Europe + music: opportunity to integrate our nations (E+motion) Erasmus Project

Project Title

Europe + music: opportunity to integrate our nations (E+motion)

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The Aim of E+motion was to strengthen and train students of different backgrounds through music, performances and cultural cooperation in the fields of creativity, musical and intercultural competences. During the project period, students and teachers from the partner countries Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Estonia worked closely together, producing and making music of a wide variety of genres, thus enabling an action- and experience-oriented, creative approach to music. The activities described in the project application were also carried out in the same way. As an EU ambassador school, we aim to educate our students to become mature EU citizens – E+motion made an important contribution here. During the project phase, the participating schools of the partner countries visited each other and, together with their cultural partners, prepared the programme of concert performances, which was the aim of the musical work. A total of four mobility events took place in our Erasmus+ project. Each school dispatched approx. 20 students, so that a total of 5 x 20 students = 100 students took part in our music project. This very high number of students contributed significantly to the success of the project. It was a unique project! However, it was also a logistical challenge. This number of students was necessary for a regular A-Capella chorus. In addition, this challenge was an exciting project point that secured us a supra-regional focus. We were in TV shows and in the TV news (Estonia); the press was on the spot (Italy); we met with Arvo Pärt (Estonia); got the chance to sing in the Upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi (Italy); we were allowed to discuss with a Franciscan monk (Italy); we were able to perform a political flashmob against Antisemitism, Hate and Intolerance in Vienna (Austria); in Lens, we were confronted with our shared history, and we experienced the tremendous suffering that the First and Second World Wars brought to our peoples. During this visit, we learned how important friendship is and how important the EU is for us! E+Motion made a big contribution here! The final concerts and flashmobs unfolded, especially due to the high number of students, their full effect in all countries. A big problem was the accommodation of the students in host families! We have only partially achieved this goal. We failed because of the high number of students, which could not be accommodated in families completely! The goals of gaining an insight into everyday life and of coming into direct contact with the people and culture of the host country were only partially achieved. However, the interaction in the European partnerships has generated intercultural awareness. Key competences such as social and personal competences, cultural awareness and cultural expressiveness were strengthened among all participants. This has strengthened European cooperation and understanding of the EU, both in and outside school. The making of music together, which created a special sense of feeling, without language barriers, has created the basis for the consciousness of a common identity. E+Motion promoted respect, tolerance and respect for diversity, openness to other people, social and cultural issues. The pupils were given the opportunity to gain experience and show commitment in Europe by gaining their learning experience outside their familiar surroundings, which are also important for their further professional life. Through the active design and experience of music, personality-building aspects such as self-regulation, motivation, endurance and creativity were promoted. During the project, the students worked out smaller performances and concerts during their visits to the different countries. Unfortunately, the last big performance and the final performance, with the planned “European Concert” in Ulm / Germany, had to be cancelled due to COVID 19 (the Coronakrise). We had already planned, prepared and organized everything. This fact hurts us very much and we were all very disappointed, because in Ulm the big finale should have taken place. E+Motion was simply a great and extraordinary project. We hope that we will be able to finish this project some day in Ulm. We will definitely stay in touch with our friends and hope for our chance in Ulm. At our school a fixed school choir has been formed, through E+Motion, which in future also wants to perform outside of our school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 159252,57 Eur

Project Coordinator

Friedrich-List-Schule Kaufmännische Schule Ulm & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Kadrioru Saksa Gümnaasium
• Liceo Scientifico Statale T. C. Onesti
• Bundesgymnasium und Realgymnasium perchtoldsdorf
• AEP Lycée St Paul