State Minister for Science and Arts, Markus Blume, said:
»Bavaria is a talent pool for world-class music: our young talents of today are the cultural ambassadors of tomorrow – they carry the cultural potential of our Free State within them. The HMTM Young Academy marks the beginning of a new era in promoting excellence in music and dance. I am delighted that the HMTM, with its own institute for the promotion of highly gifted students, is enabling our top talents to pursue an excellent and holistic education at an early stage. Bavaria is a cultural state with a strong musical tradition – together with the HMTM and the Young Academy, we are leading this tradition into the future.«
Prof. Lydia Grün, President of the HMTM:
»The foundations for studying and successfully pursuing an artistic profession are laid at a young age. That is why the intensive support of highly talented children and young people is one of the most important and forward-looking tasks of an internationally renowned art university such as HMTM. With the founding of the HMTM Young Academy, we now have a place to support highly talented children and young people earlier and more holistically than before. The various programmes of the HMTM Young Academy will to a large extent take up current developments and further professionalise our work in this area as a whole.«
About the HMTM Young Academy
The HMTM Young Academy is the place at the HMTM where children and young people are individually and comprehensively supported according to their specific outstanding artistic talents, potential and abilities. In addition to systematic and targeted preparation for a future full course of artistic or artistic-educational study, the aim is also to provide individual support for young talents on their way to becoming responsible (artistic) personalities. The programme of the HMTM Young Academy is based on two pillars: the young studies programme in music, which builds on many years of successful work in this area, and the new talent programme. It creates the framework for the young studies programme in ballet in close cooperation with the Ballet Academy of the HMTM. Currently, more than 100 children and young people are studying at the HMTM as part of a young studies programme in music or dance.
The HMTM Young Academy sees itself as a cooperative partner and driving force in the network of musical and artistic support for the highly gifted in Bavaria, in close collaboration with educational institutions such as schools, music schools and associations. The fundamental principle here is to take regional responsibility with international aspirations.
The HMTM Young Academy is already supported by the first foundations. Thanks to funding from the Offene Chancen Foundation and the Christel and Wolfgang Ehlert Foundation, additional study programmes and special events can be implemented and a support fund and a scholarship programme can be set up.
The new talent programme
With the talent programme, the HMTM Young Academy is aimed at children and young people aged between six and school leaving age who are highly musically gifted. In this way, HMTM also takes on regional responsibility: the talent programme focuses on the Bavarian regions of Upper Bavaria, Swabia and Lower Bavaria.
The talent programme is holistic and supportive from an early age:
- Early: in the talent programme, support can begin earlier than in previous young music studies. The aim is to provide dedicated potential-oriented talent support.
- Holistic: Teaching in the talent programme involves co-teaching between the student’s usual teacher (e.g. at a music school) and a teacher from the HMTM. In addition, there are courses in music theory and ear training, lectures on content and impulses on artistic and artistic-pedagogical topics. These courses mainly take place at the weekends.
- Supportive: Children and young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged households have been underrepresented in the promotion of musical excellence. The HMTM Young Academy is therefore setting up a scholarship system especially for children and young people in the talent programme.
Interested children and young people can apply until 30 April 2025 for the academic year 2025/2026.
All information on how to apply for the talent programme: https://hmtm.de/studiengaenge/talent-programm/
Further information on the HMTM Young Academy: https://hmtm.de/hmtm-young-academy
