The history of shooting is deeply rooted in tradition, community and the idea of passing on knowledge and values from generation to generation. This heritage is also reflected in the music. With the founding of the State Musicians Academy (LSA), the Hamburg and Surrounding Area Shooting Association is building on a musical tradition that goes back over 50 years.
State Musicians Academy founded
What was once known as the Tostedt Training Center (AZT) was restructured this year and expanded into the State Musicians Academy (LSA) and thus integrated into the Hamburg and Surrounding Area Shooting Association, creating a project that connects musicians throughout the Hamburg State Association . With currently 28 music bands in the association, the LSA offers a platform on which young and old can learn from each other, make music together and live in community.
A dedicated team has taken over the management of the academy: Lara Meyer, Merle Prigge, Ulrike Rademacher, Laura Bethge-Meyer, Stephanie Kogtev, Markus Jörn, Andrea Sörensen, Nicole Kleensang under the direction of Marcel Goede. Together they are committed to supporting the state association’s music bands in training and recruiting young talent.
In the future, the LSA will offer various courses in the field of musical training, but other types of courses with a focus on breathing exercises and proper marching will also be part of the program.
Young people should become enthusiastic about music again
A mix of excellent training, great trips, joint concerts and the most modern teaching material is intended to inspire young people to make music again. The LSA will also create marketing material for the music trains and try to enter into collaborations with schools, for example.
“We not only have an impressive range of instruments here, but also a strong team spirit. It’s about sharing the joy of music, passing on knowledge and preserving the tradition,” explains the LSA team. The instruments used include soprano, alto, tenor flutes and the treble flute. The ensemble is complemented by large and small drums, kettledrums, cymbals, lyres, a marimba phone and various percussion instruments.
Part of the work will also be to create a state marching band that expresses in a special way the crucial importance that music has for the Hamburg Rifle Association, which also connects the marching bands and in which the many individual notes become a common composition.
A special concert for Advent
The LSA will present a first highlight of its work on December 1, 2024 with a festive Advent concert in the Johanneskirche Tostedt (Himmelsweg 12, 21255 Tostedt). From 4 p.m., visitors can expect a musical experience that captures the festive mood of the pre-Christmas season. Participating marching bands from Altlkoster, Eißendorf, Elstorf, Heidenau, Jesteburg, Kampen, Neuenfelde, Neu Wulmstorf, Tostedt, Trelde and Todtglüsingen will enchant the audience with their sounds.
Rehearsals have been running since the end of October, and the LSA is already showing how strong the connection between tradition and modernity can be.
Admission is free, doors open from 3:30 p.m. The Advent concert’s organizing team – consisting of Andrea Sörensen, Jacqueline Lengning, Elmar Putensen, Dieter Marstens, Ulrike Rademacher and Max Berg – ensured that this afternoon was a special experience.
“This concert is a special gift to the community and a sign of how vibrant shooting is in our region,” said the LSA team.
The Advent concert on December 1st is just the beginning of a success story that will show how powerfully music can promote community. Anyone who would like to be part of this journey is warmly invited – be it as a listener at the concert or as a supporter in the regional association’s music trains.
