Student initiatives at Swiss HEMs

In recent years, a number of student initiatives have been launched at our cantonal tertiary institutions, not only enriching the educational experience of young learners, but also making a significant contribution to the Swiss musical fabric as a whole.  

This article gives students a voice to highlight some of these remarkable student initiatives, exploring their impact on both the HEM and the Swiss cultural scene. 

Student festivals and their quest for freedom
In addition to the numerous public performance activities organized by institutions for and by students, and beyond the most widespread platform for artistic expression at the HEMs traditionally constituted by informal student concerts, which are held at all schools in the country - mainly through student associations with the aim of enabling their members to perform on stage, practicing their programs while reinforcing their self-confidence and ability to connect with an audience - numerous festivals supported by the student community have sprung up in recent years. Programming, budgeting, booking venues, communication, logistical preparation and managing various partners are all skills that need to be acquired, and which today seem fundamental to the musician's profession. 

Tiphaine Lucas, cellist and former president of the PulSion association between 2020 and 2023, as well as a Master of Pedagogy student at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK), explains: "This festival was born of the idea of students who spontaneously organized a small series of concerts. The initial small team of students really enjoyed the opportunity to play, and over the years it has become a unifying project that brings together at least two-thirds of the HEMU's Sion site, i.e. some forty students out of the sixty or so on the site. The association's DNA includes the fact that its concerts are free of charge, although fund-raising activities contribute to the association's bottom line, as well as the volunteerism of its organizing committee, which creates a form of emulation between all stakeholders. 

Another example is the Festival 4 saisons, which is active in the Lausanne region and of which Adèle Chavanne, a Master's student in theory in Basel and music theory teacher at the Biel music school, is one of the association's historically active members: "The Festival 4 saisons is clearly a musical event for young people, by young people. With an average age of twenty years in the organizing team, we have the utopia of being a collective with no hierarchy. In this way, everyone is co-responsible, and we all feel as concerned as we are legitimate. This desire to organize a music festival differently is coupled with original programming, often offering young musicians from the HEM their first professional engagements. 

Impact on HEM and the city
In Lucerne, the Wege der Wahrnehmung festival is supported by the students of the Master of Contemporary Music program, who work together every year to organize this event based on experimental music. The quality concerts offered to the public, for example at Lucerne's Neubad, contribute to the cultural richness of the student community and the city in which it is located. As a result, a wealth of links are forged between students, teachers, music professionals and the general public, deepening the cultural and social fabric of the city. In the same vein, the Lange Nacht at the ZHdK sees concerts organized entirely by students take place throughout the Toni-Areal one night between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., with successive premieres of works by composers from the school performed by their student peers. The AdEHEM Festival also brings together music and performing arts students with their counterparts from other fields of study at HES-SO Geneva, creating interdisciplinary links. 

The examples of the PulSion Winter Festival, Festival 4 saisons, Wege der Wahrnehmung, Lange Nacht and the AdEHEM Festival showed that student initiatives at the HEM are much more than just extra-academic activities. They are a manifestation of the communicative commitment, creativity and passion of student musicians, as well as a valuable contribution to the musical life of the city. Thanks to these initiatives, students play an active role in their institutions and have the opportunity to develop their musical qualities and project management skills, while performing for a variety of audiences and expanding their artistic collaborations to explore new repertoires. This prepares them not only for a full professional career in music, but also to become engaged and responsible citizens, reinforcing the reputation of HEMs as centers of excellence and creativity.