It is expected that on September 1, the students and teachers of the Tauragė Art School will enter the modernized and renovated school premises. For now, construction workers are still working on the building of the art school on Darius and Girėnos street, but they only have minor cosmetic work left.
In the building of the Tauragė art school, which is being renovated, you can still hear the Žemait dialect – builders from Telšiai are finishing the installation of the concert hall, while others are still working in the hall. The rooms are bright and empty. The municipality has already announced a public procurement tender for the purchase of new hall furniture, and concert hall chairs, which will arrive in Tauragė from Spain, are also expected.
– 700 students study at the Tauragė Art School, we currently work in two buildings: Tauragė Castle and we are temporarily located in the former bank building in the city center. We have shared, pressed each other, pushed each other a little and are waiting for when we will return to the renovated building, – said Jolanta Kazlauskienė, the head of the art school, as she led the author of these lines to the building that was being renovated.
According to the director, when the orchestra moved into the castle’s rooms after the renovation work began, the art students enjoyed the music playing in the neighborhood, but when the daily routine took hold, they admit that music rehearsals interfere with concentration. The soldiers of the LDK Kęstutis infantry battalion helped the employees of the art school move out of the old building, and it is expected that they will come to the rescue before September, when the instruments and school inventory will have to be brought back.
The head of the art school, Jolanta Kazlauskienė, promises that the new multifunctional hall will not only host performances by art school performers. Violeta Kraliūnaitė’s photo
– We tried not to remain in debt to the soldiers. We organized a thanksgiving concert in the battalion. I remember that those soldiers who carried pianos, dragged the piano, said that they would remember Tauragė Art School for a long time. We are in contact and will once again ask for help in settling in the renovated premises, said J. Kazlauskienė.
While showing the bright paint-smelling school premises, equipped with parking spaces for the disabled, a special elevator, places in the hall for students in wheelchairs, and recording studio premises, the director emphasized that the school will not be just a fortress for musicians.
– We will also organize art exhibitions here, and we will also look forward to performances. There will be room for all branches of art here, maybe only dancers would be more difficult to fit. We cooperate with representatives of the disabled and we will gladly invite you to use the premises until lunch, to hold concerts in our hall, – shared the plans of the head of the art school. – The school’s library will be completely renovated, with more than just shelves and sheet music. It will be possible to hold conferences, connect and communicate remotely, we will have theater, music, art books and it will serve as an art library.
The art school has been renovated both externally and internally. The restorers repaired the stained glass windows decorating the school windows, and after opening the additional doors, all the classrooms became larger.
When asked what kinds of art are most interesting to children and young people, J. Kazlauskienė laughed that specialists know what young people are no longer interested in.
– Things that require a lot of patience are less interesting. In the past, crafts, carving, beads were very popular, but now children need everything quickly. Very suddenly they want to go on stage, there are even those who don’t really need teachers. We have to talk, teach, strengthen children. They have the desire to be on stage, but we also have students who want to learn to play, but do not want to perform. We look at the needs of each child and it is our duty to respond to them, said the director.
Mayor’s adviser Soneta Blankaitė informed that the renovation of the art school cost 2 million. 550 thousand euros, and the equipment and furniture of the amphitheater multifunctional hall for video broadcasts and conferences will be purchased before the establishment. The furniture will cost 150 thousand euros.
