Hamburg, 17 June 2026
The proposed reform of Hamburg’s upper secondary school system (gymnasiale Oberstufe), and the associated reduction of compulsory coursework in the arts subjects—Visual Arts, Music, and Theatre—from four semesters to just two, is an alarming signal for both cultural and educational policy. The Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg e.V. hereby joins the well-founded criticism voiced by the three professional associations, Bundesverband Kunstpädagogik Hamburg, Bundesverband Musikunterricht e.V. (Hamburg chapter), and Fachverband Theater in Schulen Hamburg e.V., and strongly warns of the far-reaching consequences of this proposal.
Reducing instruction in the arts would weaken the position of these subjects within upper secondary education and diminish their significance on the path toward the Abitur. This sends a deeply damaging and counterproductive message to society: it suggests that cultural practice, aesthetic experience, and creative engagement are secondary and dispensable in times of political conflict and social and economic crises. The opposite is true. Creative practice is not a luxury; it is a fundamental prerequisite for addressing the challenges of the future collectively. For a city that proudly sees itself as a forward-looking cultural metropolis, such a measure would represent a significant step backward in educational policy.
From the perspective of the independent performing arts sector, the proposed cuts would also have serious consequences for talent development and diversity within our professional fields. Students often discover their artistic strengths, individual interests, and potential career paths only during their upper secondary years. If sustained instruction in the arts becomes dependent on school leadership budgets or even on the financial means of families, cultural education risks becoming a private matter and a privilege. This stands in stark contradiction to the principle of equal educational opportunity. Access to the arts would become increasingly exclusive, excluding precisely those emerging artists whose diverse and often marginalized perspectives are urgently needed to ensure that Hamburg’s cultural landscape remains socially relevant, representative, and vibrant.
Upper secondary arts education particularly benefits from the involvement of teaching professionals who are actively engaged in artistic practice. Members of our association regularly teach in schools and school-related projects, providing young people with direct insight into contemporary artistic work and creative careers. They do not merely teach artistic methods and forms of expression; they also bring the values of an independent arts sector that is open-minded, dynamic, and diverse. In doing so, they create empowering and community-building experiences for young people at a formative stage of life and facilitate meaningful encounters with the wide range of perspectives and lived realities that shape Hamburg as a cultural city.
Instruction in the arts subjects must be maintained in full and without cuts.
We therefore support the petition opposing the planned reductions and encourage everyone to sign it: https://innn.it/must-havekunstmusiktheater
Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg e.V.
Der Vorstand
Hamburg, 17 June 2026
The proposed reform of Hamburg’s upper secondary school system (gymnasiale Oberstufe), and the associated reduction of compulsory coursework in the arts subjects—Visual Arts, Music, and Theatre—from four semesters to just two, is an alarming signal for both cultural and educational policy. The Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg e.V. hereby joins the well-founded criticism voiced by the three professional associations, Bundesverband Kunstpädagogik Hamburg, Bundesverband Musikunterricht e.V. (Hamburg chapter), and Fachverband Theater in Schulen Hamburg e.V., and strongly warns of the far-reaching consequences of this proposal.
Reducing instruction in the arts would weaken the position of these subjects within upper secondary education and diminish their significance on the path toward the Abitur. This sends a deeply damaging and counterproductive message to society: it suggests that cultural practice, aesthetic experience, and creative engagement are secondary and dispensable in times of political conflict and social and economic crises. The opposite is true. Creative practice is not a luxury; it is a fundamental prerequisite for addressing the challenges of the future collectively. For a city that proudly sees itself as a forward-looking cultural metropolis, such a measure would represent a significant step backward in educational policy.
From the perspective of the independent performing arts sector, the proposed cuts would also have serious consequences for talent development and diversity within our professional fields. Students often discover their artistic strengths, individual interests, and potential career paths only during their upper secondary years. If sustained instruction in the arts becomes dependent on school leadership budgets or even on the financial means of families, cultural education risks becoming a private matter and a privilege. This stands in stark contradiction to the principle of equal educational opportunity. Access to the arts would become increasingly exclusive, excluding precisely those emerging artists whose diverse and often marginalized perspectives are urgently needed to ensure that Hamburg’s cultural landscape remains socially relevant, representative, and vibrant.
Upper secondary arts education particularly benefits from the involvement of teaching professionals who are actively engaged in artistic practice. Members of our association regularly teach in schools and school-related projects, providing young people with direct insight into contemporary artistic work and creative careers. They do not merely teach artistic methods and forms of expression; they also bring the values of an independent arts sector that is open-minded, dynamic, and diverse. In doing so, they create empowering and community-building experiences for young people at a formative stage of life and facilitate meaningful encounters with the wide range of perspectives and lived realities that shape Hamburg as a cultural city.
Instruction in the arts subjects must be maintained in full and without cuts.
We therefore support the petition opposing the planned reductions and encourage everyone to sign it: https://innn.it/must-havekunstmusiktheater
Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg e.V.
Der Vorstand