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From Mongolia to Bolivia: Around the world, young people are now proving how easy it is to learn German – at least well enough to write a song in the foreign language. Samples from a unique music project.

Izmir in May: “... plötzlich schienst du wie die Sonn’ in mein Leben hinein, ... immer nur dich!” Canan and Özgün, both sixteen, German learners from Turkey, confess their love in a duet. A stage has been set up in the schoolyard of the Takev School. The Goethe-Institut has invited the pupils to a concert by Bates'n'Green, the German band that is now touring southeastern Europe.

Izmir is the second stop after Belgrade. Ankara, Bucharest, Sliven, Tirana, Athens, Sarajevo and Split still lie ahead. Yet it’s already clear that the pupils are thrilled. It’s a different kind of German lesson.

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Beforehand, during the previous creative writing workshop, the musicians from the band showed the pupils that German is not difficult at all and that they can write a song in the foreign language in no time. The participants wrote their songs within four hours under the instruction of the German professionals: two stanzas and a refrain.

In the afternoon, everyone has a chance to record their song. The microphone stands in the room and Loco Green offers advice, while the others are quiet. The pupils wait until the recording is finished before clapping loudly. That morning the pupils had already performed their songs for one another with the band accompanying them. That’s how quickly you can be in front of an audience with a self-written song in German.

The CD is coming in 2010

Each pupil was given a hooting tribute and is proud of their lines. The German teachers who are accompanying their pupils to the workshop are in part speechless; they didn’t anticipate such foreign language skills. Everyone wants to perform their song and enjoy the audience’s applause.

DEiNE STiMME is a project by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the Klangbildverlag and Zughafen from Erfurt, which for the second time have put together a contest for the German language. Now, the task for German learners from 19 countries is: choose a rhythm, write lyrics, record the song and upload it to the website. The pupils have until 15 November 2009 to do so.

DEiNE STiMME worldwide - four audio clips

Daniela, Bukarest:
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Canan und Özgün, Izmir:
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Marija, Split:
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Samir und Benjamin, Sarajevo:
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The reward awaiting each national winner is an additional incentive: together with the winners from the other participating countries, the pupils will be invited to come to Germany for a few days. There, they will professionally record their song together with the other winners in January 2010 at the Zughafen Studio. The songs, newly arranged and produced, will then be brought out on a CD as teaching material.

The winners will be chosen by a jury of German musicians, the project team and the Goethe-Instituts of the respective countries. The criteria are neither language level nor musical talent. Even the very youngest German learners will have a chance to win.

The DEiNE STiMME 2009 CD will come out in March 2010 and its 19 songs will demonstrate that it’s worth it to learn German at school. “We are especially curious about the cultural differences in the use of language,” says Antje Hübner from Klangbildverlag.

“The kid’s themes are similar”

Instrumental versions of familiar German songs from various music genres are offered to use – and all under the guidance of Norman Bates, Loco Green and Kronstädta, who have been running workshops worldwide since 2003. The well-known Erfurt songwriter Clueso takes up the function of the project’s ambassador.

It is now half time. In addition to southeastern Europe, the DEiNE STiMME team has already travelled South America. In August they will go on to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Italy, China, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan. “We will be recording the final songs on location in early November and are already looking forward to the results,” relates Bates, who has held over 200 workshops for pupils and teachers. “After our first long phase, it’s already clear that around the world the kid’s themes are similar.”

The Goethe-Institut Ankara is in charge of the project. This is where it has enjoyed its greatest success: 30,000 spectators attended the concerts by Clueso and Bates'n'Green at Hacettepe University this May.