This is a novel scheme, whereby DoReMi follows a ’pay what you can’ concept, meaning that people with lower income are supported by the ones who can afford to pay a bit more. It is a wonderfully creative way of reaching people who would not otherwise have access to this kind of learning. Furthermore, a person with a migration background takes music lessons alongside someone local. This way, friendships can be formed, cultural exchange takes place, and the migrated person feels a little more like a part of Austrian society.

It has been found that people who have suffered the loss of their homeland and endured a long migration can recover and integrate more quickly if they are able to express themselves through music and learning an instrument.

The National project funded some new equipment for the office, as well as a number of instruments that can be loaned to students. More instruments means more students can be taught. Our contact with the Open Music Project was excellent, and when I was in Vienna on a recent visit, I went to see the Music School for myself. I was welcomed by the school’s director, a young and enthusiastic man, and over a breakfast of home-baked bread and jam, he told me the story behind the Music School.

In 2016, after Austria had taken in a great many refugees, he and a friend had the idea of placing a piano in a public space for anyone to play. A mix-up with the piano rental company turned their request for ’one piano for one day’ into ’ten pianos for ten days. The pianos ended up scattered across Vienna, and players and onlookers alike had such a good time that donations came flooding in. By the end of that fortnight, they had raised enough money to rent a space and start giving music lessons. The idea was a huge success, and demand kept growing, so a larger space was rented, more students joined, and more instruments were needed.

As a not-for-profit organisation, they still need extra funding : the school runs at a loss of around €6,000 a month, which has to be covered through sponsors and Open Piano sessions. Students are asked to contribute what they can, and sometimes the less well-off student is helped by the other in the pair. There are countless heart-warming stories to tell, and the cooperation within each "tandem" fosters real understanding and acceptance — helping with both integration and the healing of trauma. What struck me most was the boundless enthusiasm, trust, care and attention devoted to this truly unique enterprise.

Our Association will be asked to help fund some further instruments for the start of the new academic year. We wish this fresh, young initiative every success for the future, and hope it attracts many more sponsors, so that it can go on helping people with migration backgrounds to integrate and discover the beauty of music.

Renate Smith,
Austrian Group