人2024.03.18
Hamamatsu Act City Academy of Music Project
The Hamamatsu Creative City Promotion Council titles creative initiatives enacted by citizens “Creative Core Projects” and began promoting them to the public in 2021. We hope that by sharing information about the city’s creative initiatives, more people will gain new ideas and hints for their own activities.
This year, we would like to share with you the five most noteworthy projects, which are known as “Monitoring Projects”.
Hamamatsu Act City Academy of Music Project / Hamamatsu City & Hamamatsu Cultural Foundation (Commissioned and partly co-sponsored project)
What kind of projects are you involved in?
We have made it our mission to not only provide our citizens with opportunities for lifelong learning and information about musical culture, but also to help foster talents who will be go on to be active in the musical world, both nationally and internationally. We hope that this will lead to an improvement in our city’s civilian culture and a revitalization of our local communities. In particular, we are focusing our efforts on developing soft projects which will nurture children’s sensibilities and enrich the lives of Hamamatsu’s citizens through cultural power, as well as foster the next generation who will further our cultural arts and local culture.
We heard from those at the heart of the project.
OTA Sayaka
What are your roles?
Currently, I am mainly in charge of the Organizer Development Seminar, which grants citizens the opportunity to experience everything that goes into organizing a concert – from planning and hosting, to management as well. I also run the Children’s Music Seminar, a space which gives children the chance to familiarize themselves with an instrument, experience the joy of musical performance, and gain a sense of achievement by showcasing their progress. I plan and manage these seminars, make all the necessary coordination, do the paperwork, and provide on-site support on seminar days.
What led you to get involved in this initiative?
I was a member of Junior Choir Hamamatsu, a local choral group, for about eight years until senior high school. I gained invaluable experience participating in regular concerts, overseas tours, and numerous commissioned performances. Inspired by the staff who supported these activities, I decided that I also wanted to support people involved in music, which led me to work here at the Hamamatsu Cultural Foundation. As a university student, I actually participated in the Organizer Development Seminar that I work on now.
What is the special point of this initiative?
In the Organizer Development Seminar, members from different backgrounds spend a year learning techniques and exchanging ideas toward the collective goal of holding a concert. You can witness the participants gradually developing a sense of unity that transcends their age and occupation as they interact with each other.
At the Children’s Music Seminar, participants are nervous and anxious at first, but as the seminar progresses, they form friendships through music. Seeing the children with a sparkle in their eyes and doing their best to express themselves through music makes it truly rewarding. This seminar serves as an introduction for children to enjoy music. Our aim is to open up pathways to those who want to endeavor in music field.
What do you want our readers to know about this initiative?
There are a thousand ways to enjoy music and everyone has their own reasons and motivations to do so. As someone works in this field, the message that I wish to share is that music can greatly enrich your life – just as it has done for me. Music is not only for musicians and listeners; it extends its joy to instructors and those working behind the scenes. Whatever your situation may be, you may unveil new ways to appreciate music from a different perspective by broadening your music horizons and exploring genres that you previously weren’t interested in. By trying this, you can surely bring more excitement to your life.
Why do you want your readers to know this?
If individuals actively engage with the programs offered by the Academy and find a newfound passion for music, I believe this can lead to an expansion of their social circles and a whole host of new enriching experiences. As they progress, acquiring invaluable skills and insights, they might be able to contribute to Hamamatsu. When citizens take pride in their hometown, with the desire to contribute in return, I am confident that Hamamatsu will evolve into an even more attractive and wonderful city.
Tips to our readers who want to start something new
Our surrounding environment is continuously transforming along with the declining birthrate & aging population, information society and diversity.
Nonetheless, the Academy of Music recognizes the importance of fostering the next generation of young talent. This is crucial because children now have significantly more options for engagement than in the past, thanks to the growing social media. Therefore, I believe it is essential to continually contemplate what we should offer and adjust ourselves with the times.
Message to our readers
The Hamamatsu Act City Academy of Music offers many more music programs such as workshops to train young talents to become world-class musicians, as well as various concerts, lectures, and seminars for citizens in addition to those I have introduced above. I hope that our citizens take interest in these programs and that I can get more people involved with music in Hamamatsu. Please join us to promote “Hamamatsu, the Capital of Music” together.
From here, we will introduce each initiative in more detail.
Bringing people and generations closer together through music
Children’s Music Seminar
In this seminar, children are exposed to a wide range of music and get the opportunity to experience the joy and a sense of achievement through musical performance. Children from 5th grade of elementary school to middle school can enroll in one of the following three unique classes: traditional Japanese music, music fun class, and wind music. Certified instructors from the NPO Hamamatsu Lifelong Learning Music Council teach the class while high school students volunteer to assist the students.
Organizer Development Seminar
Citizens that apply can get to experience everything that goes into organizing a concert – from planning, PR strategies and printed material production, to stage direction, copyrights and art management. The seminar is comprised of 12 sessions, including a final concert which serves as the culmination of their studies. The project has garnered much attention nationally due to the rarity of a seminar of this kind.
Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy & Festival
This seminar invites world-class wind instrument musicians to train young talents who aspire to also become musicians. In additional to high-level private lessons, the seminar offers concerts performed by top-class musicians including Academy’s instructors and opportunities for participants to interact with each other. It also holds concerts for general public, especially for the local citizens, where the audience can casually enjoy wind instrument music. The seminar aims to promote music culture exchange in Hamamatsu and nurture talents who will go on to the world stage.
Sponsored by Hamamatsu City, Hamamatsu Cultural Foundation, Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Music Foundation
Hamamatsu International Piano Academy
This program offers a masterclass seminar which aims to nurture world-class pianists and focus lesson for adults who enjoy playing piano. These lessons are aimed not only at local citizens but also a wider range of people who can feel the potential of piano and want experience fun and depth of the instrument.
Organizers: Hamamatsu City, Hamamatsu City Board of Education, Hamamatsu Cultural Foundation
Planning and management: JESC Music Culture Promotion Foundation
