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Radio Rotondes, in collaboration with Radio ARA #10 Reviving children’s creativity
“Every child is naturally creative. That’s why we need to teach them how to keep their creativity.”
In this episode we talk about how we can stimulate the creativity of children and young people. As there is no single and simple answer to this question we have invited several guests from different disciplines and backgrounds who give creative lessons to children and young people.
You will hear Amandine Moutier who gives theater workshops, Niels Engels, a musician who gives drums and percussion lessons, Véronique Cloos who introduces young children to music, and Raphael Gindt, an independent artist who gives graffiti lessons. Together we will discuss how to help children and young people develop their creativity. We’ll start by noting that every child is naturally creative but loses their creativity with age because of a fear of judgment. That’s why to help them keep their creativity we need to take away this fear and create an environment of trust where they will not be judged or criticised, where their ideas will be welcomed and supported. An environment where they are masters of the game. A moment where they are guided and accompanied to bring their ideas to life.
Then we will present two initiatives that give access to cultural and creative activities at an affordable price: Cultural’ll and its Kulturpass for people with a modest income and applicants for international protection, and the UGDA, responsible for music education in some 55 municipalities in Luxembourg.
Our guests
Amandine Moutier
After training as a teacher, Amandine found her passion in theater and chose to retrain herself as a theatre teacher. For the past six years, she has been a cultural mediator at Rotondes where she leads theatre workshops for schools. She mainly works with young people with academic difficulties to prevent school dropout through her workshops.
1:26 — 46:04 to listen to the interview. The interview is in French.
Amandine handles several projects at Rotondes, among which:
- Hip Hop Marathon: For the 11th edition of the Hip Hop Marathon, the students of the preparatory regime will once again be able to learn about the disciplines of hip hop and express themselves on stage (through rap, dance or beatbox) and on the walls (graffiti). During the preparatory workshops at their schools and at Rotondes, they will put together a hip hop show and present it to the public. They will also have the opportunity to perform at the Centre des Arts Pluriels d’Ettelbruck and at the Rockhal.
- Projet V:P is a participatory project where young people in the preparatory regime are supervised by a theatre teacher and a choreographer as they write, direct and perform their own creation. The group will be free to speak on the topic of time.
Niels Engel
Niels Engel is a drummer, jazz musician and teacher. He teaches drums and percussion at the Conservatory of Esch-sur-Alzette. He teaches different styles of music: jazz, Latin music, Brazilian music, Cuban music, traditional music like marches. But he is also a musician and collaborates with different jazz, pop and electronic bands and artists such as Klein, Claire Parsons, Pol Belardi. He also has his own band with Georges Goerens: Niels Engel/Bartleby Delicate. (photo: Eric Engel)
1:26 — 46:04 to listen to the interview. The interview is in French.
To learn more about Niels Engel
Véronique Cloos
Véronique Cloos gives saxophone lessons and introductory music classes and at the Conservatory of Luxembourg City, giving children a first impression of music. She also offers introductory workshops at Rotondes and at the Philharmonie. Here’s a non-comprehensive list of her workshops:
- Labo TipTipTaps (0,5−1,5 ans)
- Labo TipTipTaps (1,5−2 ans)
- All Deckel fënnt säin Deckel
- Workshop at the Philharmonie Luxembourg
1:26 — 46:04 to listen to the interview. The interview is in French
Raphael Gindt
Raphael Gindt is a freelance artist who created Urbano Limits, a non-profit association that gives graffiti lessons to people of all ages. The name Urbano Limits comes from the fact that the classes are open to people of all ages and that the classes are given in an intergenerational way, there’s a mix of people of all ages. The non-profit was created with his partner Daniel Mac Lloyd, with whom he also opened the urban art gallery, the Kamellebuttek, in Esch-sur-Alzette. (photo: Pierre Matgé)
1:26 — 46:04 to listen to the interview. The interview is in French.
To learn more about Raphael Gindt
Cultural initiatives of the month
Cultur’all
Cultur’all is a non-profit organisation that promotes access to culture, helping to remove the barriers that prevent some people from participating in the cultural life. Cultur’all created the Kulturpass, a personal card which gives free access to museums and which gives access to dance shows, theatre performances, concerts, movies, etc. at the price of 1.50€. The pass is available to low-income individuals and families who benefit from the cost-of-living allowance. It is also available to applicants for international protection. Eligible people can request it through one of the Kulturpass social partners. In some cases, the Kulturpass also provides access to workshops and recurring classes at reduced prices. Rotondes, the Casino Luxembourg and the Summerakademie are among the numerous institutions that provide access to creative courses at reduced prices with the Kulturpass.
46:09 — 55:29 to listen to interview. The interview is in French.
To learn more about Cultur’all
UGDA
The UGDA music school is responsible for music education in 55 municipalities of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The lessons are given by professional musicians and approved by the Luxembourg government. Classes take place once a week from October to July, except during school holidays. These affordable courses are meant for children and adults. The registration fees vary from municipality to municipality but for children’s lessons. You should expect to pay between 25€ and 75€ per year for group lessons, and between 50€ to 150€ per year for individual lessons. Adult classes generally cost double the price of the children’s classes but financial support can be requested to cover the registration fees.
As one of UGDA’s priorities is to make music education accessible, most instruments can be rented for free. In addition, lessons are often organised in schools or near maisons relais, or transport is organised from the maison relais to make access to the lessons easy. The UGDA music school also offers workshops during school holidays. (photos 1 & 2: Jean-Marc Ludowicy)
55:34 — 1:07:50 to listen to interview. The interview is in French.
Mentioned during the episode
- Base 1 is a creative space in Luxembourg City (Forum Geeseknäpchen) for Luxembourgish residents between the ages of 8 and 30. It is openly accessible and provides access to spaces allowing to experiment with different techniques like 3D printing, electrical wiring, woodwork, sewing, design software, , among other things. Two coaches are present at all times to guide and assist children trying new techniques. Once they are familiar with a new technique, they can use Base 1 as a space to give life to their own creative projects, like printing a T‑shirt or building a robot. Base 1 is accessible without prior registration and is open from Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 to 18:30.
You can listen to our interview with Base 1 on Spotify. - Hariko is a creative place dedicated to young people between the ages of 12 and 26. It is part of the Luxembourg Red Cross. Hariko has had a location in Esch-sur-Alzette for many years and recently opened another one in Ettelbruck. The mission of the place is to make creativity and art accessible to all young people. With an annual membership card that costs 5€, young people can take as many courses as they want, but they can also visit the premises just to use the materials available to them. All classes are given by artists, some of whom have their own workshops on site. Artists can use these workshops free of charge in return for their courses. Find out more about Hariko in the show notes of episode 9 of Radio Rotondes.