Teaching impulses

For secondary school classes

A special kind of double lesson in music: we offer school classes an interactive introduction to selected concerts as part of their lessons. Pupils engage practically with the content of the respective concert by becoming musically active themselves, experiencing different approaches and engaging in dialogue with musicians. This allows them to experience the concert from a broader perspective.

 

Mozart y Mambo
From Year 7

Sarah Willis is full of enthusiasm for Mozart. And for Cuba. With her beloved Havana Lyceum Orchestra, the horn player realises a dream: she interprets Mozart's horn concertos and juxtaposes them with Cuban dance rhythms. The musicians inspire each other, spur each other on to virtuoso masterpieces and bring the joy of life into the concert hall.

In this lesson, we will focus on the rhythmic composition of Cuban music: What makes a piece a boléro, mambo or cha-cha-cha? How can classical music and Cuban rhythms be brought together and what is particularly important when playing together?

Registration until Fri 29.08.2025

Reference concert: "Mozart y Mambo", Philharmonie.7 - One hour (R)auszeit, Mon 22.09.2025, 19:00 h

 

A new interpretation of "Pictures at an Exhibition"
From 8th grade onwards

Marimba virtuoso Christoph Sietzen and his colleagues from the Wave Quartet have succeeded in creating an astonishing new interpretation: they present Modest Mussorgsky's piano cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition" in a colourful arrangement for four marimbas, virtuosic and with a new sound. Together, the four musicians make the mallets whirl, but also elicit sounds of the greatest delicacy from the marimba. Mussorgsky's famous "Pictures at an Exhibition" is full of surprises in this way. In the teaching impulse we invite you to take a closer look at the work in connection with the marimba.

Registration until Fri 10.10.2025

Reference concert: "The Wave Quartet", Philharmonie.7 - One hour (R)auszeit, Tue 03.02.2026, 19:00 h

 

Gershwin | Ravel | Stravinsky
From 10th grade onwards

The "Gershwin | Ravel | Stravinsky" concert programme is all about contrasts that could not have been greater at the time they were composed. Under the direction of Nicholas Collon, the Aurora Orchestra presents Maurice Ravel's Boléro, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Igor Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du printemps" - all performed entirely from memory. The works, which are among the most famous of the 20th century, bring together a wide variety of styles, united by a passion for rhythm and the sonorous incorporation of different cultures into classical orchestral music. The teaching impulse invites you to engage creatively with the performers and the multifaceted nature of the concert programme.

Registration until Fri 16.01.2026

Reference concert: "Hayato Sumino | Aurora Orchestra | Nicholas Collon", Tue 21.04.2026, 20:00, Kölner Philharmonie

 

The beautiful miller's wife
From year 9

What kind of stories do poems and pictures tell us? What can a song express that a poem or picture alone cannot? How do I process feelings in a song?

The world of Schubert's famous song cycle "Die schöne Müllerin" forms the focus of this teaching impulse, in which the genre of the art song is explored and the students also listen to their own voices - before they all experience the song recital by Julian Prégardien and pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout in the Kölner Philharmonie.

Registration until Fri 30.01.2026

Reference concert: Julian Prégardien | Kristian Bezuidenhout "Die schöne Müllerin", Tue 09.06.2026, 20:00 h

Information on registration

Dates: 1 school visit of 90 minutes as part of lessons (in the 4 weeks before the concert day (see notes for exceptions), followed by a concert visit to the Kölner Philharmonie (see concert dates)
Costs: € 10 per pupil including concert ticket (discounts available for KölnPass holders). A ticket for travelling within the VRS area is included in the concert ticket. Teachers receive one free ticket per 10 pupils to accompany the class and fulfil their duty of supervision. 
Booking: Once you have confirmed your registration, you will receive the concert tickets during the teaching impulse in your class. The invoice will be sent to you after the concert.

» to the registration form

Questions?

Tel: 0221 204 08 355
musikvermittlung@koelnmusik.de

 

 

Tue

3

Feb 2026

19:00

The Wave Quartet

Philharmonie.7 – Eine Stunde (R)auszeit

The Wave Quartet: Dorman | Mussorgsky

Presale starts at 06.11.2025 at 12:00 h

AboPlus Presale starts on 30.10.2025 at 12:00 h (about AboPlus)

Tue

21

Apr 2026

20:00

Hayato Sumino | Aurora Orchestra | Nicholas Collon

Gershwin | Ravel | Strawinsky

Presale starts at 06.11.2025 at 12:00 h

AboPlus Presale starts on 30.10.2025 at 12:00 h (about AboPlus)

Tue

9

Jun 2026

20:00

Julian Prégardien | Kristian Bezuidenhout

»Die schöne Müllerin«

Liederabend

Presale starts at 05.02.2026 at 12:00 h

AboPlus Presale starts on 29.01.2026 at 12:00 h (about AboPlus)