SNÉTBERGER MUSIC TALENT CENTRE
Snétberger Music Talent Centre started its work at 2009, at Felsőörs, Hungary, in a small village close to the Lake Balaton. The founder and musical director, Ferenc Snétberger is a Hungarian born, Sinti Roma guitarist. Ferenc was born in Salgótarján, Nógrád county, an impoverished region of Hungary and he had a tough childhood as one of the seven siblings. He learned to play the guitar from his father, who was the local guitar teacher. They had one guitar shared by all seven siblings. He founded the Music Talent Centre for socially disadvantaged kids across Hungary. So can provide them with the highest degrees of musical studies, to get to Hungarian or foreign music academies.
Each year 60 talented students are being accepted, any instrument or singer, jazz and classical students. They study lasts for 6 weeks at summer (almost the whole summer), and 3 weeks each at autumn and spring at Felsőörs.
The audition is personal, Ferenc Snétberger listens to every applicant personally, by going to the closest city or town to listen to them, so they don’t have to spend to travel, as most of their families cannot afford to do that.
Along the 12 weeks of courses, each student gets individual lessons in their major instrument, band practice for the jazz students, chamber practice for the classical music students, music theory, music history, English, and so on. That means almost 2000 music classes during the 3 weeks period. Besides that, they take part in communal activities and there is a schoolroom.
Results of the program so far: 800 applicants, 300 students who completed the courses, over 60 students got offered place in conservatoires or music academies. More, than 100 hours of concerts are played per year, reputable musicians as teachers. Besides the music classes every student gets a mentor, who keeps in touch with them and their families through the whole year after the programme as well. The mentor makes an Individual Developmental Plan with every student. They set goals together about the results they want to achieve in music, school and any aspect of life, by consulting with the students and their teachers, and families.
CONTACT
info@snetbergercenter.org
