V ienna C O -curricular trip
The Germanists showed the musicians how Austrians deal with
temperatures of 39C (102F) – swimming in the Danube – and
took the whole group to visit the United Nations Headquarters.
The historians guided everyone around Schönbrunn Castle, and the
musicians led a tour of the Mozart House and also performed a
concert for the group in the ORF Radio Cafe.
Afterwards, three of the students reflected on what they had
gained from the experience:
What was the highlight of the trip for you within
your subject specialism?
The standout highlight for me was the walking tour of Hitler’s
Vienna and the authoritarian and imperial city which he ruled after
the Anschluss in 1938. Seeing the material we had studied in class
come to life in the city in which Hitler operated and also the city
in which he had grown up in, the capital of the country that
he called home, was an excellent experience which helped us
understand how it functioned as a political tool for Hitler.
Duncan Mills, Lower Sixth (Historian)
At the end of the week we held a concert, performing all the music
we had learnt, but I don’t think this was really the highlight, because
that was the finished product. It sounds cheesy, but all the learning
that went on before that was really the most important thing.
I really relished playing with such an amazing group of people and
the concert at the end was more of a pleasant by-product than
the main point.
Mika Curzon, Year 11 (Musician)
meant so much for music history. It also connected with the history
that I was learning, as Mozart was of importance to the Habsburg
dynasty. That relationship between the nobles and the artists of the
time was really highlighted in the Mozart House.
Mika : I enjoyed both the trips led by the different subject groups
hugely. Firstly, at the UN Headquarters it was great to see people
who decide global laws at work in their workplace, but I also really
liked the visit to the Schönbrunn Palace because I found it really
interesting to learn about how the 18th and 19th centuries and their
way of ruling really interacted with later history and how their empire
came to its end.
Aleks : The weather was really fabulous throughout the trip so my
favourite activity was going to the Danube and relaxing in the sun
and swimming. The visit to the Schönbrunn Palace was also really
interesting.
How has the trip helped you to see connections
between the different subject specialisms?
Duncan : I think the connections between the subjects were really
highlighted, particularly in the visit to the Mozart House. The same
Habsburgs that I mentioned were also influential in the music of
this period, because it was entirely their choice what music was
commissioned and therefore what music was written. It was great
to see how the dynasty that we had studied in History had such an
impact on one of the other subject specialities.
Mika : I would like to build on that, because even when we were just
learning music pieces, everything about the new ways in which we
were trying to think was related to how people in the day would have
thought about it. This was really important to how musicians worked
at that time, both in how music was commissioned and the power
balance. The aristocracy were really in charge of music. Also, the idea
that music then was more based on communicating ideas rather than
Aleksander Kruzewski, Lower Sixth (Germanist) just expressing yourself. So learning about the historical background
really helped me to shape my view and the way I play my music.
My highlight of the trip was definitely the visit to the UN. Our
guide was very eloquent, and he talked to us about the intricacies
of Vienna becoming the third city to host UN headquarters and
how different political factors influenced that decision. That was
extremely interesting and showed to us the significance of Vienna
on the international political stage.
What was the highlight outside of your subject
specialism and why?
Duncan : For me this was the tour of the Mozart House. While I was
in Vienna to study history, I am also an avid musician and cellist, so
I enjoyed the opportunity to see an important landmark which has
Aleks : As a student who takes both History and German at IB, I feel
more confident to go and look for primary sources written in German,
maybe read Bismarck’s ‘Blood and Iron’ speech in the original, so the
connection between German and History is really relevant for me.
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2018-2019
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