German Music School Association focuses on inclusion
The Association of German Music Schools is meeting today for a two-day conference in Potsdam. The topic of inclusion and professional implementation will be discussed in detail there. The talks are to culminate in a "Potsdam Declaration".
According to the association, more than every second music school in Germany offers special music lessons for the disabled, writes the German Press Agency, also in cooperation with special schools or institutions for the disabled. Around 8100 disabled children, young people and adults are able to make music themselves. Their number is growing continuously.
The Association of German Music Schools (VdM) understands inclusion comprehensively as a general attitude for music school work that welcomes all people, people with disabilities as well as people from other cultures, and also children and young people who are hindered in their musical education by school conditions, explains Ulrich Rademacher, Federal Chairman of the VdM. The Federal Assembly intends to adopt a "Potsdam Declaration" on this tomorrow.
Almost 930 music schools across Germany are affiliated to the Association of German Music Schools. Their facilities are spread across around 4000 locations. A good one million pupils take advantage of their offerings. Around 300 music school directors are gathered in Potsdam.
