Development of Students
Steffen Trekel has instructed a mandolin class at the Hamburger Konservatorium since 1996. His reputation in this area extends far beyond the borders of Germany. Mandolinists from Russia, Japan and Belarus have studied, or are currently studying with him.
As part of the education of the students, he emphasizes not only their musical development to an independent musical personality who can perform technically and musically at the highest level, but also the realistic education which leads to competent, future-oriented pedagogues. Especially helpful in this endeavour is his all-encompassing experience beginning with early musical education in the classroom, conducting ensembles, up to more advanced education in the professional and amateur areas. Furthermore, his experience in organizational and administrative areas through his activity over many years as leader of the department for plucking instruments at the Hamburg Conservatory, and Music Director of the "Landesverband Nord of the Bund Deutscher Zupfmusiker e.V."
Many of his students are winners or have won awards in large competitions for mandolin. All graduates from his class are working very successfully as pedagogues in various musical areas.
Mandolin Students at the Music School
Steffen Trekel currently teaches at the Music School of the Hamburger Konservatoriums and the Kreismusikschule Herzogtum Lauenburg. He instructs approximately 20 mandolin students from the age of 6 up to 55 years, in individual and group lessons, whereby his emphasis is on working with children and youth. The success of his work is also evident through the number of students who have achieved first place in the german youth-competition "Jugend Musiziert". Also, at the highest level, the National Competition, his students have earned multiple prizes.
Apart from the teaching of instruments, he is also a teacher for early musical education and conducts the Youth Plucking Ensemble, "VIVA CORDA", at the Kreismusikschule Herzogtum Lauenburg.
His colleagues value Steffen Trekel for his ever present readiness, to initiate and follow through with ideas well beyond the actual instruction period. This provides his students the space to gather motivating impressions and experiences over and above the actual learning of the instruments.
1. prize winner of the Landeswettbewerb "Jugend Musiziert" 2007 from the left: Fabienne Winter, Lena Makowski, Jascha Kwik, Marie Schröder, Lisa Kroll
Apart from the teaching of instruments, he is also a teacher for early musical education and conducts the Youth Plucking Ensemble, "VIVA CORDA", at the Kreismusikschule Herzogtum Lauenburg.
Jugendzupfensemble "VIVA CORDA" of the Kreismusikschule Herzogtum Lauenburg
His colleagues value Steffen Trekel for his ever present readiness, to initiate and follow through with ideas well beyond the actual instruction period. This provides his students the space to gather motivating impressions and experiences over and above the actual learning of the instruments.
Courses and Workshops
Steffen Trekel a sought after lecturer for Mandolin in advanced and master courses. In the past, he not only shared his knowledge in all parts of Germany, but he also conducted Masterclasses in Russia, Japan, Korea, Holland, and Switzerland.
His strong desire to transmit his knowledge and love of his instrument is appearing in the children's courses he conducts as well as the advanced training for amateurs and master courses.
Japanese members of the "Ottweiler Gitarren- und Mandolinen-Seminar"2007 in Saarland/Germany
Class Instruction on the Mandolin
In the last few years an enormous change has taken place in the landscape of musical instruction. In addition to the traditional teaching of instruments at music schools, the curriculum in the public schools has developed into an important conduit of musical educational theory. Today thousands of children take their first steps with wind-instruments, string-instruments, percussion, guitar or keyboard classes within their own schools.
Steffen Trekel recognized early the potential for the mandolin in such school-internal courses. He developed together with his guitar colleague Heike Krugmann a concept for a "plucking-class", composed of mandolins and guitars in equal parts. Along with his colleague, he has been conducting such classes very successfully at the Elementary School at Wentorf for several years. This has helped bring the previously little known mandolin into prominence.
Zupferklasse of the Grundschule Wentorf
Steffen Trekel is fully convinced that the inclusion of the mandolin in the everyday musical school activity is an opportunity for even greater prominence of the instrument. He also conveys to his students the idea that the work done at the schools will play an important part in the pedagogic activity of a mandolin teacher.
As a result of his early engagement in this innovative realm of the playing of music in the classroom, Steffen Trekel has often been invited as a consultant on this topic at symposiums, contributed to concepts for the cooperation of schools and associations, and authored many articles for music-specific periodicals, among others:
Article (in German) "Klassenmusizieren - eine Chance für die Mandoline?" (Concertino1/2007)
Click here to open the article as pdf-file.
