Jeunes Talents Musique: strong commitment from the cantons
On November 22, the ASEM committee invited representatives from all Swiss cantons to an exchange on the promotion of musical talent at cantonal and national level. Lorenzetta Zaugg, from the Federal Office of Culture and head of the federal "Jeunes Talents Musique" program, was on hand to answer questions.
"The Jeunes Talents Musique program has developed a great momentum," noted Eva Crastan of the ASEM board, in her introductory message to the afternoon's fifty or so participants. ASEM President Philippe Krüttli was also impressed by the way work was progressing in the cantons - by the end of 2024, 16 cantonal programs had already been accredited under "Jeunes Talents Musique", and many more were in consultation. Exchanges are all the more important to be able to learn from each other and move forward together, he noted.
How did the "Jeunes Talents Musique" incentive program come about?
Since Article 67a was enshrined in the Swiss Constitution, the Confederation and cantons have been mandated to promote musical education for children and young people. This mission covers both general promotion, which already has its own "Youth and Music" program, and talent promotion. In this case, numerous offers to support particularly gifted music students already exist at both cantonal and communal level, but there was a lack of national coordination. With "Jeunes Talents Musique" and the related framework concept, this has now been available for two years, and cantons can now have their programs accredited by the Confederation.
Extract from the "Jeunes Talents Musique" framework concept
"Im Rahmen der Kulturbotschaft 2021-2024 hat der Bundesrat in Aussicht gestellt, Grundsätze festzulegen sowie spezifische Massnahmen der Begabtenförderung einzuführen. Mit seinem Programm "Junge Talente Musik" unterstützt der Bund musikalisch begabte Kinder und Jugendliche im Rahmen von kantonalen bzw. interkantonalen Begabtenförderungsprogrammen. Der Bund schafft mit seinem Programm kein eigenes Begabtenförderungssystem, sondern baut auf kantonalen bzw. interkantonalen Begabtenförderungsprogrammen auf. Diese müssen inhaltlichen und strukturellen Vorgaben nach dem vorliegenden Rahmenkonzept genügen, damit eine Unterstützung durch den Bund möglich ist. Für die Entwicklung von entsprechenden Programmen unterstützt der Bund die Kantone zusätzlich mit einmaligen Finanzhilfen." Source: framework concept "Young Music Talents, p.2
Learning from each other
For part of the afternoon, participants were able to learn about incentive strategies with the help of a poster exhibition featuring cantonal programs. They discussed various aspects such as cantonal foundations, political structures and enrolment numbers in intensive and fruitful exchanges.
"Lorenzetta Zaugg concluded the afternoon's proceedings by saying: "The strong commitment of the cantons is clear to see. Philippe Krüttli also expressed his thanks, adding that the milestones achieved in a relatively short space of time were something to be proud of.
Information on already accredited cantonal incentive programs can be found here. link.
