- Good morning director. Well, it has been demonstrated that “the earthquake has not stopped the music”.
Yes, that’s right. Although the earthquake destroyed our building, deeply wounding us and causing a dream that we had been chasing for years to vanish into thin air, music, in any case, continued to be everywhere, bringing with it emotion, resonating and encouraging us to move forward because the magical world of sound cannot stand still. It is part of us.
- What were your feelings during the inauguration of the new school complex built in Muccia?
There are no words. It is a stnning building in all respects and I am sure that it will positively influence the teaching activity as well. It is a place where I am certain that we can also provide a significant contribution, both with our teachers and with our students. Having given the opportunity to our wind orchestra, made up of our students and teachers, to be present at the inauguration ceremony for the Muccia school complex, and accompany Maestro Bocelli in his performance of the Italian National Anthem and perform a few songs was a great “gift” and, above all, an educational moment of growth. I can’t hide the fact that I was so moved that I even shed a few tears.
- How do you plan on reorganizing the lessons within the new building?
As I said before, we never stopped. Just one month after the strong tremor in October 2016, our teaching activities, while reduced, began again thanks to the help of the “G.Ercoli” Professional Institute for Industry and Craftsmanship in Camerino, which made a few rooms in their school available to us, which I remind you, is a prefabricated structure that was built immediately after the 1997 earthquake to house the schools. Undoubtedly the lack of suitable spaces hinders us. For example, we do not have a large hall where we can regularly perform rehearsals with our wind orchestra or play music together and hold different workshops or put on recitals or concerts. In our building, we used to have a beautiful, fully-equipped percussion room, which we also no longer have, and not having all the instruments they need undoubtedly places young students at a disadvantage. The same can be said for our piano students who cannot practice on a grand piano due to lack of space, and instead must use some of our upright pianos that we were lucky enough to be able to save from our school. With the suitable spaces available, the reorganization of the lessons in the new building will include fostering all those training activities that are important for group music and workshops, ranging across different musical genres and styles, alongside personalized teaching for each of our students, as well as organizing and promoting master classes, lessons, concerts, conferences, meetings and reinstating our Music Competition for young musicians from the City of Camerino, which ceased in 2016 due to lack of space after the 23rd edition which saw many young people from all over Italy take part.
- How badly did your students suffer from the earthquake?
Very badly. Before the earthquake, we had over 170 students enrolled, not only from the city but also from the entire territory, including a good number of university students also. Many of our teachers and students lost their homes. Some had to go and live away from Camerino for over a year and many had to put their musical studies on hold. There is a beautiful letter from a student and wind orchestra member called Alyssa in which she expresses her state of mind and that of her friends who have been forced to live far away from their city, but, more than anything, else from music. When she and her friends were finally able to take up their instruments again and return to playing, it was a very happy moment. “The earthquake has not stopped the music” for these children also, who – while it is true that they have not been playing – have nevertheless been able to resume their studies after some time, a sign that in some way music is part of them. Furthermore, if I think back to the first few months when the strong tremors continued to come one after the other, thanks to music our students encouraged one another and came together, and for a long time the school was also a meeting place. To think that only a few minutes before the strong tremor at 9:18 pm we were with our students inside the Palazzo della Musica, which would have soon collapsed, I still shiver just at the thought of what could have happened if we were still there.
- What do you think about Andrea Bocelli’s commitment with his foundation?
Right after the earthquake, I moved into action, looking for anyone who could help us in some way and I have to say that many supported us according to their resources. Then I saw and became acquainted with the great humanity and social commitment that distinguishes Andrea Bocelli and his foundation and I think that it is an example that should be followed by others too. The help that ABF has given and continues to give to our struggling local areas with the Music School project represents the proof and hope for rebirth and new beginnings that we all yearn for and provides encouragement to not give up and believe in our dreams as precisely the slogan “the earthquake has not stopped the music” states, which helped us to move forward in some way.
- What do you think the goal of the “Music School” is?
Undoubtedly the main goal is to encourage the appropriation of the musical language, offering – through a musical experience that is made more complete by the study of the instrument – occasions for logical, expressive and communicative progress.
It will be able to guarantee further possibilities for study and development, also in view of making the musical experience functional or preparatory for continued studies at the Conservatory with which we have had an agreement since 2011, as well as the diffusion of musical culture in the area, so as to strengthen the role of the school as a place for coming together and sharing knowledge and skills.