Welcome to Ingesund School of Music

For several decades, singing and music have occupied a diminishing place in Swedish schools, despite scientific evidence demonstrating numerous health benefits, including reduced stress, increased levels of the “feel-good hormone” oxytocin, and strengthened social cohesion. Against this background, the research project Singing for Health in School – A Matter of Social Concern was launched. But can just fifteen minutes of singing each day at school be enough to help pupils feel better and, ultimately, perform better academically? This is the question the research project set out to investigate.

The project is funded by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Memorial Foundation, with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music acting as fund manager. No previous studies have examined this area, making the project unique, both because of the interdisciplinary combination of expertise represented by the researchers and because of the practical singing intervention at its core, which has the potential to be directly implemented in everyday school teaching.

Margareta Uusijärvi, originally from Stockholm, is about to begin her third year in the Music Teacher Education Programme at the Ingesund School of Music. Instead of settling in at the school for the upcoming autumn semester, she has chosen to study abroad through EUNICE, the European university alliance of which Karlstad University is a member together with nine other European universities, during the coming academic year.

“Since the third year of the Music Teacher Education Programme is designed around a great deal of independent study, I decided to take the opportunity to broaden my horizons abroad. I have chosen Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg in Cottbus, Germany, which is part of EUNICE. One of the reasons for my choice is that I have previously lived in Germany as an au pair and speak German. During that time, I lived with a German family, sang in a choir in my spare time, and also took German lessons. Studying at a German university will be more formal.

Two years ago, Annmari Wangin, a lecturer in methodology, supervision, brass education, brass studio, and wind orchestra methodology at the Ingesund School of Music, visited the Pendo Amani Youth Centre in the suburb of Juja on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. There, she taught and made music together with children and young people who were actively involved in music. This summer, she returned together with an Ingesund student. During their visit, they initiated a collaboration with the music education program at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. They also participated in a camp focused on arts activities at the Pendo Amani Youth Centre. The trip was made possible through several scholarships and in collaboration with the Kenya Association.

Pendo Amani provides activities for approximately 4,800 children and young people each year, offering leisure programs such as football, handball, dance, music production, music performance, and more. For the first time in the centre’s history, a summer camp was organized where 58 students participated in orchestra playing and dance. The young people were transported by bus to a school in Nairobi, where they lived, ate, rehearsed, and danced together, an experience that was significant and memorable for many of them.

From September 18 to 20, 2026, members of EPTA Sweden (European Piano Teachers Association) and SPTF (the Swedish Piano Technicians Association) will gather at the Ingesund School of Music to participate in inspiring lectures, masterclasses, and concerts, while also enjoying opportunities to meet colleagues and socialize.

This year's annual congress is being organized in collaboration with SPTF (the Swedish Piano Technicians Association), with a special focus on the piano, featuring both historical instruments and contemporary piano manufacturers.

The congress will run for three days. Friday's program will be organized by SPTF, Saturday's program will be a joint initiative, and Sunday's program will be organized by EPTA. Members of both associations are warmly welcome to attend all three days.

Fredrik Sjølin grew up in Trondheim and is today one of Scandinavia’s most sought-after cellists and chamber musicians of his generation. For more than twenty years, he has been a member of the Danish String Quartet, which continues to be the main focus of his professional career. The quartet also serves as Quartet in Residence at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where Fredrik has taught both cello and chamber music since 2021. Beginning in the autumn semester of 2026 and for the following two years, he will also serve as a Adjunct Professor, funded by Wettergrenstiftelsen, at Ingesund School of Music.

The Danish String Quartet maintains an extensive international touring schedule, performing around 100 concerts each year. The ensemble records regularly for ECM Records and frequently teaches as guest instructors at institutions around the world.

Dear students, both new and returning,

It is almost time once again to fill the halls and every corner of the Ingesund School of Music with music. I hope you have had a wonderful summer and have had the opportunity to both relax and find inspiration for the academic year that now lies ahead.

To those of you joining us for the first time, I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome. And to all returning students, welcome back!