Open Young Ears!

Music education has always been a major focus for Ensemble Modern. As early as the 1980s, the ensemble began organising regular school projects. To build on this initiative, the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) was founded in 2003 with the aim of strengthening its support of young musicians in a structured and sustainable way. For more than 15 years, Ensemble Modern has carried out projects at schools such as the Bettinaschule in Frankfurt. Since 2019, the ensemble has also been sharing its expertise with the next generation through the masters degree programme ›International Ensemble Modern Academy – Contemporary Music Performance‹. Students receive systematic instruction in cultural education and carry out their own educational projects at schools in the Rhine-Main area every year.

A new component of this educational work is the format ›Open Young Ears!‹, which brings schoolchildren right into the centre of the musical action: the Haus der Deutschen Ensemble Akademie. Priority is given to classes from grades 9 to 13, who have the opportunity to experience contemporary music in the making during rehearsal visits. They meet musicians from the ensemble, the IEMA and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, which is also based at the Academy, as well as composers and conductors, thus gaining valuable insights into current works and compositional ideas. In preparation, a workshop is held either at the school or on the day of the rehearsal visit. For students with previous instrumental training, workshops are also offered in which they can develop their own musical ideas together with members of the Ensemble Modern – in class or across year groups – outside of regular school hours. All education projects share a common objective: namely, to inspire young people to engage with contemporary music, encourage their creativity, and inspire them to become creative themselves – beyond their usual patterns of listening and thinking.