Janneke van der Wijk interview: “Our collaboration with the conservatory of São Paulo is unique”

Janneke van der Wijk interview: “Our collaboration with the conservatory of São Paulo is unique”

Last year the conservatories of São Paulo and Amsterdam formally agreed to collaborate: the Escola de Música do Estado de São Paulo – Tom Jobim (EMESP) and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Cultural Exchange Brazil – The Netherlands interviewed Janneke van der Wijk, director of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, about the collaboration between the two conservatories.

São Paulo: High quality music education for school children

Janneke van der Wijk: “The conservatory of São Paulo EMESP, directed by Paulo Zuben, is one of the few conservatories worldwide that is responsible for music education at schools, through the so called Guri Santa Marcelina project. Since 2008 the project has focused on the musical education and sociocultural inclusion of children and adults in Greater São Paulo, especially children from 6 to 18 years old.

Through the Guri project, tens of thousands of children in São Paulo from all layers of society, receive music lessons during school time for about six hours a week, comprising of two hours of singing classes, two hours of music lessons and two hours of theory. They also play together in ensembles or orchestras. The best students are finally selected to study at the conservatory.

The conservatory teachers themselves go to the schools in the different neighbourhoods of São Paulo to teach. In this way the children get musical education of high quality and play at high levels as well. Moreover, they train their concentration, discipline, capability to work together etc. Guri Santa Marcelina starts as a social project but in the end it gives children a real chance to develop their musical talent professionally. “

Amsterdam: Getting to top levels musically

“To bring their conservatory students to top levels, EMESP currently works together with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam among few other conservatories. Our teachers travel on a regular basis to São Paulo for a week, to give lessons and master classes to both the conservatory students and their teachers, and the school children. This works very inspiring for all, also for our teachers. Some students come to Amsterdam to finish their studies here.

Earlier this year in June, we went to the conservatory of São Paulo together with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, one of the best symphony orchestras of the world, on tour in Brazil. Solo trombonist at the orchestra, and our teacher, Jörgen van Rijen gave master classes, just like first violist Tjeerd Top who studied at our conservatory before. The participants of the master classes kept on asking questions, they liked it so much that no one wanted to leave. They also performed for us. We heard a voice choir with four voices for example and were deeply impressed with how well the children sing.”

Collaboration based on exchange

“After teaching for a week, our teachers usually return to Amsterdam full of enthusiasm about their experiences with the educational system of the conservatory of São Paulo and its Guri project at schools. They bring back valuable knowledge about what it means to have a thorough and continual musical education system that starts at a young age. This information is useful for the Netherlands, where we lack such a system.

In Amsterdam we are working on the realization of qualitative weekly music classes for every school child in the city in the coming years. Like in São Paulo, children can profit from this in other school subjects and develop their musical talents. They are not only potential professional musicians but also the public of the future. Cultivating musical understanding is therefore indispensable.

The collaboration between the conservatories of São Paulo and Amsterdam is essentially based on exchange: the exchange of knowledge and expertise, the exchange of teachers and the exchange of students. EMESP teachers travel to us as well to give master classes, often in combination with concerts they give in the Netherlands. Jazz students of ours go to the conservatory of São Paulo to study different rhythms there.“

Future plans

“Our collaboration is intended to be a long-term partnership. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding officialised our cooperation that has already started. I am looking forward to start projects together on a larger scale.

Like the conservatory of São Paulo, the conservatory of Amsterdam does work together with other conservatories as well, but not in such an intensive way. Our collaboration based on a joint initiative is unique. We are investigating together how to realize the connection of broad-based musical education with musical education to top levels. This correspondence I consider important and we need each other to learn and come forward,“ says Van der Wijk.

Join the network meeting on 13 December 2013 with Brazilian art and design students at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. At the meeting Janneke van der Wijk will talk about the collaboration between the conservatories of Amsterdam and São Paulo. Click here for more information and to register.

Related links

 

Watch the flashmob in the art museum Pinacoteca in São Paulo by both EMESP students and Guri school children playing Ravel's Bolero.

Interview & text by: Josine Backus

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