Music

Music, as one of the creative arts, is considered an important part of a child’s education at the ISA. Music trains the ear, the mind and the whole body, it helps develop group discipline, it supports language teaching and it introduces a child to the wonderful world of music, which children are encouraged to enter by learning an instrument.

The large music room at the ISA is on the second floor and is equipped with a piano,
Orff-instruments, a child-sized double-bass, several guitars, a drum set, various latin percussion instruments, an electronic keyboard, a sound system and a computer with extensive music-software. We also have a music practice room with a piano.

The ELC and the middle school classes have one specialist music lesson per week, the primary school classes have two. In addition there is a school choir and a school orchestra.

The curriculum includes practical music-making, listening to music, basic notation skills and learning about various instruments and musical styles. In Grade 2 all children begin learning the recorder (Blockflöte). This continues through primary school and serves as a way to experience music, develop coordination skills and prepare for possibly learning another wind-instrument.

Individual instrumental lessons are offered in school during school time by visiting specialist teachers. At present this offer includes lessons in piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone and violin. The violin lessons are given by a teacher from the Musikschule Gersthofen and this is a collaboration which will be extended in the future. A drum group is being planned in collaboration with students from the Musikhochschule in Augsburg.

Concerts and musical events play an important part in the school life. Even in the first year of the school the musical,  “Death to the Minotaur”, was put on with great success.