Singing project at the Candleheim elementary school touches the fag! Rescue in sight?

Singing project at the Candleheim elementary school touches the fag! Rescue in sight?

A unique singing project at the Candleheim elementary school is on the brink. Since this school year, the project has been carried out in collaboration with the Donnersbergkreis music school, but there is a threat of continuation due to a lack of financial resources. The Rhine Palatinate reports on the situation in which Viktor Wendtner, the head of the district music school, teaches music to classes 2, 3 and 4 once a week. Headmaster Katja Müller emphasizes that the school does not have a trained music teacher, which makes the situation even more difficult. Previously, the former school principal Kerstin Becker led musical projects and had the necessary training in music education.

The Stretcher Foundation in Mainz supported the project with a one-off amount of 7,000 euros, which enabled an additional music lesson to be financed. However, the application for renewed support for the coming school year was rejected, which poses major challenges for the school management. The reason for the rejection lies in the expansion of the foundation's scope of activity and insufficient income. The search is currently underway for permanent financing and reliable sponsors, as the annual financial requirement for the project is 9,000 euros.

Financial support and local commitments

The primary school's support association has already pledged 1,000 euros annually, and the local company Comexio from Candleheim has made a one-off donation of 2,500 euros. The community foundation has also made 2,500 euros available for the current school year and has pledged 1,000 euros for the 2025/26 school year. This ensures the viability of the project, at least temporarily. However, the financial situation remains tense and a long-term solution is essential.

The statistics show how important music education is for children: Over 60% of primary schools in the region do not offer regular music lessons or these are taught by teachers from outside the subject, such as Stretcher Foundation found out. The “Singing is great” project therefore aims to promote musical education. Singing not only improves the students' ability to concentrate, but also promotes emotional balance and is simply fun for them.

Strengthen musical community

Vocal training is practiced as part of the lessons and various songs are on the program to encourage the children musically. Headmaster Katja Müller is also thinking about organizing a musical to further strengthen the musical community at the school. This could generate additional interest and support, perhaps attracting new sponsors.

The Bertelsmann Foundation has also taken on the challenges of music education and supports projects that strengthen value formation and social cohesion through music. She has specifically launched initiatives for early musical education in order to create spaces in which children can actively gain musical experiences, and so collaboration could be exciting here too.

The developments at Candleheim Elementary School are therefore crucial for both the students and the entire community. The hope is that the project can be continued and the children's musicality can be promoted, because singing is not only fun - it is also a part of the quality of life.