Instrumentor on semestra.ch.

"I once learned to play the recorder as a child, and then something else, but then I didn't feel like it anymore." This sentence could come from any second of us. But music lessons should first and foremost be fun. That's why Siro Müller and Andreas Brändle have founded a music school of a somewhat different kind: Instrumentor.ch.

By Claudia Piwecki

An instrument that appeals and the right teacher to go with it, then the motivation comes all by itself. Siro Müller, studied publicist and drummer with passion, and Andreas Brändle, scientist and bass player, know what they are talking about: as the rhythm section of Karaoke from Hell, the band that has been performing every Tuesday at the Mascotte in Zurich since 2004, they now play their instruments at a professional level. After their gigs they were asked for lessons again and again, until at some point they had no time for even more students and referred them to well-known musicians. That was the beginning of Instrumentor.

The main goal of Instrumentor is to allow students to choose their teacher of choice based on their own criteria. "Incredible but true: there was nothing like this until now!" says Siro. "While various reforms have been made in the education system regarding individualized instruction, the music school has fallen by the wayside entirely. Medieval curricula imposing arbitrary age or style restrictions spoil fun and motivation from the start." Siro has experienced this himself. As a five-year-old toddler, he built his own drum kit out of cooking pots, driving his mother to the brink of despair. At first, they wouldn't take him to the community drum lessons because he was too young. Thanks to his mother's powers of persuasion, they made an exception - but also quickly put an end to everything when they said he was only allowed to play the drums because of his young age. Fortunately, two months later he found a private teacher who knew how to deal with the drum-loving three-year-old and today Siro is still just as pissed off as he was back then.

Learning from the greats
Thanks to the connections Siro and Andreas have in the Swiss music scene, you can, for example, learn guitar from Boris Müller, who has already been on stage with Placebo, or singing from Anna Känzig, the Swiss version of Norah Jones. Each teacher is vetted by Instrumentor and can be tested during a free trial lesson. "We attach great importance to our teachers being active and enthusiastic musicians themselves," emphasizes Siro. Regular performances not only demonstrate their competence, but also their role model function. Instrumentor has been around since the end of 2011 and is constantly growing. Siro and Andreas would like to be able to offer as many instruments and musical styles as possible in as many places as possible.
In addition to music lessons, Instrumentor regularly hosts workshops. In August, for example, you could learn how to record music yourself - with none other than Lee Everton, who has produced albums for Phenomden, Seven or Sektion Kuchikäschtli.

You're never too old to play music, and especially as a student it's a wonderful balance to the daily routine of studying. The two full-blooded musicians know what they are talking about: Siro finished his studies in journalism in Zurich two years ago and Andreas is a PhD student at the IPMZ and has spent the last three years in communication science research. Pick up the strings and get ready for a new hobby! Or first to the keys for more information on music lessons at www.instrumentor.ch.

Keep up to date on Instrumentor's blog or the Facebook page, where Siro and Andreas sometimes also chat from their own musician's secrets, present workshops and share practical tips.