Jazz without borders Erasmus Project

Project Title

Jazz without borders

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

“Jazz without borders” comes from the need to present a project that involves students and jazz orchestra teachers and a large part of the whole school in activities promoting culture, music and teamwork. In the music high school there are almost two hundred students; with their teachers, they form several ensemble music groups and play a lot of performances during festivals and events of Tuscany. In the last two years the jazz orchestra stood out for its high motivation and excellent results.

The main objective of this project is to improve and promote musical culture through a shared heritage within the European community. In fact a lot of jazz experiences cross the various countries, contaminate the local musical culture and give life to new and original forms of music. The cooperation with other European realities allows the exchange of knowledge, skills, repertoires and also increases young musicians’ awareness of belonging to a wider community than the one which they are accustomed to live in and study.
The selected repertoires will be performed by jazz orchestras formed by students of the two schools. With this activity we want to highlight the traditions, the characters, the places and also the migratory processes that affected the different countries and influenced sounds and evolution of jazz music.

The project is biennial and bilateral. Our partner is the Finnish school Vaskivuoren Lukio of Vantaa where a big band is. It performs many concerts and participates in international festivals. The students and the teachers of the jazz groups of the two schools will take part in the exchanges of about 40 students between 15 and 19 within two years. During the school year and the exchange weeks, a substantial number of students and teachers from the participating schools will also be involved in various activities.

During the school year, the planned activities will be:
• to decide the repertoires and study the scores by working in a team;
• seminars, meetings, online forums for teachers and students.

During the exchange weeks, the activities will be:
• orchestra rehearsals;
• teamgroup activities of laboratory teaching;
• improvisation and jazz arrangement seminars;
• workshops linked to the sound/body connection (dance, body awareness, etc.);
• individual or small group instrument lessons;
• seminars on new technologies, recording and multimedia;
• discussions on school organization, good practices and teaching methods (for teachers);
• visits to places of musical and cultural interest.

The methodology will focus on enhancing the creativity and reinforcing students’ skills. Through laboratory-type teaching, teachers will act as facilitators.
Concrete “products” will be high quality shows and performances. In particular the participants will develop the skills to work together at a professional level and to play musical performances through exchange and sharing. By comparing with other realities, students will develop what basic skills of a musician/citizen are. Teachers and students will also improve their language skills.

Thanks to the extended participation in these activities, “products” could be included in the curriculum, both as regards teaching, as well as acquired skills. The involvement in the Erasmus project of the musical realities of the two cities will make possible to present the performances of students in theaters and concert halls of both Finland and Italy.

Project Website

https://www.liceopassaglia.edu.it/erasmus/803-progetto-erasmus-heimatkunde-2-0-2018-2021

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 57456 Eur

Project Coordinator

LICEO ARTISTICO MUSICALE “A. PASSAGLIA” & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Vaskivuoren lukio