MUS-E ON STAGE

 MUS-E ON STAGE improves the accessibility to music education and learning for primary school-aged children who come from underpriviledged and migrant backgrounds in Europe. The project involves at least 150 children from Portugal, Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy and Spain interacting with 15 professional musicians in face-to-face music workshops.

The project is led by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and the Associação Yehudi Menuhin Portugal together with MUS-E Belgium, Fundación Yehudi Menuhin España (FYME), MUS-E Italia Onlus, MUS-E Hungary and MUS-E Cyprus.

 

 

Objectives

Access to education through music

Music education is beneficial in many ways! Not only to enhance creativity, but also to develop social skills, social inclusion and critical thinking. It can also lay the foundations for a career in the music sector. Convinced of the role of music in schools, MUS-E ON STAGE improves the accessibility of music education for primary school children from disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds in Europe. This project is led by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in collaboration with 6 partners based in Belgium, Portugal, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and Cyprus. Our partners are MUS-E organisations, a programme to promote access to art for primary schools in disadvantaged areas.

Social inclusion

Inclusion is at the heart of the project, as we enable children who would not otherwise have this opportunity to have access to education and music learning. MUS-E ON STAGE also stimulates European musical diversity and talent!

Digital dimension

The main outcome of MUS-E ON STAGE is the creation of online educational resources that will be used by (art) teachers from different European countries to train and record children singing. The collection and editing of all recordings will result in a unique virtual children’s choir. In addition, as part of the project we are organising online workshops to open up to music and different cultures through musical discovery for children.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Creation of a unique music repertoire and pedagogical resources

 

The Belgian and Portuguese musicians coming from different cultural and music backgrounds will work together on the arrangements of a unique music repertoire celebrating Portuguese music tradition. This repertoire will lay the foundation for the creation of the music workshops in schools and activities with children in 6 European countries. 

Music workshops in Hungary, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium

The professional artists will work in primary schools with large numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged and migrant pupils. They will deliver music workshops based on the newly created resources during 3 months. These resources include more cultural activities based on the musical repertoire reflecting European cultural diversity. In addition, online digital music workshops will be organised for a week in June 2021.

 

Recording of a digital choir of 150 children

 

The music sessions will result in a recording of the children singing a common piece of repertoire: “Menina Estas a Janela”

 

Digital dimension

 

The main outcome of MUS-E ON STAGE is the creation of online educational resources that will be used by (art) teachers from different European countries to train and record children singing. The collection and editing of all recordings will result in a unique virtual children’s choir. In addition, as part of the project we are organising online workshops to open up to music and different cultures through musical discovery for children.

 

Artistic culmination of the project and celebration of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union

Two concerts and public events will take place as the artistic culmination of the project and showing of one of its main outcomes: the choir of children. The concerts will involve the professional musicians involved in the project since the begining. The first concert will take place in Leiria with the support of the local municipality with the choir of children on stage. The second concert will take place in Brussels near the European Commission as the celebration and final concert of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.