PLAY BASED MUSIC 𓂃 Janine Feuermann 𓂃
PLAY BASED MUSIC 𓂃 Janine Feuermann 𓂃
I was that child who once gave up.
At ten years old, I closed the lid of my piano and didn’t open it again. Because I was told I wasn’t talented enough.
It took eight years, and the kindest, most forward-thinking pianist I have ever met to reignite the spark.
In that moment, I made a promise to my ten-year-old self: I would find a way to teach music that lights up inspiration instead of extinguishing it.
It took many years, hundreds of students, and the experience of becoming a mother.
But I kept that promise.
My Professional Background
I am a music educator, singer, songwriter and music producer.
For over 15 years, I have worked with children across two areas of music education: early childhood music and instrumental teaching.
The idea behind Play Based Music emerged long before I implemented it at any particular school. Early in my teaching career, I began working with colours, playful activities and visual approaches. Because I saw how much better children understand music when they are allowed to experience it before they are asked to read it. In 2021, I brought these approaches together under the name Play Based Music and developed them into an independent model.
Since then, I have tested and refined parts of the concept at various music schools and educational institutions in Germany, France and Switzerland. Most recently, I led both the early childhood music department and the piano department at a Swiss music school. A dual perspective that once again showed me clearly where the gap between these two worlds lies.
Today, I use this experience to make PBM accessible to other music schools. As a practice- tested model that can be adapted to each school's individual context. I work conceptually, with a long-term view and a practical mindset. My goal is to develop sustainable solutions that genuinely support music schools in their day-to-day work.