Kaspar, 20, is in his third semester of studying classical trombone at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Inspired by one of his teachers, he moved from Estonia to Germany and spends his spare time making his own fishing lures.
The biggest cliché about your school – and to what extent it’s true:Among musicians in Estonia, studying the trombone, or any brass instrument, is considered the easy way out because, supposedly, you don’t have to practice that much. Trombone players are also said to be big drinkers. In Hanover, it’s completely different, though. Of course we have a drink every once in a while, but everyone is practising a lot and it’s definitely not an easy way out.
What’s your everyday life like?
I usually wake up at half past seven or eight, have breakfast and go to school. I warm up and start practising. That takes about three hours. Afterwards, I go home and have lunch. I like to cook because it’s cheaper and – if you know how to cook – it tastes good. After lunch, I go back to school and continue practising until six or seven. Sometimes I have classes, but that’s only two or three times a week. When I’m done, I go back home, have dinner, do my homework for the next day, reply to e-mails or just watch TV. It’s very different from Estonia, where we would have classes in-between, taking time and energy away from practising.
What could you have done without?
The level of music theory we are taught in Hanover is lower than what I learned at my high school. I understand that everyone needs to learn music theory, but I don’t actually need the lessons here. Apart from that, there isn’t much I don’t like about my studies.
Which day at university will you never forget?
The day I actually auditioned for my course. I had just graduated from music high school in Estonia. In Estonia, you automatically enter the academy when you pass your final exams. But the year before, I had taken lessons with a German teacher who is my professor now, and that teacher suggested I try to apply in Hanover. It was the only foreign school I applied to. I remember that there were about 50 people who wanted to get in. In the end, they only chose three applicants. It was pretty scary. I got to the second round with 15 others. This is really good, I thought – and then, after I was done, they handed me this green card as a bit of a joke, as a sign that I got accepted to the school. Even then, I already knew this was a day I’d never forget.
If you could start over at university, what would you do differently?
Probably learn more German right from the start. When I started studying, I didn’t know any German. I was already in my third semester when I did my B2 test, which is obligatory. I started going to German class at the beginning of my third semester and had little to no problem because there were people in my class who spoke less German than I did. Shortly before the test, things got a bit stressful, though. So in hindsight, even though it went well, I would say it probably would have been easier if I had started earlier.
What did you find the most annoying?
As for most students, money is always a little bit of a problem. It’s not a huge problem, though, since my parents are supporting me and I have a scholarship, but it’s always at the back of my mind. I don’t want to get a job because it would mean less time to practise, and then studying abroad wouldn’t be very efficient for me. I might as well just live in Estonia and work there. If I want to study, then I should study 100 percent. Other than that, Germany proves to be a bit difficult when it comes to digitalisation. In Estonia, I can do everything online, whereas here, everything needs to be signed on paper.
What has often proved a lifesaver for you?
My classmates are really nice. They were super friendly right from the beginning, when I was just getting to know them. I went to Hanover two weeks before I could move into the flat I had rented. So I asked around in the group chat for my class that I had been added to: “Hello guys, I’m new and I don’t have a place to sleep.” And there was this one guy who wasn’t in Hanover at the time and said that I could stay at his empty flat and his friend would give me the keys. He didn’t even know me. They are all very nice and caring. No one in the class gets left behind.
I recently picked up a weird hobby
I obviously call my family more often than I meet them,their main questions are: “Are you hungry?” and “Do you have enough money?”, especially from my grandmother. Grandparents ask the weirdest questions. They will ask me how many different cars there are in Germany or how people are treating me. My grandmother even asked whether I got shot. They have lived in the countryside their entire lives. My grandmother hasn’t really seen different types of cars.
Where can you be found when you’re not at university?
I recently picked up a weird hobby because I liked to go fishing in Estonia. I found out about all the laws on fishing in Germany and how much it costs. It’s a lot of paperwork and money, so I haven’t continued doing it. However, I’ve started making my own lures. I have this place in my basement that I go to. I take a block of wood and start carving it into the shape of a fish, then I attach hooks and colour it, so it works as a decoy to lure the fish. It’s really relaxing and takes my mind off things. Of course, I also go out with friends, have a beer, watch movies, go running or play football. Nothing too special besides the lure-making.
What was the highest price you’ve paid for a good mark?
I haven’t got a lot of grades at his point. I’m going to do my “Zwischenprüfung” this summer. So far, piano was the hardest. I had only had two years of piano in high school. My teacher was very optimistic, though, and picked out very difficult pieces. It took a lot of effort to learn them and I really pushed myself. I didn’t particularly like it. I still don’t. They were impressed with the results, though.
University is also about learning for life. What’s your takeaway so far for the future?
I think the main thing would be time management and planning. It’s really important to plan your days. When I was in high school, I had lessons throughout the day. Your day was planned for you and whatever free time I had, I spent practising. I don’t have a lot of classes now, so I have to plan my own day entirely. I need to be really self-disciplined. It can be quite difficult but it’s key if you want to become a better player.
It’s Beethoven Year at the moment. What does Beethoven mean to you?
I feel like I can relate more to his later works. For me, his earlier music, like his first symphonies, is quite hard to connect with. Maybe I’m not old enough to really understand it. I find it easier to listen to Romantic music, for example. I can relate to it and enjoy it. The music from Beethoven’s era is a little bit difficult. I respect it and I hope that one day I will be able to understand it better.
“Survival Kit for Studies”
Where in Germany can one study well? How can you live well as a student? And how do you survive the first student council party and the questions at family gatherings?
Students from different disciplines talk about their experiences at universities in Germany, their everyday life – and what sometimes drives them to despair.