Alfred Hochedlinger

Coole Schule

A musical for and about elementary school. 15 touching, sometimes upbeat songs that capture the full range of elementary school education. A rousing portrayal of school life for a general audience.

Contents:
1 score
10 songbooks
4 lyric booklets
1 demo/playback CD

Foreword to the score:

We love school! This was palpable and tangible during rehearsals and at the world premiere in June 2022 in Mauthausen. Nearly 200 children were involved, and the 1,000 enthusiastic audience members cheered the children’s fantastic performance.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my dear colleague SR Helene Aichhorn, an experienced elementary school teacher who came up with the idea for this musical and wrote the lyrics. Life at school is portrayed in a lively way. It was a great joy for me, on the one hand, to write the music for it and, on the other, to rehearse it with the young singers—the Mauthausen Elementary School choir. I was particularly impressed by how much the children grew through their tasks and challenges. Yes, school is fun!

The musical "Cool School" is now being published so that it is available to everyone who wants to share in this wonderful experience. The foreword to the libretto (AH 7.004/9) focuses on the textual and dramatic aspects of the work. Here you’ll find many useful tips for staging the production.

Please also note the footnotes at the end of each song (in italics).

There are several options for the musical arrangement:

Accompaniment using chord symbols with guitar and/or keyboard, and accompaniment on piano or electric piano using the fully notated piano accompaniment. A bass instrument could be added improvisationally. The necessary material for this is included in this booklet.

Another good option is to use the instrumental backing tracks included on the CD (AH 7.004/7). These were already used successfully at the premiere. The video of the world premiere is helpful for getting started on this project.

In addition to the staged performance, each of the songs can, of course, be used individually—for example, for school choir performances. May "Coole Schule" make the hearts of many children and their teachers beat faster!

Alfred Hochedlinger (Composer)

Foreword to the Libretto:

Giving children a stage was my motivation for writing the lyrics for this musical. Acting in plays fosters personal development, boosts self-confidence, and allows children to discover their own abilities. Having been part of a play is a lasting memory of one’s school days. Knowing that we had a talented composer, Mr. SR Alfred Hochedlinger, on our faculty, several songs on various topics were written in advance. He is able to tailor his compositions precisely to the level of each grade and does not overwhelm the children; instead, he inspires them with melodies that stick in their minds.

A brief description of the content:
A new student arrives at the school, and some classmates guide the child through daily school life.

The connecting narration serves as a guide and can easily be adapted to the school’s specific circumstances; it can also be delivered by different groups of children.

Thanks to the individual, standalone songs, an entire school—including all the children—can perform the play without requiring extensive rehearsals.

A few more tips:

• "Cool School" isn’t tied to any specific performance date; it can be performed throughout the year.
• The children’s musical can be performed by a choir and a school drama group.
• The choir sings all the songs, while the different classes act out one or two songs.
• Alternatively, a single class can choose a few songs for a class performance.
• Each class sings a song and acts it out.
• All the poems listed can be found in the book *Der Wünschelbaum*, edited by Georg Bydlinski.
• The melody of the "Reading Mentor" song also fits the text of the poem "Meine Oma" (My Grandma)—perhaps a song for a Mother’s Day celebration?
• For decorations, you can, for example, make large pictures related to the "Color Song"; clusters of balloons are very effective.

I hope you have lots of fun and wish you every success!

Helene Aichhorn (lyricist)