1. Introduce yourself

My name is Annette Schenk and I have been teaching clarinet at The Residents almost since the beginning. In addition to teaching the children of The Residents, I primarily play contemporary music and have my own musical theater company, AUSDAUER.

2. What do you think the The Residents project means for The Hague?

The Residents involves children and their parents in a very direct way at Residentie Orkest who otherwise would hardly be reached. Going to a classical concert and feeling that you are also its target audience is not at all natural for everyone. Through the children, parents also come to the theaters and concert halls more easily and a connection is made between the different neighborhoods of the city.

 3. And for the Hague children?

Since all the cuts to culture and the elimination of music schools, music lessons again seem to have become something not available to every family. This means that many children are in danger of falling by the wayside. Through the schools, The Residents manages to reach exactly those children who otherwise might never have thought of playing an instrument. It offers them the opportunity to get to know the various instruments of the orchestra in a very accessible way, to discover their own talents and - perhaps most importantly - to discover that making music is just great fun to do.

4. What is your fondest memory of any of the classes?

I really enjoy teaching, but the best part is when you see that a child is really captivated by the instrument. These are the children who join one of The Hague youth orchestras, go on tour abroad for the first time and make new friends through the music, but also the children who send me messages at the craziest moments with questions about fingerings, self-recorded songs and request songs. 

5. What do you hope for the future of this project?

I hope that The Residents will continue to give as many children as possible the opportunity to learn an instrument, attend concerts and play concerts. When I started with The Residents, the orchestra in many schools was just strange. The children didn't take the instruments home, parents didn't come to the concerts. By now, the orchestra is fully established at many schools. Students find it perfectly normal to choose an instrument in group 5, and parents are also much more involved with the orchestra. That it becomes normal for all children in The Hague to at least have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument seems to me a great goal for The Residents.