“JeKits” is an elementary school cultural education programme of the state of North Rhine- Westphalia. It has three focal points in the choices it offers: instruments, dancing or singing. It runs until the end of your child’s time at primary school.


Objectives

At the heart of JeKits is the joy of making music and dancing within the community. JeKits wants to create enthusiasm among children to express themselves through musical or dance means.
JeKits wants to reach as many children in North Rhine-Westphalia as possible, irrespective of their origins or their social background.
Through collaboration between schools and extracurricular partners, JeKits wants to create the momentum for a communal educational landscape.


Cooperation partners

In order to be in a position to implement the JeKits programme, the elementary school will be cooperating with an extracurricular partner. This is regularly the local school of music and where the focal point is dance, this can also be a dance institute. The teaching staff of the extracurricular partner comes to the elementary school for the lessons specially. JeKits serves as a supplementary lesson to music class in school, however does not replace this.

Three focal points

Every JeKits elementary school offers one of the three focal points – instruments, dance or singing – in its school. The JeKits programme begins either in the first or second school year of enrolment into the elementary school phase.
You can obtain further information on the subject from the respective elementary schools.
Use our interactive Google Maps map on the homepage to find all cities, elementary schools, schools of music and miscellaneous cooperation partners participating in JeKits near you.

This takes you to the page: “JeKits near me”


Information on the focal point instruments

The first JeKits year

The first JeKits year offers a musical grounding as an entry course in making music together to all children of a class. The children will discover the world of music and instruments in a playful approach. In the process they will sing, dance and make music with different instruments. Children can try out the instruments available to choose from for the second JeKits year themselves. This will give children their first experiences using the instrument in class.
At the end of the first JeKits year children can decide whether they wish to participate in the second JeKits year and choose to play one of the musical instruments offered at their elementary school. This can be the guitar, the Turkish bağlama, the violin or trumpet. Enquire what the different instruments are that are available to choose from at your elementary school.
The JeKits lesson takes place once a week for all children in the context of class and forms part of school instruction. Teaching is done in “tandem” i.e. the teacher from the school of music presents the lesson together with the elementary school teacher. Participation is obligatory and free of charge.


From the second year of JeKits onwards

From the second JeKits year the lessons builds on the content learned in the first JeKits year. From the outset the children make music together in the “JeKits Orchestra”. Gradually the individually chosen instruments are incorporated into the making of music together. They will play sound stories, songs, simple accompaniments and short pieces of music.
To play in the JeKits orchestra an extra lesson is added in which children obtain lessons on their instrument in small groups. Here they are able to expand their skills and their musical knowledge on the musical instrument. Within the framework of the second JeKits year children put on a performance for the school, parents, friends and relatives.
The children are given two lessons a week: one lesson in the JeKits Orchestra and a further one in the instrumental group. The lesson is given by the music teachers from the School of Music. Participation is voluntary and subject to a fee and requires prior registration.

Information on the focal point dancing

The first JeKits year

The first JeKits year offers grounding in dance as an entry course in collective dancing to all children of a class. The children will discover the world of music and dance in a playful approach. They will be introduced to basic dance moves and will learn many different forms of presentation and movement of contemporary dance. This will give children the opportunity to have their first experience of dancing in class. At the end of the first JeKits year they can decide on participation in the second JeKits year.
The JeKits lesson takes place once weekly for all children as a class and forms part of school. Teaching is done in “tandem” i.e. the teacher from the school of music (or dance institute) presents the lesson together with the elementary school teacher. Participation is obligatory and free of charge.


From the second year of JeKits onwards

From the second JeKits year the lessons builds on the content learned in the first JeKits year. From the outset the children dance together in the “JeKits Dance Ensemble”. In the process training takes place in dancing skills like coordination, balance and flow of movement. The children experience their bodies as their own individual “instrument” with which they can express in dance. The focus is on the children’s own ideas and experiences are translated and arranged into dance forms. The diversity of different dance techniques and styles is addressed in the lesson, as are first choreographic processes and improvisation techniques.
Within the framework of the second JeKits year children enact a performance for the school, parents, friends and relatives.
The children are given two lessons a week in the JeKits Dance Ensemble. The lesson is given by the dance instructors from the School of Music (or Dance Institute). Participation is voluntary and subject to a fee and requires prior registration.

Information on the focal point singing

The first JeKits year

The first JeKits year offers a musical grounding as an entry course in singing together to all children of a class. The children will discover the world of music and sing in a playful approach. Through the first songs and voice games they will experience the diversity of their own voice capabilities and this will give children the opportunity to have their first experience of singing in class. At the end of the first JeKits year they can decide on participation in the second JeKits year.
The JeKits lesson takes place once a week for all children in the context of class and forms part of school instruction. Teaching is done in “tandem” i.e. the teacher from the school of music (or a comparable institute) presents the lesson together with the elementary school teacher. Participation is obligatory and free of charge.


From the second year of JeKits onwards

From the second year of JeKits the lessons builds on the content learned in the first JeKits year. The children sing in the “JeKits Choir” in which all registered children participate. The children learn a variety of song types like refrains and canons and accompany these with gestures and movements. In the process they experience their voices as their own natural individual “instrument” and expand their singing skills. They learn to express themselves musically with their voices. Voice training constitutes an important part of choir singing. Depending on the size of the choir, the choir conductor is supported by an additional voice training teacher. Within the framework of the second JeKits year children enact a performance for the school, parents, friends and relatives.
The children are given two lessons a week in the JeKits Choir. The lesson is given by the music teachers from the School of Music (or a comparable institute). Participation is voluntary and subject to a fee and requires prior registration.

Participation in the JeKits programme

In the first JeKits year participation in the programme is free. All children automatically take part in JeKits 1 since the JeKits lesson is presented within the framework of school instruction as a class.
Taking part from the second JeKits year it is voluntary and subject to a fee. Parents are eligible to pay the following monthly contributions per child:

  • Focal point instruments: 26 €
  • Focal point dance: 19 €
  • Focal point singing: 13.50 €

Reduced contributions and exemptions

It is JeKits’ intention to reach as many children as possible in North Rhine-Westphalia and is expressly aimed at all children of a JeKits school irrespective of their origin or social background.
Fundamentally a family’s difficult financial situation should not be grounds for non-participation in JeKits.
Reduced contributions and exemptions have been designed for this. Children from families receiving Unemployment Benefits ll, Social Welfare or similar social security benefits are exempt from the participation fees.
For children whose parents receive housing benefits, child supplements or educational support or benefits according to the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, participation is likewise free of charge.
If two or more children of one family participate in the programme, the full amount is only payable for the first child, for every additional child only half the amount is payable.

About us

The programme is financed by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia with an annual sum of 10.74 million Euros with the participation of the North Rhine-Westphalia municipalities and the participating families.
The agency for the JeKits programme is the non-profit JeKits Foundation with headquarters in Bochum.
The Chief Executives and co-workers of the JeKits Foundation consult with schools and their extracurricular cooperation partners in the implementation of the new JeKits programme, as well as the JeKi programme running parallel to it. They take care of interregional tasks
(e.g. conceptualisation, communication, further training of teachers) and guarantee the transfer of knowledge in the municipalities, elementary schools as well as their extra curricular cooperation partners for instance schools of music (with municipal or independent sponsorships) or dance institutes.

If you are contacting us for the first time please use the contact form

The JeKits Foundation Team