SchuMu Big Band
The audience particularly praises the band's enthusiasm, which is transmitted to the auditorium. Founded in 1998 by Prof. Gero Schmidt-Oberländer as an ensemble of the Department of Music Education and Church Music, the SchuMu Big Band consists almost exclusively of school music students. Regular performances in Weimar's venues, but also in the region, are enthusiastically celebrated. Highlights of recent years have included open-air concerts at the Fête de la musique in Weimar, a guest appearance at the Big Band Night in the legendary Moritzbastei in Leipzig, and collaborations with various jazz choirs. In 2012, the SchuMu Big Band played the opening concert of the 1st Federal Congress on Music Education in the Weimarhalle in front of over 1,000 music teachers from all over Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Shortly afterwards, the band went on tour to Luxembourg and performed at the local jazz club in the presence of the Luxembourg Minister of Culture. In 2014, the band provided a musical backdrop to a welcoming address by the German Chancellor in Berlin, and in 2016 they played at the Buchenwald Day event at the German National Theatre. The SchuMu Big Band is partnered with the Uni-BigBand Bayreuth.
Contact
Prof. Gero Schmidt-Oberländer
Professor of School Piano Techniques
Member of the Senate
Director of the SchuMu-BigBand
Klostergebäude Am Palais
- Prof. Gero Schmidt-Oberländer was born in 1963 in Bischofsgrün / Fichtelgebirge, where he gained his first musical experience in churches, in a trombone group and as an organist, he spent his school days in Bayreuth, where he received piano lessons. During his A' Levels he trained the school choir
- His studies led him to Freiburg (musicology, school music as well as rhythmics), to Stockholm (choral conducting with Eric Ericson) and to Trossingen (jazz), during and after his studies he worked as a cantor for 7 years in Neustadt / Schwarzwald
- After completing his student teaching in Freiburg, he began to teach there (Catholic College of Social Pedagogy Freiburg: popular music; Pedagogic College Freiburg: big band; National Academy of Music Freiburg: practical piano techniques for schools)
- After working as a teacher for many years in Baden-Württemberg, Gero Schmidt-Oberländer became a Professor of Practical Piano Techniques in Schools / Music Didactics (emphasis jazz) at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar, he was substantially involved in the foundation of the big band in the school music department
- Since 2000 he has been the speaker of the study group for practical piano techniques in schools in German Academies, since 2003 he has been Vice President of teaching, using this function he has initiated a change in the study system at the LISZT University to the Bachelor / Master structure as well as initiating the Children's University
- Next to his work at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar he leads as a teacher a class at the Weimar Goethe-High School and gives national courses and workshops which already includes Enschede (NL), Lucerne and Helsinki with the main focus on jazz / rock / pop-piano, European song, improvisation, choral conducting
- He is an author of school books and has set up different workshops e.g. accompanying volumes to practical piano techniques in schools, as a member of a national working group he helped to develop concepts for the reconditioning of music education in German schools in the sense of 'learning sequences in education'
- He is artistically active with the jazz acapella-Ensemble 'Quartett Komplett' in South West Germany and with the directorship of the choir 'Päivi Kiiski Ensemble', specialists for contemporary music
- From 2015 to 2019 he was President of the Thuringian state association of the Bundesverband Musikunterricht (BMU)