Music school director Raphael Amend: A farewell with new destinations
Music school director Raphael Amend: A farewell with new destinations
Raphael Amend, who worked as head of the Bergisches Musikschule until the end, takes over the position of the federal manager at the Association of German Music Schools. The 39-year-old justifies his decision with the emotional bond that he has built up to the music school over the years and the activities taking place there. For Amend, the music school is not just a job, but a place that has shaped it and the development of which is important to him.
Amend started his musical career by completing his training in music education at the Bergische Musikschule and at the University of Music and Dance Cologne, Wuppertal. His professional career began as a fee in the Kolkmannhaus, before it was firmly employed in 2012 as a coordinator for school cooperation. In this role, he was significantly involved in the expansion of the “Jekits” project, which introduces children to music and dance. He has been running the music school since 2017 and was intensively involved in promoting young talent and building intercultural programs.
In his function as deputy chairman of the state association of music schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, Amend has given important impulses in the areas of personnel development and talent promotion. He also took over the management of the State Committee in the State Music Council of North Rhine -Westphalia, where he was responsible for the state competition "Jugend Musiziert NRW" since 2023.
Amend sees its new role at the federal level as an important challenge, especially in times of political upheavals. He wants to work to ensure that cultural education remains broad and strengthen the role of music schools in society. His goal is to make the over 930 public music schools in Germany future -proof and to underline the importance of music formation for democracy.
Cultural director Matthias Nocke praised Amend as a committed and popular music school director. He emphasizes that it is difficult for the Bergische Musikschule to have such a valuable employee pulled, but looks positively at the federal level. While the search for a successor to Amend has already started, he still expects a special highlight in June: the federal competition "Jugend musiziert" in Wuppertal.
Kommentare (0)