Skype concert between Zurich and New York
Two string classes from Zurich and New York network with each other via Skype as part of an exchange concert on both sides of the Atlantic: the class from the Sihlfeld school meets one from the Baychester Academy in the Bronx borough of New York.
In addition to taking turns playing the instruments, the children will talk to each other about their everyday school life. In New York, André Schaller, Swiss Consul General in New York, and Thomas Schneider, Head of the Culture and Education Department at the Consulate General, will translate the questions and explain differences and connections.
On the Zurich side, City Councillor Gerold Lauber, Head of the Department of Education and Sport, will take on this task and will be supported by Sharon Kim Soldati, teacher of classroom music at MKZ. She previously worked in the ETM program in New York and is one of the main initiators of this exchange project.
The string class program run jointly by the elementary school and the Zurich Conservatory of Music (MKZ) has established itself in the city of Zurich over the past few years. Currently, 74 classes (around 1600 pupils) are taking part, and this number will rise to 80 in the coming school year. In the USA, the program has long been an established name in music education at primary school level under the name ETM (Education Through Music).
