Free Beat Company

Leaders: Maria Zeisler and Gottfried Jaufenthaler

Making music together – it’s straightforward and requires no prior musical knowledge! The Free Beat Company at the City of Innsbruck Music School makes this wish a reality.

“Let’s just drum together!” is the motto of the two founders and music teachers, Maria Zeisler and Gottfried Jaufenthaler. Ever since, people of all ages – from ten to seventy – have been making music together, following the Brazilian model, where people dance, sing and make music together on the streets in a completely relaxed atmosphere.

Who can take part?

The offer is free of charge and is open to all young people and adults in the city of Innsbruck from the age of ten.

In the meantime, many young people and adults who thought they had lost their way (musically speaking) are now playing with passion and enthusiasm!

Where & when is the drumming?

Drumming takes place everywhere: at the Free Beat headquarters in Matthias-Schmid-Straße 10, but also in various public places in the city. There have already been performances at the market square, in the town hall galleries, at Adolf-Pichler-Platz, in the hall of the main station and at Sparkassenplatz.

Where and when the next drumming will take place can be found on the website of the Free Beat Company.

Why should I play the drums?

Music brings people together and is good for your health! Through the Free Beat Company, important connections have already been forged amongst the drummers. For example, some unemployed young people have already secured an apprenticeship. Furthermore, rhythm has a positive effect on health, as Dr. Maximilian Moser, who researches this field, explains. “Rhythm brings many things into balance,” says Dr Moser. Tension is released and many bodily functions can flow more freely again.

Workshops, seminars and projects

The Free Beat Company also takes part in collaborative projects, such as with the ‘Maria Ma Trio’, and organises drumming workshops for businesses. These include Swarovski, the Tyrolean Provincial Government, the Berlin State Academy of Music, the Hamburg Authority for Sport and Music, the Heinrich Schütz Conservatoire in Dresden and the Weimar University of Music. Experience is also shared in specialised seminars for teachers.