Frida Swedén: “In the orchestra we have put a lot of emphasis on being respectful of others”
10/7/2022 - 11:00am
Dubraska Falcon

Frida always knew that they would be a music teacher. It’s in the genes! They come from a musical family, Frida is a founder of the Dream Orchestra. Maestro Ron asked for help with a DO camp, and from there Frida began their story within the orchestra. Frida plays a variety of wind instruments, learned violin to support the orchestra students, is an arranger, and now also conductor of Dream Orchestra.

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"I love writing music and making arrangements"

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  1. What do the students call you? Do they give you a nickname?
    My students just call me Frida. Maybe they have a secret name for me that I don’t know about..
  2. What is the name of your hometown…in what country?
    My hometown is called Gävle and it’s here in Sweden. It’s located about 2 hours north of our capitol, Stockholm.
  3. What zodiac sign are you?
    I’m Aquarius!
  4. What do you love most about working with music education?
    My favorite thing about working with music education is that I get to experience music for the first time over and over again through my students. There’s nothing quite like seeing that sparkle in a kid's eye when they sit in the orchestra for the first time and hear everyone playing together.
  5. What makes you happy?
    Creating makes me happy. Creating memories, creating music, creating art, creating safe spaces, creating relationships/friendships, creating food. Just the act of creating. Whatever it is. Alone or with others. Making something from nothing. That makes me happy.
  6. What is your favorite book?
    I don’t know if I have a favorite book. But I’ve read the Harry Potter books many times and really love them. I also really like The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
  7. What is your favorite movie?
    If I can choose only one it would have to be High Fidelity. I think.. Or Dirty Dancing. Or Fucking Åmål. Or RENT. Or Pride. Nope, can’t choose. Too many good ones!
  8. What is your favorite song?
    It’s impossible to choose just one favorite song! It changes many times throughout the day. One artist I always come back to though is Peter Gabriel. I think he might be the artist I listen to the most.
  9. Something from your bucket lists, what are you going to do next?
    I would love to go visit El Sistema programs in Venezuela at some point.
  10. How did you arrive and start teaching at DO?
    I was invited to Dream Orchestra because Ron needed a woodwinds teacher, and he asked me to help out.. I said yes with no doubts at all! If I remember correctly (which I might not) it was originally just for a camp he was doing with the group. Only like a weekend thing. But it was a good fit, I think, so I just continued!
  11. Dream Orchestra started attending mainly muslim adolescent boys who arrived to Sweden as asylum seekers. Can you tell us about the challenges that you overcame to work with them as a non-male and teacher?
    I felt instantly welcomed by the group. But there were some difficulties when I was the person standing in front of the group and being the one speaking. Some of the students had trouble “taking orders” from someone who wasn’t a man. And that was really hard for me in the beginning. There were times when I didn’t feel fully respected. But I also feel that it’s important to say that the students who had difficulties with it have since made a huge change in their mindset and attitude. In the orchestra we have put a big emphasis on being respectful of others. Even if one doesn’t necessarily agree with the other or understand them, we need to respect each other. And this is something our students help each other with too.
  12. You are one of the founders of the DO, how do you see the orchestra in 5 years?
    My hope for the orchestra is always just to keep going and keep growing. I know we are doing good work and I truly believe in what we do. It’s incredible to see how far the orchestra has come in these past 6 years. Starting from only a few students to now being hundreds is mind blowing. So if we can continue in the same way I see the orchestra having a full wind section and a full percussion section too in 5 years. And with even more students of course. Maybe planning to do a big tour outside of Sweden!
  13. You have made several arrangements for the orchestra and you have composed a work dedicated to the DO. Would you like to dedicate yourself to composition at some point?
    I love writing music and making arrangements. And it’s something that I would like to get better at and learn more about. At some point I would like to do a deep dive into it and really put focus on it. But teaching is something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop doing. And I’ve noticed that oftentimes when I write music I have my students in mind. Writing and arranging for them gives me extra inspiration!
  14. Why are you a music teacher?
    I’ve always, since I was a kid, wanted to work with children and youth and music. I’ve tried doing other things, but I just end up missing teaching. It might be a genetic thing. Both of my parents and my sister are teachers. And musicians. And all of my grandparents are also involved in music. And my brother too! So maybe it was never a choice. It was in my genes!
DreamOrchestra_J0942
16 DO students participate in Sportlovsorkestern

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