MUSA – European young MUsicians soft Skills Alliance Erasmus Project

Project Title

MUSA – European young MUsicians soft Skills Alliance

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Creativity and culture; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

MUSA – European young MUsicians soft Skills Alliance is a strategic partnership to support innovation in the vocational training sector, which has its overall objective in the development of key competences, with a specific focus in entrepreneurship for young musicians, in order to support their professional path and career.
The project partnership is composed by: Le Dimore del Quartetto as Leading Organisation, IED – Istituto Europeo di Design and ASK – Centre for Research on Management and Economics of Arts and Culture Institutions of University Bocconi in Milan (Italy), ProQuartet – Centre européen de musique de chambre from Paris and La Ferme de Villefavard en Limousin di Villefavard (France), by Experimenta from Lisbon (Portugal).
The project also includes the following associated partners, organizations that have expressed their interest and support for the initiative: ADSI, Europa Nostra, European Historic Houses, Historic Houses, FAI, Accademia Chigiana, Fondazione Cini, Centro di Musicologia Walter Stauffer, Fondazione Monzino, Si-Yo Music Society Foundation, Borletti-Buitoni Trust, Fondazione Cariplo.
The project concerns a particular context, only apparently niche. In fact, it is aimed at young professional string quartets composed by musicians between 20 and 35 years old, who work together and focus on the classical chamber music repertoire. The project is aimed at providing them with a series of knowledge, skills and competences of entrepreneurship, which, although fundamental for their professional career, are almost completely absent in their general curriculum. These young people are in fact excellent musicians, but they lack of those elements – from image strategy to the relationship with market and distribution, from copyright law to communication – that are necessary for their career development.
This analysis of training needs stems from the experience of Le Dimore del Quartetto, an Italian organization that supports young string quartets in the start of their careers and enhances the heritage of historic houses in a system of circular economy. Since 2015, the year of its foundation, Le Dimore del Quartetto has developed a network that to date counts 258 historic houses in 16 countries, 78 quartets and emerging trios (average age of musicians, 28 years), 15 residencies per month (559 days of residence in 2019), about 200 concerts per year, over 24,000 spectators.
This rich and profound experience has made Le Dimore del Quartetto increasingly aware of the lack or scarce presence of specific entrepreneurial competences amongst young musicians.
On the basis of these considerations, the MUSA project aims to develop new knowledge, skills and competences in young musicians, offering them lessons, methods and tools in three fundamental areas: communication and definition of their image strategy; marketing, with particular reference to the registration and distribution phases on the market, National and European legislation on copyright, administrative and financial aspects; contamination between music and other cultural fields, such as art, architecture, design, to enhance their profile and career opportunities.
These specific objectives will be achieved through the following activities:
– A Short Term Joint Staff Training Event for trainers, teachers, experts from partner organizations in order to define a methodological framework in terms of designing common guidelines for training pathways, learning outcomes and evaluation (C1);
– The systematization of the above mentioned methodological framework in Guidelines transferable at European level (IO1);
– The above mentioned pilot experimentation through: a) a panel of innovative high-level training pathways in the music sector in Italy, Portugal, France (IO2, IO3, IO4); b) a panel of transnational training activities, which will take place in strict relation with the pathways as non-formal learning in the form of artistic residence (C2, C3, C4);
– The final evaluation of the experimentation implemented above through a Manual for High-Level Training Programs in Cultural Entrepreneurship for Young Musicians (IO5) and a Research on the Educational and Social Value of Cultural Heritage as Economic and Employment Growth: the MUSA case study (IO6).
The impact and transferability of the project is ensured by the success of the results achieved, which will enable young musicians to improve their professional prospects; they will provide the organizations involved in this sector a new training offer; they will strengthen the relationship between music and cultural heritage sectors with a perspective of enhancing European culture in terms of employment, economic and social development.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 275192 Eur

Project Coordinator

Le Dimore del Quartetto S.r.l. Impresa Sociale & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Experimenta – Associação para a Promoção do Design e Cultura de Projecto
• Association Ferme de Villefavard en Limousin
• UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE LUIGI BOCCONI
• ProQuartet – Centre européen de musique de chambre
• IED Istituto Europeo di Design S.p.A.