MUS-E® training in Kalamata, Greece

With great success and in a particularly positive atmosphere, the two-day training seminar for teachers and artists, held in Kalamata on 9 and 10 May, came to a close. The seminar was organised by the 13th Primary School of Kalamata within the framework of the collaboration between the IYMF, the Greek Children’s Art Museum, and the participating school units.

The focus of this event was the experiential approach of the MUS-E® programme, which was introduced to Greece by Louisa Anastopoulou, Communications Consultant of the IYMF.

Approximately 35 teachers and artists took part in the seminar and had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the philosophy and methodology of the programme through experiential activities, workshops, and practical applications. The highly experiential nature of the seminar enabled participants to better understand how MUS-E® can be implemented in everyday school practice, highlighting the importance of collaboration between teachers and artists within the classroom.

A welcome address was delivered by the Director of Primary Education of Messinia, Ms Theofania Siouti, who emphasised the importance of connecting education with the arts and of strengthening innovative pedagogical practices in the modern school environment. Also present at the seminar was the Education Consultant for Primary Education of Messinia, Ms Athanasia Chronopoulou, who likewise addressed the participants, highlighting the importance of creative expression and inclusion in the educational process.

The objectives and philosophy of the seminar were presented by the principals of the school units that participated in the organisation: Anastasios Zombolas, Principal of the 13th Primary School of Kalamata; Vasiliki Malama, Principal of the 8th Primary School of Kalamata; Dorothea Lampridi, Principal of the 10th Experimental Primary School of Kalamata “Petros Themelis”; and Eleni Piperidou, Principal of the 5th Primary School of Kalamata – Benakeio.

Through their presentations, a shared vision emerged for an open, creative, and inclusive school, where the arts serve as a bridge for collaboration, expression, and the meaningful participation of all children in the learning process.

During the two-day seminar, important lectures and presentations were delivered on the philosophy and implementation of the MUS-E® programme. Marianne Poncelet, Executive Vice- President and founding member of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, presented the vision and international dimension of the programme, while Louisa Karapidaki, Art Historian, Museologist, and Secretary General of the Greek Children’s Art Museum, highlighted the role of the Museum as a collaborating partner of the IYMF in Greece.

Particular interest was shown in the presentation delivered by the teachers of the 13th Primary School of Kalamata — Panagiotis Kyritsis, Paraskevi Maraka, Roubini Tsakona, and Stavroula Vasilopoulou — who presented the implementation of the MUS-E® programme in school practice through creative collaborations with artists and creators. Among the projects presented, special emphasis was given to the collaboration with architect Fotini Kallikouni on the project “The Space We Wear”, as well as to the technological construction of a lever and a catapult in collaboration with artist-engineer Konstantinos Kanellopoulos.

An experiential workshop was also presented by Iro Theodorou, who worked creatively with Muppet-style sock puppets, offering participants an imaginative and playful approach to artistic expression and creative facilitation within the classroom.

At the same time, Efthimios Angelakis, dance and theatre artist, Director and Pedagogical Coordinator of Performing Arts at Santa Maria High School in Sintra, and MUS-E artist and Coordinator in Oeiras, Portugal, guided the participants through experiential workshops of co-creation between teachers and artists, offering a meaningful experience of collaboration, expression, and creative interaction.

The seminar concluded with a presentation by Nikolaos Efstathiou, Education Consultant at the Directorate of Primary Education of Athens A and member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Children’s Art Museum, who connected the MUS-E® programme with the Skills Workshops curriculum, highlighting its potential for use in contemporary educational practice and for fostering life skills and collaborative abilities among students.

The success of the seminar confirmed the great need for initiatives that bring the arts to the center of the educational process and contribute to the creation of an open, inclusive, and creative school for all children.