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from Wed, 08/21/2019

Musical peace project

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HfMT jazz musicians traveled to the Dominican Republic
"Welcome to Hamburg" (jazz exchange program of the HfMT with partner university in Santo Domingo) © Christina Körte / HfMT

Enjoying the rhythms of salsa on balmy Caribbean nights and gaining new experience for your music studies at the same time - the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) makes it possible. On the initiative of the US pianist and arranger Corey Allen - who has worked with the world-famous ensemble Manhattan Transfer, among others - a bilateral exchange program of three students and two teachers per year has developed between the jazz department of the HfMT and a partner university in Santo Domingo. The financial basis is provided by the DAAD exchange program International Study and Exchange Partnerships (ISAP).

Cocktails on the beach - the University of Santo Domingo offers one of the most advanced jazz and pop departments in Latin America

At the beginning of 2018, the HfMT was awarded the contract for an initial funding period of two years - with an option for a further two years. In addition to Bachelor students on the artistic jazz course, students on the school music course are also expressly encouraged to apply for the program. Last year, this included Niklas Nieschlag, who is studying percussion in the 4th semester of school music. Together with jazz bassist Timon Krämer and guitarist Lasha Deisadze, the three students were the first scholarship holders to travel to Santo Domingo from the beginning of September until shortly before Christmas 2018. "Among my friends, the association of cocktails on the beach often came up when I talked about the upcoming trip," says Niklas. "That changed when we received more detailed information about the university."
Wolf Kerschek was already able to see the quality of the educational institution for himself on site. The head of the jazz department at the HfMT states: "La Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríques Ureña (UNPHU), founded in 1966, has one of the most advanced jazz and pop departments in Latin America. The technical equipment and the wide-ranging curriculum at the UNPHU are unparalleled in Latin America. Even compared to German music universities, the technical equipment at the UNPHU clearly stands out." Expectations were therefore high when Niklas and Timon flew to the Dominican Republic at the beginning of last semester. Their budget amounted to around 1,000 euros per month, plus a lump sum for flight costs and language courses. They were accommodated in the house of Niklas' drum teacher. There was also a rehearsal room here, which could be used until late in the evening.

New perspectives and horizons - about the creativity-stimulating power of a semester abroad

For Timon, the first impressions after his arrival were overwhelming. "So far, I've only traveled in Europe and never spent more than two weeks on vacation. And now this! The country is so different from what I was used to that it was almost impossible not to perceive it as beautiful or at least interesting, even if it was the incredibly chaotic traffic or the omnipresent poverty. You very quickly develop a different perspective on life, even if it's about structures or patterns from Germany that you already have."
However, there were two things that neither of them could cope with until the end of their stay: the disorganization of university life in some places and the almost unbelievable unpunctuality by German standards. "Every day, you could expect classes to start considerably late because both students and lecturers didn't keep to the times. This also applied to rehearsal dates and even concerts," says Niklas. Nevertheless, he draws a more than positive conclusion: "The exchange helped me in every respect. I've never had a phase in my musical career that has shaped me as much as my time in Santo Domingo. It is now conceivable for me to live, learn and perhaps even teach in other countries." Timon can only confirm this: "I have always written music myself, but not as intensively as during my semester abroad: the whole trip offered the opportunity to stimulate your creativity and let you grow beyond yourself. The level of input you get is enormous." And then there's another aspect that neither of them want to leave unmentioned: "Before this interview, Timon and I had a brief conversation about how we could summarize all the diversity of this exchange project. We both think that 'peace project' is a very fitting term."
TEXT DIETER HELLFEUER
PHOTO: TIMON KRÄMER AND NIKLAS NIESCHLAG CHRISTINA KÖRTE

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