CONCEPT
From a musical instrument to an integration instrument.
The goal of our organization Open Piano for Refugees is to bring people from all backgrounds together by placing freely accessible grand pianos in public spaces. Places of encounter are created where language and words are unnecessary and social participation and inclusion are strengthened.
With the donations we received, we enabled almost 20 refugees in Vienna to learn the piano free of charge in what was then the “Piano School for Refugees”. The lessons at the MZW – ‘Musisches Zentrum Wien’ were a success and soon became an inspiration for many more projects. The motivation of everyone involved was an incentive for us to use the great potential in another way.
That’s when in 2018 we founded “DoReMi – the social music school”.
Music education often illustrates the dynamics of privilege and hierarchy. Not every person has access. That is why the music school DoReMi differs through its social approach and its cultural diversity in participation and music subjects, as well as its financial concept. Based on a pay-as-much-you-can basis, students with less financial means pay less, while higher-income students pay more so that others can also get music lessons.
Music lessons are based on a pair system where people from different socio-economic backgrounds enjoy lessons together.