Joan Koenig began playing the piano when she was 5 years old, followed by the flute, which became her principal instrument. The winner of numerous competitions for young people, Joan was a featured soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 16. She graduated from the Juilliard School in 1981, and then pursued her studies in France with Alain Marion. Enamored with France, wine, and foie gras, she moved to Paris definitively in 1984.
She played as a soloist and chamber musician with Alexander Lagoya, Patrice Fontanarosa, and Frédérique Lodéon, among others. Passionate about teaching, Joan taught in several Parisian conservatories before deciding to open an “alternative music school.”
Ecole Koenig opened its doors in 1986 with only ten flute and piano students. Elizabeth Schlesinger and Margaret Cook soon joined the team, and the adventure began!
Her children having grown up, it was time for a new baby, and The Preschool for Music and Art was born! Through her experience as a musician, teacher and mother, Joan created a program that offers children, from the earliest ages, a foundation for life enriched by the benefits of a musical and artistic education.
The Pre School for Music and Art Mission Statement
After more than twenty years of experience in musical education and as many raising my own children, I woke up one day and realized that it was time to create a structure that would offer music to the very young! Why? Because of the profound belief that I share with all my colleagues at the Ecole Koenig, that music and creativity are part of our shared humanity. We as educators only encourage children to express and develop their natural potential. In recent years many studies(1) have shown that when measuring children’s emotional and intellectual development, the study of music is a constant factor among children showing the highest levels of academic and creative achievement. Playing music together at a very early age is not only a joyful experience for our children, but also a vital step toward understanding his or her place in society.
Education at large has experienced radical swings in the past forty years. We have gone from the extreme of “children are to be seen not heard”, to the notion that the child should be allowed to express himself freely at all times. The former stifled personal initiative and self-confidence, but the latter has lead to emotional chaos! The practice of music is an extraordinary lesson in personal creativity and discipline, cutting straight through this educational dichotomy. A child must delve into his deepest resources to play music, a rather solitary endeavor at times. And yet, he must then also learn to listen and communicate on a highly intuitive level in order to play with others. I believe these qualities to be essential in a child’s development. A strong musical education creates a base from which a child can go forward into any field of study, fully prepared for the difficulties that he will undoubtedly encounter.
My second consideration has to do with the world our children will be living in as adults. The role of technology in our lives is undeniable, as is the emergence of a qualified labor force from all over the world. What will be the criteria for our children’s success in the future? What qualities and talents will be required of the leaders of tomorrow? I believe that a creative mind, the ability to “think out of the box” as well as the ability to communicate effectively, will be important factors in the world of tomorrow.
What are the criteria for our children’s happiness in the future? Our society has experienced several decades of diminishing familial and community solidarity. The quest for self-realization and happiness has never been more present, and the degree of despair and alienation never greater. Our children’s future happiness will depend on their ability to create and maintain relationships with their families and communities.
So let’s begin today!
Joan Koenig
Paris June 2008
(1) « Music and the Mind » de Dee Dickenson
« The Importance of Music in Early Childhood »
de Lily M. Levinowitz Ph D.