Música en la Casa

The Music Academy of the Casa de los Tres Mundos has been working successfully for more than ten years now. Every year its educational program is reaching more and more children and young people of all social classes.

The beginnings of the Music Academy of the Casa de los Tres Mundos reach back to the year 1992, when Dietmar Schönherr together with Jeunesses Musicales Germany arranged an invitation for five musicians of the professional brass-orchestra "Kollegium Münster" to come to Nicaragua. But they not only gave an official concert in the Casa, but also brought their music out of the Casa to the public places. They gave concerts for children and played in the poor neighborhoods of the city.

Together with their colleagues of the brass group of the Nicaragua Symphony the Münster quintet arranged for a music workshop in the Casa de los Tres Mundos in Granada and that way initiated the educational program of the Casa de los Tres Mundos.

Two years later the Music Academy was founded and at the moment teaches approximately 100 pupils from 6 to 40 years. From its beginnings the Academy tried to reach as many people as possible and therefore not only addresses the inhabitants of Granada, but is also utilized by people of the neighboring villages and departments like Rivas, Masaya, Catarina, Diriomo und Carazo.

Meanwhile eleven full-time teachers give classes in guitar, trumpet, trombone, horn, tuba, flute, clarinet, saxophone and piano. In addition the school currently offers classes in choral singing, solfa and theory of music. Moreover the education is completed by chamber music classes and ensemble play. Visiting teachers and professional musicians from all over the world come regularly to offer master classes and further training for teachers and advanced students. These musical activities aim to support the talented as well as the curious and disadvantaged. The daily educational program was designed among other reasons to mend the lack of arts education in public schools.

These days the Music Academy has an excellent reputation even outside the Nicaraguan territory and has produced highly talented young musicians such as David Salomón Jarquín who is currently studying trumpet in Germany and receives international engagements. In 2001 our school of music was awarded for its work by UNESCO. The pedagogical program is developed by professional Nicaraguan artists. Since 2004 the native-born Swiss Urs Leonard Steiner who works as conductor in San Francisco directs the school.

The classes take place every afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. and on the weekends to benefit from the free weekends. These timetables are coordinated with the everyday life of the children who are in school until twelve midday. Before starting the music lessons all pupils participate in instructions in solfa and music to get to know each other and the world of music better.