From Brusio to Landquart: music schools in Graubünden
Graubünden is the largest canton in Switzerland, but also one of the least populated. Some 7,000 children and 700 adults attend 18 music schools in three language regions.
The canton of Graubünden consists mainly of mountainous regions and valleys. There are two large valleys running parallel to the Alps, the Sursleva and Engadine, and 150 smaller ones. This geography explains the low population density and sometimes considerable distances separating the canton's 120 communes, but also the great autonomy they have historically enjoyed compared to other Swiss cantons. For music schools, this situation poses an obvious challenge. Pupils often have to travel a long way to attend classes, as it's not worth it for the teachers. "In the smallest communities, the journeys are long," confirms Mengia Demarmels, the canton's delegate to the Swiss Association of Music Schools, and former director of the Upper Engandine music school (Musikschule Oberengadin) until her retirement. Mengia Demarmels is also involved in the association of music and singing schools in the canton of Graubünden (Verband der Sing- und Musikschulen Graubünden, VSMG)which has championed the cause of musical training in the canton since 1971. The political context is generally favorable: the law on the encouragement of culture, which came into force in 2018, also sets the conditions applicable to music schools, and in particular cantonal contributions, which amount to an average of 30% of chargeable costs.
Talent nurturing: an important milestone
The concept for the "Jeunes Talents Musique" talent promotion program, currently under review by the canton, is well underway. "We're going to take a big step forward," explains Mengia Demarmels.
For the most talented students, the annual music competition, organized in collaboration with the Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden and the Swiss Society for Music Pedagogy (SSPM), is a highlight. Auditions are held in January to select the soloists who will perform with the Kammerphilharmonie at the prizewinners' concert in June.
Canton-wide youth symphony orchestra
Another important VSMG project is the Graubünden Youth Symphony Orchestra (JUSI). In the canton of Graubünden, music schools are generally too small to form their own symphony orchestra, so the VSMG founded the JUSI orchestra.
Exchanges between cantons
Two or three times a year, Mengia Demarmels attends the ASEM delegates' meeting in Olten. She says she greatly appreciates this exchange, which enables her to see what is currently happening politically in other cantons, even if the structures there are often very different.
