Not only the young moderator was simply cool, but the entire event: For the first time after the forced Corona break in 2019, the traditional M-Jam started in the auditorium of the Marpingen community school – a very special school concert under the motto “plugged again”. The SRM1 school radio team of the Marpingen community school, led by Thomas Eckert, music teacher in Marpingen, who is a dedicated instrumentalist and singer himself, organized a two-hour concert evening shortly before Pentecost, which was attended not only by the students from grades 5 to 13 but also by the parents and teachers were invited.
And this evening had it all! Moderator Elia Decker (5d), who has only been a student in Marpingen since the beginning of the current school year, led the evening in an unbeatable way with a baseball cap, sunglasses and his almost 11 years. This was opened with a vocal solo by Laura Hornig (5d), who immediately created a good mood with “ABCDEFU” by Gail. Anna Schönenberger (6c) followed with her interpretation of Lina’s “The best is possible without thinking”, with which some listeners could certainly associate a small criticism of the school. Drummer Pauline Ruppert (5d) then managed to get the auditorium going wild with “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars on her instrument. Sound, light and stage effects were professionally brought in by the students Luca Benoit Mirco Polotzek, Merlin Kirsch, Leon Ecker, Jan Lukas Ewerling, Noah Manns and two former students of SRM1 Radio-AG in order to stage the singers and musicians in an excellent way. This was particularly emotional with Marian Abigail Gonzales (7c), who interpreted Edith Piaf’s “La vie en rose” with her clarinet in a soulful and stirring way. Evelin Korolev (10b) made a big geographical and musical leap with the song “Big in Japan” by Alphaville. The first part of the M-Jam ended with a mighty final chord set by Gina Wagner (10c) with “I love Rock’n Roll” by Joan Jett.
It goes without saying that the atmosphere in the Marpinger auditorium was once again approaching that of the previous M-Jams and the good old carnival and school festivals.
The following pieces, which were dedicated to ethno styles and world music, were a little quieter. Vera Heintz, a Spanish teacher in Marpingen, set intercultural accents with her band and the Spanish song “Pescador de hombres”. Ute Redecker and Patrik Gotthard sang the New Zealand traditional “The Wellermann Song” as a duet in the old seaman’s tune, supported by Thomas Eckert on the piano and the class 7d as a shanty choir. This is also where the famous cajóns, the seat drums from the production of Marpinger, came for the first time
Student company Cajóns for all. The performances of the Marpinger school bands followed, beginning with the SRM1 school radio band under the direction of Thomas Eckert. Elia Decker, the ingenious moderator, showed here that he can also shine as an accomplished singer and drummer. Along with Leon Ecker (bass), Nicky Quach (synthesizer) and Thomas Eckert (keyboards/vocoder) he ensured that Phil Collins recorded “In the air tonight”, “We will rock you” by Queen and “Peter Gun” by the Blues Brothers in a medley heated up the atmosphere.
The official Marpinger school band, consisting of David Kipper, Gina Wagner and Fynn Neidhard, came to a brilliant conclusion. The fourth band member, the provisional headmaster of the Marpinger community school, Steffen Schermer, showed that he is not only an organizer and digital expert but also a cool guitarist. The main part ended with Nirvana’s “Come as you are” and “Edge of Darkness” by Greta van Fleet.
Ute Redecker, accompanied on the keyboard by Thomas Eckert, formed the contemplative conclusion with “May it be by Enya”. The two were joined by Elia Decker and Nicky Quach at the closing song, so that the concert ended emotionally with the “Anthem” by Barklay James Harvest. Behind the scenes, Hendrik Persch made sure that the right scenery and the coordinated background film were always running for the performance, and Jonas Norden made sure that the concert could be followed live on Instagram.
The subsequent raffle by the student company Cajóns for all gave many students and parents attractive prizes at the end of the concert. The main prizes were two locally produced, brand new cajons. The approximately 200 spectators in the Marpinger auditorium were enthusiastic after the more than two-hour program. The abundance of different musical talents, the professional cooperation and organization fascinated. The M-Jam 2022 was a huge win not only for the artists, but for the entire school community, which will be continued next year with many courageous and talented students.
