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Mozart in Europe – Mozart in Linz
Pupils at Linz’s Mozart Elementary School spent more than half a year tracking down traces of what is surely Austria's best-known musical export. The reward for their labors: the City of Linz’s Prize for the Advancement of Integrative Cultural Work, the Radio Drama Prize of the Medienwerkstatt Linz and an invitation to the Ars Electronica Center.
It all started on January 27, 2006, the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Mozart School’s student body broke up into workshop groups and got busy pursuing the multifarious traces left behind by the young genius whose name adorns their place of learning. The investigations continued throughout the second semester: researching, filming, reading, singing, dancing and surfing the Internet. The project’s climactic conclusion came on June 30, when the kids presented what they had collected, produced, studied and learned over the preceding months at the final assembly of the school year. The lineup included wordplay and poetry, a film screening and a PowerPoint presentation, as well as performances both danced and sung. The captivated audience not only partook of a wonderful entertainment experience; they also learned a thing or two of great value and interest—for instance, that Mozart visited Linz no fewer than 11 times, and that, during one of his stays here, he composed his Symphony No. 36 in C major (KV 425 “Linz”) and his Piano Sonata No. 13 in B flat major (KV 333).
A Project of the Whole School
“The whole school—all pupils and teachers—collaborated on ‘Mozart in Europe – Mozart in Linz,’” said Mozart School Principal Ursula Pickner. “But this wasn’t just an exercise in absorbing content; the prime emphasis was on working together effectively. After all, in light of the fact that our school’s 123 pupils are native speakers of 19 different languages, that’s a major challenge for us. This is why I was especially pleased that the children quickly succeeded in bridging linguistic and cultural differences, and supported and assisted each other so splendidly.” Another key point on the project’s agenda was to utilize as wide a variety of media as possible. To accomplish this, Radio FRO and the ORF – Austrian Broadcasting Company’s Upper Austria Regional Studio were brought on board. In recognition of their achievement, Linz Deputy Mayor Erich Watzl invited the Mozart School’s student body and faculty to the Ars Electronica Center for a tour of the museum and a snack.
With queries, please contact:
Christopher Ruckerbauer
Pressesprecher Ars Electronica
AEC Ars Electronica Center Linz
Museumsgesellschaft mbH
Hauptstraße 2, A - 4040 Linz, Austria
Tel +43.732.7272-38
Fax +43.732.7272-638
email: christopher.ruckerbauer@aec.at
URL: http://www.aec.at/press
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