Association of Aargau Music Schools
About Aargau - and the Association of Aargau Music Schools
In 1803, Napoleon decided to merge the then cantons of Aargau, Baden and Fricktal - thus laying the foundation for today's cantonal territory of Aargau. Politically, the canton of Aargau is one of the most conservative of the larger Swiss cantons, unlike in the 19th century. It is small-scale and, in addition to medium-sized towns such as Aarau, Baden and Wettingen, has a rural character. The small-scale nature is also evident in music education, as VMS delegate Valentin Sacher reports. "Almost every municipality has its own regulations," he says. Tariffs, subjects, subsidies and salaries are not regulated at cantonal level. For this reason, the Aargau Music Schools Association has developed cantonal guidelines to serve as a basis for the municipalities. They contain minimum standards based on the quarte open label of the VMS. The only legal stipulation - in the cantonal school law since 1865 - is that pupils in grades 6-9 are allowed to attend 15 minutes of music lessons per week and an additional ensemble free of charge if there are six or more participants.
With just under 70 music schools and around 22,000 students, the number of small and smaller music schools in the canton is high. "The fact that we can offer lessons almost everywhere locally is our big advantage, in contrast to sports, for example," says Sacher. "On the other hand, it is important that we can offer the full range of subjects at all locations and professionalize the administrative apparatus." Sacher himself has been principal of the Unteres Fricktal music school for 17 years - a position for which he gave up his job as a percussion teacher. He now lives out his musical side as the director of the Brass Band Zuzgen.
He is optimistic about the future of music and music education in the canton, as the canton is planning a complete overhaul of instrumental and solo singing lessons. "I see the situation in our canton as a huge opportunity," he says, "We can achieve a great deal in the next 2-3 years." The newly appointed VAM Association Council, which is made up of people from politics, could play an important role in this, which promises increasing political support.
