space for collegial discussions and sharing experiences.

Martin von Allmen, an expert in composing, arranging, editing and performing, provides an overview of how different software can be used to meet specific needs. The sound engineer, Walter Schürch, explains the interplay of microphone types and recording technology. Maurice Gaggioni introduces the "MobileSheets" app, which makes it easier to manage your own sheet music collection and use it in music lessons when practicing and performing. Finally, Daniel Brand shows how his app "trivs", developed in 2020, supports regular practicing and how habits can be developed for learning during lessons.

The course costs CHF 130.- for external participants and CHF 100.- for SMPV members. Registration deadline is September 30th. For registrations please use the electronic registration form.

The municipal council of the city of Chur will be informed of the changes to the primary music school at its meeting on Thursday, 7.9.2023. The proposal is expected to save the city CHF 44,000. The ones who will suffer are the 1st graders and the teachers.

Two round tables were convened in the spring to discuss music education in the city of Chur on a broad basis with the music education associations.
The second round table focused exclusively on the primary music school and possible improvements. The city's guidelines applied: 400,000 must be saved in the area of education and the 1st graders currently have two hours too many in the timetable. Everyone agreed that savings should not be made in music education, that primary music school should continue to be included as a subject in the morning timetable, if necessary instead of a "normal" music lesson, and that half-class lessons are absolutely essential to allow teachers to work in depth with the children.

The current partial revision of the Education Act almost completely ignores the postulates of the round table's music education representatives:
Year 1 pupils now have to register for the primary music school rather than deregister, and lessons have been moved to the afternoon, which makes it impossible for primary music school teachers to earn a living wage, as there are now only 4 x 2 afternoon lessons available rather than 5 x 4 or even 6 lessons as before. Nevertheless, and this is an important point, half-class lessons have been retained.
This proposal has major disadvantages. The very children who benefit from holistic lessons, in which all the senses are addressed in a playful way and learning content is taught, will no longer be able to enjoy these lessons, as parents will now have to register their offspring and if there is no understanding of music, registration will simply not take place.
Primary music school teachers will no longer be able to secure a living wage and it is questionable whether qualified teachers can even be found for two afternoon lessons. In the long term, lessons will therefore once again be taught by unqualified teachers and the quality of the primary music school will naturally suffer as a result.

On the one hand, 400,000 is being invested in the promotion of musical talent, but the very vessel in which early talent can be recognized, even if it is a child who has not yet come into contact with music, is being criminally plucked. In the end, only those children are supported who are already being supported anyway, as their parents are already interested in music and have the necessary income.
If the city of Chur dreams of a city of music, then it must invest in early musical education and grant all children access to musical education, as required by constitutional article 67a.
The associations and interest groups are irritated by the fact that this school revision was simply decided on, the arguments of the round tables were almost completely ignored and there was no consultation process. The Chur Primary Music School Association has written a letter of objection to the municipal councillors and the Education Commission, listing these disadvantages in detail, in the hope that this school revision will be reconsidered.

The SMPV OSO cannot approve of this approach.
He does not agree with this reduction proposal, which ignores practically all the arguments of the round tables and where a basic musical education that serves as a role model for the entire canton is being ripped apart for a potential saving of 40,000. Everywhere in the canton, music education based on the Chur model is being integrated into the timetables of 1st graders, in some places even a 2nd grade can benefit from music education, but the city of Chur is abolishing a system that has worked successfully for years and in which everyone involved was happy.we will work to ensure that the primary music school takes place in the morning again as before, that the children have to be deregistered and that there will be an expansion of basic music education. So that the children of the city of Chur can develop musically in a holistic way!

The Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, the Graubünden Association of Singing and Music Schools and the SMPV are once again organizing a competition for young musicians from Graubünden. The winners will perform with the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Philippe Bach on Sunday, 2 June 2024 at the Chur Theater.

The Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, the Graubünden Association of Singing and Music Schools (VSMG) and the Swiss Music Pedagogical Association Section East-Southeast Switzerland (SMPV OSO) are jointly committed to organizing and performing a prizewinners' concert with young soloists. The aim is to promote young and talented musicians residing in Graubünden. The next prizewinners' concert will take place on June 2, 2024 at 5 p.m. in the Theater Chur. Rehearsals with the orchestra will also take place on Saturday, 01 June 2024 at the Theater Chur.

Tender competition
The Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden is holding a Grisons music competition to select the young soloists who will perform with the Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden under the direction of Philippe Bach. This will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at the Chur Music School.

Criteriawhich the musicians must fulfill at the time of the audition:
- Residence in the canton of Graubünden
- Maximum age for instrumentalists: 20 years
- Maximum age for vocalists: 22 years
- No access to a music academy

Registrations until September 30, 2023
https://www.kammerphilharmonie.ch/de/konzerte/termine/preistraegerkonzert.php

Question from an SMPV member: Many SMPV members have their own homepages. Visitors leave their IP addresses when they visit them, perhaps their name and e-mail address, if they contact the musicians via the contact form, if Google Analytics is installed, for example, personal data is processed, if someone orders a CD via the homepage, for example, he or she even leaves their home address. The following questions therefore arise:

• How much effort does a simple musicians' website have to put into complying with the new data protection law?
• Is it enough to create a customized privacy policy once and place it clearly visible on the homepage in the footer, or does it have to be continuously updated, e.g. if a plug-in is installed?
• What additional obligations do owners of a simple (musician's) website have when dealing with personal data in the broadest sense?

Answer Dr. Kovacs:

1. From September 1, 2023, the completely revised Data Protection Act (DPA) will come into force in Switzerland. Musicians will also have to deal with the new requirements. In particular, fines of up to CHF 250,000 can be imposed if the requirements are not met. This article provides guidelines on this, but this does not mean that a detailed risk assessment is no longer necessary.
2. The effort required to comply with data protection regulations is limited for musicians. In particular, as an SME, they no longer have to comply with complex obligations that only apply to larger companies. The new requirements must be implemented once in advance. Afterwards, the relevant information only needs to be integrated in the event of changes to the law or changes to your own business activities or the design of your website.
3. The following key questions must be clarified in advance in your own company and clearly communicated to potential users of your website as part of a detailed privacy policy.3.1 What personal data is collected and how is it processed? Precise information about the operating systems and programs used, e.g. as follows:
   • Cookies and image elements
   • Newsletters and marketing emails
   • Google Analytics
   • Google reCaptcha
   • Plug-ins
   • Profiling / automated decision-making

   This information must be updated when new programs and systems are used. Information must also be provided on whether and how these can be switched off or bypassed.

   3.2 What is the purpose of the data processing? The data may only be collected and processed for the specified purpose. E.g. the following information:

   • Information and advertising on offers, services, websites and other platforms on which you are present;
   • Communication with third parties and processing their inquiries (e.g. inquiries from interested parties)
   • Examination and optimization of procedures for needs analysis for the purpose of direct customer contact and collection of personal data from publicly accessible sources for the purpose of customer acquisition;
   • Implementation of "online meetings".
   • Registration to receive the newsletter with information about the right of withdrawal at any time

3.3 From whom do you receive personal data?

3.4 To whom do you disclose personal data? Specify the recipients or categories of recipients to whom personal data will be disclosed.
be announced.

3.5 How long will the personal data be stored? Ensure that the personal data is deleted or anonymized,
as soon as they are no longer required for the original purpose of collection. Tracking in particular
of data on websites must be checked and, if necessary, removed.

3.6 How is the data technically protected? Prompt notification must be made to the Federal Data Protection Commissioner.
(FDPIC) in the event of a data security breach. The FDPIC has issued guidelines on technical security, which are available at
whose website is online.

3.7 How are data subjects informed about the collection and processing of data? Exact identity and address
online and offline of the person responsible for data collection and processing and information about the right to information,
Right of rectification and erasure of the data subject. The obligation to provide information also applies to data obtained from third parties.

3.8 How do you have control over contracted third parties? Written contracts with external data processors must be checked and signed.
be adjusted if necessary.

3.9 Is data obtained from abroad or transferred there? Does the GDPR apply to the EU area or other
Legal systems for other countries observed?

4.  The bottom line is that you must inform the potential readers and users of your websites about all these issues and always keep this information up to date. The corresponding data protection declarations must be drafted individually, as the respective information can vary greatly. The SMPV's legal advice center can offer support at any time.

Northwestern Switzerland
Talent Stage 2023 Basel
The Northwestern Switzerland section is launching a music competition in November, the "Talent Stage 2023", for children and young people aged 7 to 20! Registration deadline is September 30, 2023.
Further information is available at: https://www.smpv.ch/nordwestschweiz/smpv-talentbuehne-2023/
Questions to: nordwestschweiz@smpv.ch

Berne
Performances by the Seefestspiel Choir
On Saturday, July 1 at 12:30 pm and on Sunday, July 2 at 3:30 pm, the ad hoc choir put together and prepared by the SMPV Bern, consisting of singers from 7 to 86, will perform at the Bern Lake Festival.
Venue: Werkhof Egelsee, Muristrasse 21e, 3006 Bern - Admission free.
Location Bad weather option: Forum Zentrum Paul Klee -
In case of doubt you will find here Details of the definitive venue

Music lesson in September
The CAP, Predigergasse 3, 3011 Bern is reserved for music lessons on September 9 at 17:00 and 19:00. The SMPV Bern invites you to register your students by August 20. Because the registration deadline is only one week after the summer vacation, this time it is sufficient to send an e-mail with the first name, name and instrument of the students and the approximate performance time to bern@smpv.ch. Marianne Wälchli will then get in touch with you.

Sezione di Lingua Italiana
Iniziativa 100 giorni per la musica
In addition to the 7,000 required, 10,835 valid applications were submitted for the initiative, which also calls for the Canton of Ticino to take a more prominent role in the promotion of music education in application of Article 67 of the Federal Constitution. Thus, il Canton Ticino dovrebbe farsi carico del 50% dei costi di formazione delle scuole di musica riconosciute. Attualmente la quota è inferiore al 25%. This should make music lessons possible, even for children from low-income families. Il grande successo nella raccolta delle firme ci fa sperare che le richieste dell'iniziativa possano essere attuate in un futuro non troppo lontano, nonostante la difficile situazione finanziaria del Cantone.

Zurich and Winterthur/Zurich Oberland
CLA for music schools?
This year's Zurich Music Teachers' Forum will discuss the following questions, among others: What advantages does a collective labor agreement (CLA) offer music school teachers? What conditions must be met for a CLA? Why is the Winterthur Conservatory the only Swiss music school with a CLA?
The forum organized by the professional associations MuV.vpod, SMPV Zurich and SMPV Winterthur/Zürcher Oberland will take place on Saturday, 2 September 2023 from 10:00 to approx. 12:00 at the FKS-Schulhaus Kreuzbühl, Kreuzbühlstrasse 16, 8008 Zurich (near Stadelhofen station). Music teachers who are not members of an association are also welcome to attend the event. Admission is free. Information under www.fzhm.ch

"I don't know whether the founder, Elvira Lüthi-Wegmann, would have liked the competition name "Elvirissima", as she was a particularly petite lady who would hardly have been suited to this form of intensification," SMPV colleague Madeleine Zimmermann recently told me on the phone. My colleagues on the Board of Trustees, Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer and Professor Bernhard Hunziker, and I certainly hope that Ms. Lüthi-Wegmann would agree with the way in which we use her legacy and how we try to support talented young singers in Switzerland in the best possible way in accordance with her wishes.

When the Federation of Migros Cooperatives quietly discontinued its study scholarship program for singers, instrumentalists, actors and dancers in the middle of the pandemic, when the cultural scene was already struggling with major difficulties, i.e. when it abolished the well-known "Migros Prizes", we quickly realized that our work on the Foundation Board had suddenly become even more important. With the Foundation's modest financial resources, we can only financially support four talents every two years, but we make every effort to offer something to the other candidates too: As external jury members, we always select conductors so that the competition is also an audition for the candidates, and we are delighted that our jurors always engage prizewinners and "empty-nesters". The competition is recorded and the videos can serve as demo videos for the candidates who sang well. And if the performance is not as successful as desired, the singers can see what still needs to be improved.
You can find the Elvirissima 2023 videos at www.youtube.com/@elvirissima5062

Major differences between Elvirissima 2021 and 2023

On Whit Monday 2021, Elvirissima took place under the strictest protection concept without an audience but still live in front of the jury in the large Maihofsaal. Around 50 singers - including those who had long since graduated - had submitted their dossiers and applied to take part in the competition in order to be able to perform again and in the hope that winning a prize would alleviate the difficult financial situation caused by the pandemic. It was not easy for me to turn down more than half of them at the time. - In this respect, it is good news that only 20 candidates have registered for the 2023 competition: there is obviously a lot more work for the young singers again, and they can also travel abroad again for competitions and auditions.

Out of sheer joy at finally being able to audition again, the 2021 candidates tended to sing with too much power. However, it was also noticeable that most of them worked very intensively on expression and that they had time to develop their interpretations. In 2021, for example, the assessment sheets often said "expression" on the plus side and "don't shout" on the "construction site" side. In 2023, I often see "well-controlled voice, albeit a little tight" and "great coloratura" on the plus side and "more expression" or "stylistically not differentiated enough" or "needs to learn to come out of herself more" on the "construction site" side. I conclude from this that the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have not only brought disadvantages for singers in training: Enough time to practise on the instrument, enough time to take a break, clearly also brings advantages. Perhaps the quality could be improved if the universities found a way to award more ETCS points for practicing on the instrument...
But of course nobody wants the pandemic back, and I was very pleased to hear during the feedback sessions that young singers were able to secure a place at an opera studio abroad, what exciting projects await them at home and abroad, that they are invited to auditions and that some of them find work, whether as a soloist or in an opera choir. However, it also became clear how high the costs of audition trips and training and further education are and how important financial support is for them, especially during the smooth transition from student to professional life.

You too can support the young singers in Switzerland

The Board of Trustees of the Elvira Lüthi Wegmann Foundation works on a voluntary basis and invests the foundation's assets extremely carefully, but the interest and dividends cannot be used to finance scholarships. The foundation is therefore a "consumption foundation", i.e. the assets are gradually used up. However, because it is so important to support young artists on their way into the world of music, the Board of Trustees is very happy to receive any donation, large or small, to IBAN CH79 0630 0504 7766 0750 5 (Valiant Bank) - Elvira-Lüthi-Wegmann-Stiftung, 3067 Boll - Note "Donation Elvirissima". If you have any questions, please contact the President of the Board of Trustees, Marianne Wälchli, at wettbewerb@elvirissima.ch

Elvirissima 2023 prizewinners - from left to right: Polina Kulykova, 3rd place; Alice Paroissien, 4th place; Jonas Jud, 2nd place and Evan Gray, 1st place (klangworker.ch)

The 2023 award winners

The Swiss bass-baritone, Evan Gray, (1st prize) impressed the jury with his great voice, his strong presence and his outstanding musicality. The Swiss bass, Jonas Jud (2nd prize), impressed the jury with his resonant true bass voice, his professionalism and his expressiveness. The Ukrainian mezzo-soprano, Polina Kulykova (3rd place), impressed with her presence, dramatic power and big voice, while the French soprano, Alice Paroissien, touched the jury with her naturally sweet expression, soulful pianos and careful coloratura.
The 1st prize is a scholarship of 12 x CHF 800 per month, the runner-up receives 12 x CHF 400 per month. The 3rd prize is CHF 2,000 and the 4th prize is CHF 1,000.

When the SMPV still offered private professional training, subject-specific issues were discussed in the Professional Training Commission and there were specialist groups that supported the Commission and organized the specialist conferences.
Unfortunately, this structure was handed over to SAMP/Kalaidos with the vocational training. That is why we now have to rebuild it.
The following subject areas are planned for the time being: Keyboard instruments, strings, wind instruments, singing, plucked instruments, percussion, pop/jazz.

Organizational matters
Each department is managed by a Presidium which, together with two to four colleagues, manages the Head of department forms. All SMPV members of a particular specialist area together form this Department.
The task of the presidium is to plan and chair meetings of the division heads. The task of the department heads is to discuss which activities they want to offer the members of the department, to organize and carry them out alone or in cooperation with a section or to find answers to subject-specific questions posed by the Central Committee, such as "Should violists automatically be allowed to offer violin lessons on mein-musikunterricht.ch, or what additional qualifications do they need to have?" Meetings can take place in person or online. Presidiums and department heads are compensated with an attendance fee.

Content
Department heads can organize a convention of the department or a specialist conference. Or perhaps a "regulars' table" would be more suitable. Together with the department, you can compile a list of teaching or specialist literature that is made available to all members. Or you want to arrange tandem teaching and collegial supervision. Anything is possible.

We are looking for
committed, interested, imaginative and team-oriented colleagues with organizational talent who would like to get involved in the departmental management. If you can imagine helping to get the SMPV moving in a subject-specific way, or if you have any questions, please contact me at marianne.waelchli@smpv.ch or 077 495 75 20. A committee for the strings has already been found, the vocal department management already consists of three people. I will continue to ask colleagues, but I hope that you will have the courage to get in touch if you are interested in such a position!

When the SSPM was still offering private professional training, specific questions were discussed by the Commission for Professional Training and specialized groups were formed to support the Commission in this and organize the training sessions.
Purtroppo questa struttura è stata ceduta alla SAMP/Kalaidos con la formazione professionale, pertanto, ora dobbiamo ricostruirla.
Per il momento sono previsti i seguenti gruppi specializzati:
Strumenti a tastiera, Archi, Strumenti a fiato, Canto, Strumenti a pizzico, Percussioni, Pop/Jazz.

Organizzazione:
Ogni dipartimento è guidato da un presidio, che insieme a due o quattro colleghi costituisce la direzione del dipartimento. Tutti i membri della SSPM di una determinata materia formano il dipartimento.
The task of the Presidency is to organize and chair the meetings of the Board of Directors. These meetings have the task of discussing the activities that should be offered to the members of the division, of organizing and implementing them on their own or in collaboration with a division, or of finding answers to specific questions posed by the central committee, such as "I violisti devono essere automaticamente autorizzati a offrire lezioni di violino su mein-musikunterricht.ch, o quali qualifiche aggiuntive devono dimostrare? Le riunioni possono svolgersi di persona o online. I presidi e i direttori di dipartimento sono compensati con una quota di partecipazione.

Contenuto:
I direttori dei dipartimenti possono organizzare un convegno dei dipartimenti o una conferenza o magari una tavola rotonda. Insieme ai colleghi, possono compilare un elenco di letteratura didattica o tematica da mettere a disposizione di tutti i membri. Oppure possono organizzare l'insegnamento in tandem e la supervisione collegiale. Everything is possible.

Cerchiamo Colleghi impegnati, interessati, fantasiosi e che sa lavorare in team, con capacità organizzative, che vogliano partecipare alla direzione dei dipartimenti. Se pensate di poter lavorare per far funzionare le dipartimenti della SSPM o se avete domande, contattatemi all'indirizzo marianne.waelchli@smpv.ch o allo 077 495 75 20. È già stato trovato un presidio per gli archi e la direzione della sezione vocale è già composta da tre persone. Continue to contact your colleagues, but please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in this position!

From the Northwestern Switzerland section

Talent stage 2023
The Northwestern Switzerland section is organizing the November 18, 2023 once again organized a music competition for children and young people between the ages of 7 and 20.
The prizewinners' concert will take place on November 25, 2023 takes place.

Registration deadline is September 30, 2023
Further information and registration: www.smpv.ch/nordwestschweiz/smpv-talentbuehne-2023Auskünfte can also be obtained from the office: nordwestschweiz@smpv.ch - Tel. 061 272 35 68.

SMPV Seniors' Meeting
The Corona lethargy is over! The next senior meeting of the SMPV Northwestern Switzerland will take place on June 8, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. in the Migros self-service restaurant of "Grün 80". Arrival by public transport: Tram line 10 or bus line 60 to "Neue Welt" station. Arrival by car: Parking spaces available.
The announcement is late, but we are looking forward to meeting our colleagues!
The Seniorentreff has existed since 2002, and I especially invite "younger seniors" to come to the meetings and gradually take over the organization so that this beautiful tradition can continue for a long time to come. Contact: Käthi Lindner, telephone 061 401 35 08

Ines Hübner comes from Berlin, where she also studied. She has been a full-time violinist at the Musikkollegium Winterthur for over 25 years and regularly substitutes at the Winterthur Conservatory.
Ines is a member of the board of the SMPV Winterthur/Zürcher Oberland. She has already attracted attention in the "Communication and Structures" working group with her many critical questions and constructive suggestions. Now she wants to become more involved in the SMPV's strategic work. The Central Board will be able to benefit from her experience from her work in the SMV, from the CLA negotiations for the Winterthur Musikkollegium and from her work as an employee representative for many years.

Christine Thöni grew up in Interlaken. She works mainly as a piano teacher at the Oberland Ost music school and teaches the optional subject of recorder at elementary school. She leads a baroque ensemble and is assistant choir director in two choirs. As President of the Teachers' Convention at the MSO, she is committed to the concerns of the teaching staff within the music school, and she brings experience from her many years as a delegate at the DV of the VLBM and the VBMS. She feels that the strong fragmentation of musicians is a major problem and would therefore like to get involved in a large association such as the SMPV, which is well networked throughout Switzerland.

We are looking forward to working in the new team!

We will miss the two members of the Board of Directors who have stepped down: we would like to thank Beatrice Villiger for her clear, constructive votes at meetings and for organizing many training courses. And we can't really imagine a ZV without Lucas Bennett. We will miss his calm, considered manner, his clever, pointed comments even in heated discussions and his sense of humor!

SMPV Berne
From June 30 to July 2, 2023, the Bern Lake Festival will take place around Lake Egelsee - from See to Klee.
The SMPV Bern has been invited to put together the ad hoc Seefestspiele choir, which will perform on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2 at the Seefestspiele under the direction of Johannes Schröder and is looking for amateur, professional and "under-the-shower" singers from 6 to 99.
Program:
Morning has broken (Cat Stevens; arr. J. Schröder)
Si ya hamba (African; arr. F. Gohl)
Santo santo (argentinian; arr. J.Schröder)
Let my light shine bright (Spiritual; arr. L. Maierhofer)
Weisch es dü (Eugen Meier)
Va pensiero (Giuseppe Verdi; Prisoners' Chorus from "Nabucco")
Further information and the electronic registration form can be found at: www.smpv.ch/bern/special-events-des-smpv-bern
Lake Festival Choir Flyer A5

SMPV Northwestern Switzerland
The next Student concerts will take place - on Saturdays - on June 24, September 16 and December 16, 2023.
A contribution towards expenses can be requested from the section for piano accompaniment at the concerts. Further information and registration at www.smpv.ch/nordwestschweiz/schuelerinnen-konzerte. Information can also be obtained from the office: nordwestschweiz@smpv.ch - Tel. 061 272 35 68.
If you are interested in the teachers' concert on 16.9. at 19:30, please also contact the office.
SMPV Talent Stage 2023
The Northwestern Switzerland section is once again organizing a music competition for children and young people between the ages of 7 and 20 on 18 November 2023.
The prizewinners' concert will take place on November 25, 2023.
Registration deadline is September 30, 2023Further information and registration: www.smpv.ch/nordwestschweiz/smpv-talentbuehne-2023

Marianne Wälchli:  What motivated you to organize toddler concerts?
Jakob Valentin Herzog: We know the situation as parents in which a visit to a concert always involves considerable effort. A babysitter has to be found and everything has to be organized. Or if you go to a concert with a small child, you can never be sure that you will be able to stay until the end. So the idea was to make a low-threshold concert visit possible. Ideally, this can also be the impetus for parents to take part in cultural life again, regardless of children's performances. In addition, the Thurgau section is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding, which encouraged us to try something new and bigger.

In the first concert you were in the audience with your little daughter, in the second concert you played yourself. What did you experience?
First comes an armada of baby carriages. Then a cheerful, colorful hustle and bustle begins. At the beginning of the concert it is very quiet, but then the noise level rises continuously until the end of the concert. The freshness with which children and parents experience the concert is wonderful. Fortunately, the awe and caution that we know from classical concerts are far away.
It requires a lot of concentration from the musicians, but the children's reactions are very immediate and direct. The gratitude of the children and parents is enormously rewarding, and the best gift is when you later receive compliments on the concert from unknown listeners on the street.

Why did you program a different style for each of the first four concerts?
This has resulted from the composition of the board. Sarah Bächi is a jazz/pop musician, Barbara Hidber studied composition as well as the violin, Wolfgang Pailer came up with the idea of the romantic accordion concerto, and I myself am trained as a baroque cellist. This diversity offers people who don't normally attend concerts a welcome change. And it can arouse the curiosity of an experienced concert audience for unfamiliar styles.

Do you have the impression that the little ones react differently to different styles of music?
Not really. Of course, they react more strongly if they already know an Andrew Bond song jazzed up, but Corelli's Follia also had a rousing effect. More interesting here are the reactions of the different age groups. While children under the age of 2 to 3 tend to simply watch, the older ones are more active - the wow effect wears off more quickly.

What type of room is suitable for such concerts; how many people can it work with?
A large, bright room with a carpeted floor. Very reverberant rooms are unsuitable - there is always a certain level of noise.
The ZKO (Zurich Chamber Orchestra) offers such concerts on a much larger scale - of course in concert halls that are built in such a way that the stage sound is amplified. Where this is not the case, 80 people is certainly a maximum

Is it just about the little ones experiencing classical music and their parents being able to attend concerts with them, or are there already music education activities at the concerts?
Thanks to the different ideas of the participants, a variety of forms were created. For example, the children were encouraged to dance along with scarves in the first concert, while we designed the second as a "normal" concert. The upcoming concert with contemporary compositions, on the other hand, will again be very interactive. The pure concert form is perhaps not quite ideal for a heterogeneous audience, as we have in Thurgau

Can you describe the reactions of the large and small audiences in general?
They are very diverse! From children who just watch, to children who start dancing, who crawl on instruments or who are more interested in their friends than in the music. Some parents encourage their children to move, others enjoy simply being able to enjoy the music in peace. For some of the adults, it is obviously their first ever visit to a concert, and the reactions have been very positive across the board.

Are you planning to continue the series and what would you like to change after your first experiences?
As far as I'm concerned, definitely, but a Board resolution on this is still pending.
For example, my wife and I would like to integrate pictures - she is a wonderful painter and is already working on her first sketches. Sarah Bächi suggests perhaps making the "afterwards" even more sociable so that you can get to know other families. But the most important thing is that you are convinced of what you are performing - children are incredibly sensitive.

Flyer Crawling Concerts 2023

The SMPV Bern training day on the topic of "Appearance" will take place on June 3, 2023 at EGW, Nägeligasse 9 in Bern. Be inspired by six inspiring workshops and enjoy being able to exchange ideas with colleagues once again.

In "Body and Mind", Isabel Lerchmüller shows us how we can prepare ourselves optimally for a performance with exercises from Jin Shin Jyutsu and Aikido, in "Performance Techniques from the Practice of a Magician" Helmut Wiegiehser teaches us techniques for a successful performance and in "Accompanying Performances - Safely and Sensitively" Vreni Minnig shows us how we can give our students confidence for their performance.

After the lunch break, Margitta Rosales gets us going with exercises from sports mental training for musicians in "Jetzt vergiss die Technik... Mensch!", Zita Zimmermann gets us fit for the stage in "Vom Lampenfieber zur Vorfreude", and Kaspar Zwicky in "Schwingende Körper" lets us experience how we can use the right warm-up strategy to get our bodies into "performance vibration" with the instrument.

The Course flyer and the link to the electronic registration form can be found at www.smpv.ch/bern Please direct your questions to bern@smpv.ch

The number of participants is limited. - The registration deadline is May 3, 2023.

In contrast to employees with unemployment insurance, the self-employed and freelancers have no insurance to compensate them financially in the event of a drop in orders or total unemployment. Syndicom, a trade union in the communications and media sector, has developed a model to fill this gap: ALV-S unemployment insurance.

Annette Dannecker 78% of the self-employed and freelancers surveyed by syndicom stated that they were unable to build up any or sufficient financial reserves to protect themselves against loss of earnings under the current regime. For this reason, an unemployment insurance scheme was developed that is financed in equal parts by the self-employed person and their clients.

Since music teachers are also often partially or fully self-employed, this insurance for the unemployed is an exciting approach that needs to be looked at more closely:

In principle, an additional 4% ALV-S should be charged on every order - i.e. in our case on a single music lesson or a semester contract - in the same way as ALV for salaried employees. These 4% are paid into an insured person's account. The self-employed person also pays 4% into an ALV-S savings account. He/she then "owns" two private accounts with the unemployment insurance fund, which he/she cannot access directly. He/she will receive the deposits in the savings account back on retirement or if he/she gives up self-employment. This account is used up first in the event of total or partial unemployment. The insurance account is only debited afterwards. This is intended to prevent people from pretending to be unemployed, as they would effectively be cheating themselves by withdrawing their savings in advance. However, no third-party funds would be withdrawn. The insurance account remains in the possession of the insurance company in the event of retirement or cessation of self-employment in order to maintain employment offices similar to the RAVs and to cover all administrative costs.

In the event of total unemployment, the self-employed person will receive 80% of their average salary from self-employment to cover running costs such as studio rent, instrument maintenance and living expenses, so that they can continue to focus on attracting new students.

But would our pupils be prepared to pay 4% more for a lesson, i.e. CHF 104 for a lesson that used to cost CHF 100? Would our pupils bear these additional costs so that their teacher has social security? Or would the teachers often have to bear the entire 8% themselves?

The question arises as to whether the insurance should be declared compulsory in order to prevent a teacher from being left without cover in the event of unemployment because they have not taken out insurance for fear of not being able to afford it or because they feel they cannot expect the 4% surcharge from the pupils.

If you would like to find out more about this model, you can find further information at: www.syndicom.ch/branchen/visuelle-kommunikation/alvfuerselbstaendige

The model was submitted for consultation this February and everyone is invited to comment on it.

Please send any suggestions for improvement to Annette Dannecker (at annette.dannecker@smpv.ch), which she collects and forwards to syndicom. She is also happy to answer questions about the jobless insurance model.

The SMPV will be actively involved in this consultation and will accompany the process, as music teachers have different requirements than media professionals and these must be taken into account when the model is finalized.

Music teachers are often neither organized in a trade union nor in a professional association, although the sector has many "construction sites" that can only be tackled by trade unions.

"I didn't even know that the SMPV is also an association for salaried music teachers," said the person I spoke to on the phone last week. He had contacted me because he was having problems with chain employment contracts and a lack of pension fund insurance. Two days later, Karen Krüttli, Co-President of the Zurich section, said: "You know, the main problem in the union work for music teachers is that colleagues have become so used to simply making a fist of it and accepting unfavorable working conditions, and that they often don't tell us, or tell us too late, where the shoe pinches. For example, it is difficult to do anything about the non-competition clause in the regulations of a particular music school if we find out about it after a good three quarters of the teachers concerned have already signed the renewed contract because they are afraid of losing their job or simply because they are not aware of the problem."

The SMPV is a professional association and not just a trade union. From its many years as a provider of private professional music education, it has retained valuable services such as the organization of music lessons, level examinations, talent competitions and a wide range of further training courses, and the platforms www.mein-musikunterricht.ch and also to some extent www.rent-a-musician.ch serve self-employed people more than employees, but in its trade union work it is much easier for the SMPV to do something for employed music teachers than for the self-employed. Here are two examples of trade union issues that the SMPV is currently dealing with: The problem of "creeping reductions in workloads at music schools" seems to us to be solvable: Anyone who becomes partially unemployed must have their workload reduced by a full day - i.e. by 20% for a full-time position - in order to be entitled to receive unemployment benefits. If a music teacher loses 2-3 lessons each semester, he or she will not achieve this 20% reduction in one fell swoop, but over a period of perhaps three years. We are currently working on various proposals, e.g. that the average value of the loss of workload over a certain period of time, e.g. three years, would also be decisive for reaching this threshold. On the other hand, we do not see a really good solution to the problem of the lack of unemployment insurance for the self-employed. How can you prove, for example, that you have not received any orders and have not simply turned them all down? Although we are observing Syndicom's efforts regarding the unemployment insurance model, we see even greater difficulties in its implementation for self-employed music teachers.
Trade union work is slow work: you have to analyze a problem, work out one or more proposed solutions that have a chance of being implemented, and then you need partners who will help you to submit the proposals to the right political bodies and ensure that we are heard. For the SMPV, this is first and foremost the SGB and its cantonal associations. Our members also have personal political contacts. The more we get involved, such as the Zurich and East-Southeast Switzerland sections did when drafting the respective cantonal music school laws, the more the SMPV is perceived as representing the interests of music teachers in Switzerland. The latter paid off in the city of Chur, for example, when it came to major uncertainties regarding the continuation of basic music education and the associated performance contracts. The OSO President, Annette Dannecker, was invited to the "round table" on music education.

The cantonal, regional and national networks will continue to help us in our trade union work in the future, when we are looking for solutions to our members' regional labour law problems, when we seriously address the major issue of CLAs, or when we fight to ensure that music education is not sometimes politically labelled "education" and sometimes "culture", depending on which label it costs less, but that music education and art lessons are perceived as the essential link between education and culture and that they are subsidized accordingly.

There are therefore many trade union and political construction sites in our sector. It is therefore incredibly important that more music teachers organize themselves in a trade union or professional association so that the associations that are committed to improving working conditions in the field of music education can also lend more weight to their initiatives. Each music teacher must weigh up for himself or herself which association will bring him or her the most advantages. For example, if someone teaches part-time at a music school and also works at an elementary school, membership of a teachers' association is probably the best option. If, on the other hand, someone works at a music school and also teaches some private pupils, he or she is almost certainly best off joining the SMPV. Musicians who primarily give concerts and also teach music need to check which association best represents their interests and which range of services is most useful to them.

If music teachers have joined an association, they should draw the association's leaders' attention to labor law problems in good time and present them with ideas or partially developed proposals for improving their working conditions.

And then it is essential that the associations concerned regularly exchange information about the status of their work and work together for improvements. The SMPV certainly offers a helping hand!