Music “made in Steinmühle”: Philipp Stauzebach and his band Juno17 recorded a new album at the Forum

, ,

The German band “JUNO17” took advantage of the fact that schools were closed for the weekend to record parts of their new album at the Steinmühle Forum.

This extraordinary lineup has a history. The band, which has a large following on all social media platforms, has been around since 2015. Its members are Philipp Hofmann (vocals), Philipp Stauzebach (guitar), Joscha Mengel (bass), and Sebastian Schmitt (drums). Guitarist Philipp Stauzebach, from Marburg, was a student at Steinmühle himself. He graduated from high school here 13 years ago.

In 2016, the group celebrated its TV success in Germany when it provided the theme song for the season of *Celebrity Big Brother* with its song “Rebellen.” Since then, the musicians have been active primarily in Russia. There, they have built up a large fan base and have become an integral part of well-known music shows and the lineups of major festivals. With their cover version of the old Russian anti-war song “Beri Shinel, poshli damoy”—originally by Bulat Okudzhava—they performed on Victory Day in May 2019 (May 9), and have been traveling to Russia 5–6 times a year ever since. “We’re all working hard to learn Russian,” said singer Philipp Hofmann when asked how he and his colleagues were getting along with communication. “But we’re not quite there yet.”

Guitarist Philipp Stauzebach from Marburg still raves about the musical support he always received at the Steinmühle. He has remained in touch with his former school—especially with principal Björn Gemmer—to this day, and the sound of the Forum was one of the reasons Stauzebach chose to record parts of his new album right there, where, musically speaking, it all began for him.

(Angela Heinemann)

First Prize at “Jugend musiziert” for Nela Haeberle and her flute quartet

, , ,

Nela Haeberle and her flute quartet won first prize with a perfect score of 25 points at the Central Hesse regional round of “Jugend musiziert” held at the Philosophikum II in Giessen. The “Vier Notenschlüssel” have thus qualified directly for the state competition, which will be held at the end of March at the State Music Academy in Schlitz. The quartet’s ultimate goal—which includes Nela Haeberle (second from the left) along with students Anna Briel, Anna Schwarz, and Miriam Lange—is to qualify for the national competition. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them!

The Introductory Art Course Designs Posters for the Guest Bands at the MaNo Festival

, ,

For the past 25 years, bands from Marburg and the surrounding area, as well as from the sister cities of Northampton, Poitiers, Maribor, Sfax, Eisenach, and Sibiu, have been invited to Marburg for a weekend in March to play their music at the MaNo Festival in pubs and clubs. All guest bands introduce themselves to the Marburg audience with a few songs on Thursday evening.

For the first time, one of the co-organizers, Antje Schmidt, came up with the idea of announcing the bands during the concert using posters instead of a host to mark the anniversary year. A collaboration with a high school class at Steinmühle was established to design the posters.

In the art class, the “assignment” of the eleven bands was conducted just like on popular talent shows: the bands’ songs were played, and the students who were the first to press the fictional buzzer got to design the poster for that band. Decisions regarding color contrasts, brushstrokes, composition, and typography were incorporated into the concept and sketches before the art room was transformed into a painting studio.

“It’s especially the way each poster is individually tailored to the sounds and rhythms of each band that makes these student posters so appealing,” comments art teacher Ines Vielhaben. “We’re really curious to see if the musicians like our designs.”

The posters for the guest bands at the MaNo Festival will be unveiled to the bands and the audience at the Waggonhalle on Thursday.

Winter Concert: Extremely high demand led to a full house at the Forum

,

There were “standing ovations”—and that’s intentionally ambiguous. On the night of the winter concert, the Forum had exceeded its capacity, as so many visitors wanted to see and hear the performers in action that evening. The extremely high demand for our end-of-year musical event was due to the fact that both elementary school students and virtually all high school grade levels were involved in putting together the program. Everyone brought family members—and just like that, our auditorium was full!

For the first time, the children from our bilingual elementary school took the stage at a Steinmühlen winter concert and won over the audience’s hearts with their singing. It was a very moving moment for everyone involved. The 6th-grade wind ensemble, which performed next on the program, already seemed quite seasoned on their instruments, and it was clear from their playing that the students had already performed on a few occasions.

The Chamber Music Club once again delighted the audience with its performances and received a round of applause. The same was true for the concert band, which professionally performed a variety of catchy songs. The 10th-grade drummers, under the enthusiastic guidance of Kerstin Itzenhäuser, provided powerful rhythms that visibly captivated the audience.

Following the South American tunes, the stage—as well as the audience area—was now filled with people. The 120-member high school choir demonstrated their vocal power and performed classics such as “Hit the Road, Jack” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” together with the high school band.

In addition to all the students, a heartfelt thank you goes to the organizer, Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, and the entire music department, who together made this impressive musical event possible.

Christmas Party for Grades 5 and 6: Music, Singing, and a Socially Critical Artistic Fairy Tale

, ,

The joint Christmas party for grades 5 and 6 is a particularly festive occasion every year. Students and parents gather in large numbers in the festively decorated Forum to enjoy coffee, pastries, and the program together at beautifully decorated tables. “It’s amazing how the 5th-grade wind ensemble is already able to play their instruments after just a few weeks,” enthused Principal Bernd Holly about the ensemble, which performed under the direction of their teacher, Andreas Jamin. The performance of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” by the youngest students at Steinühlengymnasium was every bit as impressive as the instrumental music. Ulrike Wilmsmeyer and Frank Wemme, among others, had overseen the preparations for this performance. Other teachers worked with the students to stage a shadow play adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Match Girl.” – A story about a little girl who dies on a cold New Year’s Eve. In this play, which conveys a strong sense of social criticism, the students Jana Farsch, Paul Fischer, Simon Glowacz, and Anna Harnisch delivered compelling performances.

5c: Christmas Decorations and English Traditions

, ,

Till Buurman photographed the handmade Advent decorations created by Class 5c, and we believe these decorative items should be shared with a wider audience. At the suggestion of their homeroom teacher, Jeannine Walter, the students set to work with great enthusiasm.

“Some children, for example, are very talented at folding stars using origami-style techniques,” says Jeannine Walter. This gave the 5c classroom (Room 310) a festive Christmas atmosphere.

Another Christmas tradition in the lower-grade classes where Jeannine Walter teaches English is the so-called “crackers,” which are part of the English tradition during Christmas dinner. These are crackers that the teacher presents to the Steinmühle students strung together like a necklace. When a cracker is opened, three things fly out with a pop, in keeping with English tradition: a paper crown, a toy, and a slip of paper with jokes and riddles. In early December, Jeannine Walter surprises the classes with the cracker chain, and during Advent, the students take turns opening a cracker. Each student’s name is drawn from a pot of names.

 

Captivated by Sand Art: The Audience Applauded “Katherlyn’s Journey”

,

What the audience experienced on Friday evening at the Steinmühle Forum was undoubtedly great art: While three musicians sang and played traditional folk songs from the 12th to the 19th centuries, the lyrics were illustrated in a unique and extraordinary way. Using sand painting with her hands, artist Anne Löper brought all the stories to life. For over 60 minutes, she seamlessly depicted the events on her light table, the surface of which was projected directly onto a screen for the audience to see.
Just like a human life, the content of the stories was not always cheerful. In fact, as a viewer, one should have felt melancholy at one point or another in the text, especially in combination with the music and the deep reddish-brown tones of the images. However, the artist’s painting captivated the viewer so completely that melancholy thoughts didn’t stand a chance. One could only marvel at how the sand artist rendered all the scenes, moods, seasons, and locations so realistically and unmistakably in the blink of an eye, following the narrative directly onto the canvas. The painter’s uninterrupted activity alone—without even a second’s pause—was a masterful feat. With seemingly little effort—yet inimitably skillful to a layperson—she created, for example, the most expressive faces. No wonder the audience in the packed Forum applauded enthusiastically and seemed almost unable to stop.

“Katherlyn’s Journey,” as this timeless performance was titled, is a new project by tenor and Steinmühle music teacher Daniel Sans, in collaboration with bagpiper Thomas Zöller and harpsichordist and singer Ute Riemer. Through their lyrics, the musicians tell a story that sand artist AnneLöper illustrates in an enchanting way. This special concert fit all the more naturally into the Steinmühle’s program because art classes had already established a connection to music and highlighted synergies. To the observer, this seems like a rewarding approach that turns even the less-seasoned art lover into a “fan.” More of this, please!

High school students in the advanced art class design a poster for the Marburg City Library

, ,

Lea Zessin and Natalia Bieker, 13th-grade students in the advanced art class, designed a poster for the Marburg City Library as part of their art class. “Heike Rothmann, the city library’s coordinator for school partnerships, had asked Steinmühle if we could design and produce an informative promotional poster for the city library on the topic of ‘Literature for Abitur Preparation,’” reported art teacher Ines Vielhaben.

When visual media design was covered in art class, the two students met with their teacher on location to develop visual ideas for the poster during an extensive photo shoot. Lea and Natalia became so proficient with the photo-editing program Photoshop that their results were very successful.

The two posters were presented at the city library in August. All city library staff members present praised the professionalism of the works. “Although we had been looking for ideas on this topic ourselves for quite some time, we were never as satisfied as we were with these poster ideas,” said Heike Rothmann happily.

Kick off the summer with upbeat rhythms

,

At the summer concert, 120 students entertained the audience in the packed Steinmühlenforum with clear tones and lively rhythms. The summer concert is one of our school’s long-standing events.

The music student council, led by Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, had really struck a chord with the audience by putting together a program consisting of six performances. With “Rolling In The Deep” by Adele and “High Hopes” by Panic! At The Disco, the performance kicked off with the 6th-grade choir, directed by Daniel Sans and Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, and was an instant hit—many audience members nodded in amazement at how well the notes were hit! The Chamber Music Club, led by Frank Wemme, delighted the audience with its usual high standard and even premiered one of its own compositions. Kim-Luna Kaletsch and her Swing & Sing Club then managed to get the audience moving and clapping along, despite the high temperatures. The Wind Ensemble Class 5 that followed demonstrated just how much skill can be acquired even in a few short months. Under the guidance of Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, the girls and boys had only begun playing their instruments in October. It was clear from the performance of the Wind Ensemble Class 6, led by Andreas Jamin, that they had been playing their instruments for somewhat longer. Stephan Reissig and “his” concert band brought the early evening’s music to a close. Many of the audience members took Headmaster Björn Gemmer’s suggestion to enjoy some barbecue and drinks at the summer festival hosted by the Rudern und Sport Steinmühle club at the nearby boathouse.

Grade 5 Musical: A Lot of Work Shared Among Many to Create a Spectacular Performance

,

So much of what happens on stage at the Steinmühlenforum looks so effortless when it’s finally performed. Yet in almost every case, it’s the result of weeks or months of work. Everything is prepared and rehearsed with diligence and dedication, even in class. That was also the case with the 5th-grade musical titled “Kwela! Kwela!” It was THEIR night. But it wasn’t just the youngest students who were involved in the performance.

The story begins with a crisis: There’s no water in Africa, and it’s sooo hot. This causes problems for the animals—and calls for a solution. That doesn’t seem so easy—with a cheeky know-it-all, a poet in love, a desperate lover, a diva, an old sage, queens and a king, laid-back animals, and thieving spirits. —A colorful group, in other words, struggling to maintain their comfortable lives. A little rabbit plays an important role. In the end, everyone gives something up, but everyone also wins. You win when you lose. A fair deal.

 

Choir and Soloists

The parable about the struggle to achieve a harmonious coexistence, accompanied by abundant music, required the participation of many singers in its performance: The 5th-grade choir, directed by Daniel Sans, Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, and Frank Wemme, as well as the vocal soloists Samuel Kirschning, Justus Manczyk, Annica Bartsch, Carlotta Meyer, Sophia Rogosch, Marie Grosse, and Leontin Schmidt.

 

The Joy of Acting

The cast included Maximilian Glock (King George), Antonia Kurlinsky (Queen Geogina), Stella Preiss (Queen Georgia), Lilian Gräser (Zebra Zoe), Zebra Fred (Finja Simmer), Mats Egbring (Priscilla), Konrad Rothmann (Tebogo), Jaron Häußermann (Wise Marabou), Sude Yilmaz (Frank the Elephant), Liliane Albrecht (Zoe the Monkey), Colin Schäfer (Marvin the Monkey), Neyla Fritz (Tschipo the Rabbit), Mats Egbring (the Oracle), as well as Mika Bredendiek, Max Krug, Jonas Nolte, and Philipp Zielen as the Monkey Ghosts. The performance was directed by Ulrike Wilmsmeyer and Frank Wemme.

 

They set the rhythm

The musical accompaniment was provided by the musical band, made up of students in grades 7 through 11. The following instruments were played:

Flutes (Nela Haeberle, Flûte Seifart, Alicia Spitzhüttl), saxophone (Tom Herfert), trombone (Samuel Ruff), piano (Nina Simmer), electric bass (Janne Schweitzer), drums (Aaron Ruff). Frank Wemme from the Music Student Council played electric guitar and led the group.

 

For Great Sound

No performance would be complete without the contributions of the WU Sound & Light team. The team consisted of Tim Bastian, Finn-Jonas Posingies, Anton Schneider, Luis Klefenz (grades 8 and 9), Raphael Hetche, Basti Sasse, and Julian Textor (grades 10 and 12). Sam Kempkes directed the production.

 

The parents helped

The visual impact of any performance should not be underestimated. The fact that the costumes and makeup were so professionally prepared was thanks to Birgit Niedziella, Alessa Niedziella, and Kira Gräser. Other parents also helped out with the makeup.

 

Great at Painting

The set design was created by Samuel Kirschning and Justus Manczyk (Sun/Title), Janne Elsaßer (Oracle), Celia Giebing, Merle Herwig, and Emma Wagner, under the direction of Ines Vielhaben.

The posters were created by Annica Bartsch, Leonard Berger, Mika Bredendiek, Zoe Closmann, Mats Egbring, Neyla Fritz, Max Glock, Lilian Gräser, Jaron Häußermann, Quentin Herwig, Antonia Kurlinsky, Carlotta Meyer, Jonas Nolte, Stella Preiß, Konrad Rothmann, Colin Schaefer, Ben Scharmann, Sude Yilmaz, and Philipp Zielen under the guidance of Ines Vielhaben. The hand puppets were also used as part of their 5th-grade art class.

Ulrike Wilmsmeyer was in charge of the overall organization of the event. We would like to thank the school administration and Oleg Koch, the custodian, for their organizational support.

 
12
 
123456

Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

  • NEWSLETTER
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • WORK AT THE STONE MILL
  • SUMMER CAMPS
  • LEGAL NOTICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT