BRG Kepler

Written by Benedikt Andritsch

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The following link forwards to the Website of the school BRG Kepler: http://www.brgkepler.at/www/

 

A presentation about the school BRG Kepler

Prezi presentation about BRG Kepler (German)

 

School Choir "Grazer Keplerspatzen"

English Description:

 

A three sentence description of the Grazer Keplerspatzen (The “Sparrows” choir of the Kepler Grammar School) might well run as follows. - Above all it’s the music that counts. Next to this we place community. And only when these are right do we think of anything else. - The concept works and ensures that the members of the choir, all students or graduates of the Provincial Grammar school, invest a good deal of their spare time to be a part of it. In total, every member spends about four hours a week rehearsing, before or after school, as well as at weekends and holidays. To let one’s voice literally rise up gives a tremendous sense of something beyond oneself and is a source of contagious joy that is truly refreshing after all the other stresses of the “rough and tumble” youth.

 

The “Kepler Sparrows” were originally founded as an all-boys choir in 1967/68 by the then current Kepler Grammar school music master Fritz Haselwander. In 1993 music master and former “sparrow”, Ulrich Höhs, took over leadership of the choir and continued the work with a new energy. Meanwhile, girls' and men's voices were added to the choir, which have given rise to the characteristic sound that is typical of the “Kepler Sparrows”. Thus with a full ensemble, the choir is fully prepared to tackle almost anything in the range of modern and classical choral pieces. Whether for High Mass or Styrian Christmas Carols, everything is carefully rehearsed and performed to the highest level.

 

German Description:

 

Eine Beschreibung der Grazer Keplerspatzen in drei Sätzen könnte wohl so aussehen: Hauptsache ist die Musik. Dann kommt die Gemeinschaft. Und danach erst alles andere. Das Konzept funktioniert und sorgt dafür, dass die Mitglieder des Chores, alles Schüler oder Absolventen des Bundesrealgymnasiums Keplerstraße, einen Gutteil ihrer Freizeit dafür investieren, dabei zu sein: rund vier Stunden in der Woche probt jedes Mitglied, und das vor oder nach der Schule, an Wochenenden und in den Ferien. Freude ist ansteckend, und das Gefühl einer Sache, die über einen selbst hinausgeht, im wörtlichen Sinn seine Stimme zu geben, hebt sich erfrischend vom sonstigen Freizeitstress der Jugendlichen ab.

 

Alles begann im Jahre 1967/68, als Fritz Haselwander, selbst Musikerzieher am BRG Kepler, den Chor als reinen Knabenchor gründete. 1993 übernahm Ulrich Höhs, auch Musikerzieher und früherer Keplerspatz', den Chor und setzte das Werk mit frischem Elan fort. Inzwischen waren auch Mädchen- und Männerstimmen in die Chorgemeinschaft aufgenommen worden, welche das typische Klangbild des Chores prägen. Solcherart ausgerüstet, wagt sich der Chor so ziemlich an alles unerschrocken heran, was die moderne und klassische Chorliteratur an Material bereitstellt. Ob große Messe oder steirisches Weihnachtslied, alles wird seinen Maßstäben getreu sorgfältig einstudiert und vorgetragen.

 

Keplerspatzen singing "Ode to joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven

 

VoXmi

Did you say VoXmi?

VoXmi – this means “learning and experience languages from and with one another” (German: “voneinander und miteinander Sprachen lernen und erleben”) - is a network of Austrian schools that set itself the aim to visualize, cherish and promote the multilingualism of students and teachers.

 

BRG Kepler is part of this network and shows this linguistic and cultural variety with different activities. Therefore, everyone can see welcome signs in all the languages spoken by students of our school in the entrance area. In radio programs by “Radio Igel” at the university of education in Styria students dealt with topics like “multilingualism” (http://radioigel.at/mehrsprachig-leben-was-bedeutet-das/) and “home” (http://radioigel.at/heimat/). Furthermore, multilingual students prove their language skills at the bilingual speech contest “SAG'S MULTI”.

 

 

In the school year 2014/15 a part of the voXmi-students showed the linguistic diversity at BRG Kepler in a short video.

Linguistic diversity at BRG Kepler

 

Moreover voXmi supported the "Mathematical Duel" EU-project with a presentation about BRG Kepler, which can be seen at the top of the page.

Isn't it astonishing how different Polish and Czech compared to German are, although these languages are spoken by Austria's neighbors?

If you want to find out more about these three languages please visit the following links (all of them are in German):