The roots of Madetoja Music Upper Secondary School date back to the 1960s, when music teaching also began to be improved in Finland. Music track trials were started in Helsinki in 1961, and they made their way to Oulu in 1967. At that time, a committee was formed to draw up a curriculum. The popularity of the programme was guaranteed. In the summer of 1967, more than 100 pupils applied to the music tracks, half of which were selected on the basis of musical tests. The operations began at Teuvo Pakkala and Nuottasaari schools.

The next step was a music school, which was approved by the Finnish Government in 1968 as the first one in Finland. The School of Music started in the same autumn at the Heinätori primary school. As the number of pupils grew every year, the school moved to Hintta primary school in 1971.

The School of Music was in the midst of severe financial difficulties, and there were no state subsidies. Some politicians felt that there was insufficient evidence for the purposefulness of the separate music school. In 1973, the School of Music provided just that. The school choir won the children’s choir competition held in Helsinki and a Nordic children’s choir competition held in Turku in the following spring in 1974. In the same year, education underwent a sizable reform both in Oulu and elsewhere in Finland. A separate music-focused Madetoja Upper Secondary School was founded, albeit under a constant threat of closure. In the 1975, the school choir won the BBC singing competition in the School Choirs series. The victory prompted the city’s educational authorities to re-evaluate their positions. In 1976, the school moved to the Pohjankartano multipurpose building. With the move, the years of uncertainty were over for Madetoja Music Upper Secondary School.

In the 1970s, classical concert music fans considered jazz, rock and schlager to be lower forms of music. However, by the end of the 70s, this division made way and all genres of music were starting to be recognised as equal.

At Madis, we have annual events spanning various genres. In the fall, we host a classical music concert. In January and May, there’s MadRock and a popular music marathon. And then, we celebrate Arts Day, where I can play anything I want. I think the consideration for different genres is quite extensive; it’s not just about a single event. Career options are abundant if you engage in various activities and projects at school. – Ella Huttunen, a student of Madetoja

In 1981, Madetoja Music Upper Secondary School was given the status of an upper secondary school with a special educational task.

At the "Madis" of today, music is studied from different perspectives, fostering a diverse foundation for musical skills. Music is comperehensively approached as music rather than through the lens of an individual genre. A good example of the diversification of the musical genres is the Big Band, which has been active since the 1990s and is now known as the Oulu Youth Jazz Orchestra. The pupils of the music upper secondary school share a love of music that creates a sense of community, and students come there from all over Finland. The school currently has around 350 pupils. Madis' former pupils can more and more often be seen as music, dance and theatre professionals throughout Finland and, since the 2000s, they have made appearances on top of Finland’s official pop charts, on the world's opera stages and as tango queens, Eurovision representatives and creators of new music genres.

The former students of Madis include Saara Aalto, Ellinoora, Hannu Alasaarela, Aino Morko, Maustetytöt, Suvi Teräsniska, Blind Channel, Johanna Iivanainen, Helena Juntunen, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Pakonen, Tuomas Enbuske, Mitra Kaislaranta, Hanna Karjalainen, Piia-Noora Kauppi, Niko Kumpuvaara, Merja Larivaara, Miki Liukkonen, Lilli Maijala, Nelli Milan, Erkki Palola, Tuomas Peltomäki, Maria Puusaari, Teemu Roivainen, Airi Tokola…. – Ella Huttunen, a student of Madetoja

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Sources:

Huttunen, Ella, a student of Madetoja. Oulu. Interview 28.4.2024, interviewer Esa Nissi.

Manninen, Turo, Meidän koulu – Kronikka Oulun musiikkioppikoulun ja Madetojan musiikkilukion vaiheista 1968 – 2001 (the chronicle was originally published in the 2001 annual report)

City of Oulu. 2023. https://www.ouka.fi/madetojan-musiikkilukio

Wikipedia. 2023. https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madetojan_musiikkilukio

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Photo: Jukka-Pekka Moilanen, Kaleva archive.

Music High School Students' Day, 14.1.2003. Teemu and the Henkselit-KÖ-quartet formed by students Teemu Roivainen (left.), Jenni Määttä, Riikka Tajakka, Saara Aalto and Tanja Torvikoski.

Video: Maustetytöt - Jos mulla ei ois sua, mulla ei ois mitään, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHC3BQoJhbE