Deteriorating conditions at the primary music school in Chur

The municipal council of the city of Chur will be informed of the changes to the primary music school at its meeting on Thursday, 7.9.2023. The proposal is expected to save the city CHF 44,000. The ones who will suffer are the 1st graders and the teachers.

Two round tables were convened in the spring to discuss music education in the city of Chur on a broad basis with the music education associations.
The second round table focused exclusively on the primary music school and possible improvements. The city's guidelines applied: 400,000 must be saved in the area of education and the 1st graders currently have two hours too many in the timetable. Everyone agreed that savings should not be made in music education, that primary music school should continue to be included as a subject in the morning timetable, if necessary instead of a "normal" music lesson, and that half-class lessons are absolutely essential to allow teachers to work in depth with the children.

The current partial revision of the Education Act almost completely ignores the postulates of the round table's music education representatives:
Year 1 pupils now have to register for the primary music school rather than deregister, and lessons have been moved to the afternoon, which makes it impossible for primary music school teachers to earn a living wage, as there are now only 4 x 2 afternoon lessons available rather than 5 x 4 or even 6 lessons as before. Nevertheless, and this is an important point, half-class lessons have been retained.
This proposal has major disadvantages. The very children who benefit from holistic lessons, in which all the senses are addressed in a playful way and learning content is taught, will no longer be able to enjoy these lessons, as parents will now have to register their offspring and if there is no understanding of music, registration will simply not take place.
Primary music school teachers will no longer be able to secure a living wage and it is questionable whether qualified teachers can even be found for two afternoon lessons. In the long term, lessons will therefore once again be taught by unqualified teachers and the quality of the primary music school will naturally suffer as a result.

On the one hand, 400,000 is being invested in the promotion of musical talent, but the very vessel in which early talent can be recognized, even if it is a child who has not yet come into contact with music, is being criminally plucked. In the end, only those children are supported who are already being supported anyway, as their parents are already interested in music and have the necessary income.
If the city of Chur dreams of a city of music, then it must invest in early musical education and grant all children access to musical education, as required by constitutional article 67a.
The associations and interest groups are irritated by the fact that this school revision was simply decided on, the arguments of the round tables were almost completely ignored and there was no consultation process. The Chur Primary Music School Association has written a letter of objection to the municipal councillors and the Education Commission, listing these disadvantages in detail, in the hope that this school revision will be reconsidered.

The SMPV OSO cannot approve of this approach.
He does not agree with this reduction proposal, which ignores practically all the arguments of the round tables and where a basic musical education that serves as a role model for the entire canton is being ripped apart for a potential saving of 40,000. Everywhere in the canton, music education based on the Chur model is being integrated into the timetables of 1st graders, in some places even a 2nd grade can benefit from music education, but the city of Chur is abolishing a system that has worked successfully for years and in which everyone involved was happy.we will work to ensure that the primary music school takes place in the morning again as before, that the children have to be deregistered and that there will be an expansion of basic music education. So that the children of the city of Chur can develop musically in a holistic way!