Austria continues to ban music lessons

So far, no justification has been given for this measure, writes the Music Council in an open letter to the responsible federal minister. It is also not clear whether this is due to Covid-19-related hygiene measures or school policy considerations.

The Music Council can imagine that meaningful teaching (with class sizes halved anyway) is indeed possible. In any case, it finds this measure "incomprehensible insofar as it would be very important, especially at this time of year, to compensate for the enormous strain on pupils with regard to homeschooling and distance learning and the lack of emotional development due to social isolation and one-sided forms of learning!"

It is also unclear whether this also affects the compulsory subjects of instrumental music and singing (at ORGs and special music schools) as well as musicology lessons at special music schools and music grammar schools. This decision would also have to be coordinated and communicated with regard to music school teaching and teaching at conservatories. It is also questionable how this teaching ban should be dealt with in elementary school, where music is seen as part of the overall integrative teaching and as an educational principle.

The following can be used as a guideline: Individual lessons are possible with a safety distance and compulsory masks, measures such as partitions are required for singing and wind instruments, singing and making music in small groups depends on the size of the room (safety distance of at least 1.5 meters). Otherwise, music lessons can take place as usual.