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Limburg | June 25, 2024

John Gubbels: 'SMK helps you grow!'

John Gubbels is director of SMK music and dance in Kerkrade. At SMK, they believe that discovering and developing talents through music and dance leads to personal growth and greater harmony within society. This applies to everyone, regardless of age, background, musical taste, skill level, goal, or the size of the scholarship. With the support of the Limburg Youth Fund for Sports and Culture, children can also participate in SMK.

With the "More Harmony in Society" program, SMK connects education and the socio-cultural domain. Together, they aim to remove potential barriers to participating in musical and cultural activities for every child. Structural and sustainable collaboration contributes positively to well-being, participation, and inclusion within the region. This also contributes to preventative youth care.

Music and dance at school

Around 300 children have already been able to participate in music and dance lessons at SMK with support from the Limburg Youth Fund for Sports and Culture. In total, SMK now reaches approximately 8,000 children in the municipalities of Landgraaf, Kerkrade, and Brunssum. These children receive music lessons from a specialist teacher in primary school. SMK also offers various after-school projects, such as wind instrument classes, choir classes, DJ bands, pop bands, and more. This allows children to experience making music or singing together in a variety of ways.

Cooperation

John Gubbels explains why it's important for every child to be able to participate: "There are significant concerns about growing poverty in families and the multiplication of problems. For example, one in four children in the four major municipalities of Parkstad grows up in poverty. It's not a given for these children to be involved in music and culture. We hear from parents that they find it very rewarding that their child can experience and participate in these activities at school."

Not all parents allow their children to participate in our (free) after-school program. They worry that their child will become overly motivated to pursue music or dance, and they can't afford it. That's why SMK is pleased with the excellent collaboration with the Youth Fund for Sport & Culture: this way, every child can participate in regular music or dance lessons through an individual contribution—after the introduction at school.