Give Something Back To Berlin is an award-winning social engagement NGO. It works hard to connect interesting, friendly and talented people with meaningful and sustainable volunteering opportunities in Berlin. The Open Music School is one of it's internal projects. The OMS is more than just a music school. It is more than a "Refugees Welcome" sticker on the wall. It is a community of people working together, on a grass-roots level, to welcome newcomers and contribute to their community in a meaningful way. It is a place where people meet new friends, build networks and discover their own creativity. If you want to learn more about music production, check out the Open Music Lab !

All of our classes and workshops are facilitated by talented volunteers who simply want to share their experience, skills, and time with people who want to learn. The GSBTB - Open Music School is a 100% free, volunteer-powered, knowledge-sharing community with a focus on the inclusion and empowerment of new migrants, marginalised people and those seeking a positive social network in Berlin. We create spaces that are open to anyone, in which participants can develop real relationships that break isolation, cross cultures, encourage self-expression and inspire community engagement. We see the person for who they are: an individual with endless potential if given equal opportunities.

Yes! To ensure that they are accessible to everyone, all of our events are FREE and always will be. This is possible due to our teachers being talented volunteers. They share their time, expertise and passion for many different reasons, but all of our teachers are aware of the personal and social benefits of playing music with others and want to share that. A spirit of equity and solidarity runs through everything we do. We believe that music tuition should not only be available for people who can afford it. Whether learning or teaching, the Open Music School is the first step into Berlin’s musical landscape for a lot of newcomers.

Yes! The Open Music School is for everyone, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, nationality, migrational status or anything else. It is simply a space for people to be together and learn from one another. While we do focus on the inclusion and support of refugees, people with difficult migrational backgrounds and other marginalised groups, the Open Music School is for everyone. We recognise that there are few places in modern society where people can go, at no cost at all, to meet and get to know people of many different cultural backgrounds. Many people come to the Open Music School to learn an instrument, but stay because they make friends and enjoy being part of this community.

The OMS is a flexible and resourceful community so our work can happen in many places. Most of our workshops, classes and events happen at Refugio Berlin: Lenaustrasse 3, 12047, Berlin.

We update our programming regularly to reflect the needs of our community. Please take a look at our events calendar below to find out what is happening this week at the Open Music School. We also organise concerts, parties and other events. Our "New City Sounds" concert series promotes musicians from often under represented communities to attentive audiences in Berlin. The musicians performing at our events reflect the cultural and gender make up of the audience. We strive to break down the barriers to performance opportunities and level the playing field for all musicians who call Berlin home.