AN AZERBAIJANI SCHOOL FOR THE WORLD'S CHILDREN

Our fellow Azerbaijani, Lala SULEYMANOVA, who lives in the German city of Dusseldorf, is the founder and director of the supplementary school Pinocchio. In Dussel-dorf she works with the most precious thing we have - children. R+ spoke with Lala about the secrets of choral direction, about how she created her school, and about the first efforts of young journalists in the children's magazine Kids Sicht.

- Lala xanim, your degree is in choral direction. This is a fairly complicated form of musical performance. Why did you decide to study it?

- Among musical specializations, the profession of choir conductor is truly the most difficult and multi-faceted. I was attracted by the multi-functional nature of the profession. After all, it joins all into one musician, teacher, director, organizer, and, of course, performer.

- To an everyday person, waving a stick around would seem to be the simplest thing in the world.

- That's only at first glance. To build an elegant composition, one must not only take into account the individual characteristics of each member of the collective, but also manage their voices. The link between conductor and choir is so close that even the smallest mistake can ruin the entire performance.

- Did you ever work in your chosen field?

- Unfortunately, no. I am a graduate of the Uz. Hacibayov Azerbaijani State Conservatory. But I didn't work in Baku. That was all because I had my daughter after finishing university, and a while later my family decided to obtain permanent residency in Germany. After the move I taught music to young children at private schools, and also gave individual piano lessons in Dusseldorf, where I live now. Working with children was what got me thinking about opening my own school that would satisfy even the most varied interests of children, helping them to develop their inclinations and abilities.

- Realizing any business project undoubtedly requires some financial outlay. Did you have investors or business partners?

- You won't believe this, but I didn't have business partners or investors. I started from scratch. I simply had a huge dream that came true.

- But there must have been difficulties. How were you able to overcome them?

- There were a lot of difficulties, but the biggest one was the language barrier with parents, since the school is attended by the children of immigrants who have come to Germany from different countries. Speaking with parents and explaining the advantages of our school takes a lot of time and requires patience.

 - Your school is international, but do local kids go to it as well?

- Yes, our school is international, but local schoolchildren also attend it. Socialization at school brings the children much closer together, which speeds up their integration into and adaptation to German society. Each student who attends our school brings his own values, his own standards.

 - Is competition in the education market strong in Germany?

- Yes, it is fairly strong. There are, however, also professionals who come to Germany and bring their own teaching methods to the country.

- How do their methods differ from German ones?

- The German educational system largely relies on the child working on his own. Professionals who come to Germany do try to be more thoroughgoing and careful in explaining this or that subject to children. And as my own observation has shown, that's the right way to do it! The child can't always work independently, after all.

- Lala xanim, how many departments does your school have?

- Our school has several departments: after-school educational programs for pre-school-aged children, for primary school students, as well as for secondary school students. Together with those, there are also music, theatre, and art departments. Each department is led by teachers who specialize in that particular field.

- How many students study at the school?

- Today the school has 170 students and 20 highly-qualified teachers from various disciplines.

- How do you select the members of your teaching staff?

- Having a university education is vital. If a teacher received an education outside of Germany, his diploma must be recognized in Germany. And, of course, experience with children is also a factor.

- Is the teaching staff also international?

- Yes, but local teachers also teach.

- How is the educational programme designed?

- Our program is designed so that the children are able not only to reinforce what they learn at school, but also develop skills in and learn about other disciplines. A significant place is given not only to European integration, but also to lessons which give some knowledge of one's own national culture and national history. We work along several lines, most of all accelerated adaptation and integration into German and European societies, all the while making sure to preserve and develop one's native language and culture.

- Tell us, do you give the children positive reinforcement?

- Definitely. In my view, positive reinforcement not only creates optimism in the children, but also instils confidence and increases their sense of responsibility. With this in mind, we give children awards, put together trips for them, etc.

- Your school has been open for five years now. Do you have any traditions?

- We have, of course, traditional New Year's theatre performances, musical events, and participation in various competitions.

- Aside from the school we've spoken about, you have also opened a dance school.

- The school's opening ceremony was in August of this year. It was attended by the burgomaster of Dusseldorf, Herr Gunter Karen-Jungen. I have to tell you that in Germany sport and dance are at a high level. There isn't a single dance school in Dusseldorf physically, and the demand for dance is high. That's why I decided to open the school. And then because it's a very beautiful form of art, too!

- What kinds of dance are you involved with?

- There are different types of dance at our school, from jazz dance to Latin American. I'm very proud and glad to have opened an Azerbaijani folk dancing class as well.

- You also have a children's magazine. What is its purpose?

- I started a magazine called Kids Sicht (German for A Child's View). The magazine is educational. It is published six times a year, for the time being only in German, and is distributed for free to all the city's schools. In the magazine's pages we tell our young readers about different countries, about the importance of an education, and we study English together, among other things.

- Do any of the children contribute to the magazine?

- The students were given the opportunity to write articles for the magazine. We also already have young "journalists", who from the very first day showed their desire to gain skills as correspondents. It's good to see them interviewing famous people, writing articles on music, cooking, and different countries together with adults. I see to it that children take an active part in preparing the magazine's issues. This creates a habit of creative work and increases their self-esteem.