Connecting music schools and orchestras to favor job placement of students Erasmus Project

Project Title

Connecting music schools and orchestras to favor job placement of students

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Students from music schools are usually trained in order to be prepared for higher music education institutions, in fact music schools are considered to be important employers of future conservatoire graduates. Nevertheless it should be considered that the majority of students starts its job experience before the conclusion of higher education studies and graduation and this is why a qualified approach and a concrete link between music schools and job opportunities should be fostered.
No significant studies, initiatives and projects have been developed to deepen and understand the relationship and possible links/field of cooperation between music schools and labour market.
The aim of MUSE project was that of contributing to the improvement of music school education in order to better suit to the labour market needs of orchestras.

The project pursued and reached the following objectives:
– developed students’ competences in order to increase their professional opportunities,
– improved the skills of teachers working in music schools to support training and job placement of their students,
– improve the cooperation and the chances to meetings betwen education (high schools) and labour market (orchestras)

The key point of the project was a joint cooperation of education sector (teachers-schools) and labour market (orchestras) in the implementation of the whole activity plan, from the training activity to technical/networking and from the realization of common outputs to the organization of multiplier events. This innovative approach gave them the opportunity to test networking and cooperation directly “on the field”.

The activities targeted:
1) students
2) teachers
3) orchestras’ staff
and involved around 300 people.
The project focused on increasing professional opportunities for young musicians (students) by improving both their music and entrepreneurial competences, giving them the opportunity to experience professional training in other EU countries.
At the same time teachers strengthened their profile adopting new methods and tools (thanks to networking activity), implementing innovative practices and also arise their awareness on training and job opportunities abroad, contributing to better align the education system to the needs and opportunities offered by the labour market.
Finally orchestras experienced the possibility of cooperation with schools and the educational sector, useful for the recruitment of new professional musicians; this has been reinforced by the realization of operational tools.
Different actions allowed the achievements of project’s results and objectives:
– Realization of an Operational Guideline (Intellectual Output 1) to support students and teachers in the political framework related to music education and working field in each involved country; support to students and teachers with concrete information about the different steps and requirements for orchestra auditions; support students and teachers with useful tools for preparation to the professional future. The output will be realized through several activities such as assessment of professional opportunities and needs, technical meetings between partners and virtual exchanges with stakeholders,
– joint international trainings with students from other countries (practical training in foreign orchestras);
– master class with internationally acclaimed musicians;
– realization the Virtual bulletin board (intellectual output) for training/traineeships opportunities and job placement;
– multiplier events.
The methodology used for training activities (joint practical training in orchestras and international master class) fostered students and teachers’ quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training, in particular through enhanced transnational cooperation between education and other stakeholders (orchestras).

Some of the activities organized within the project framework (virtual networking and technical meetings, cooperation between schools and orchestras both at national and international level) are to be considered as a starting point, which will create a favourable condition to further improvement of networking among education sector and labour market, as well as training and job opportunities for students of music schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 192745 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASSOCIAZIONE MUSICALE BRUNO MADERNA & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Conservatorio Oficial de Música “Hermanos Berzosa”
• Ayuntamiento de Mérida
• Istituto Musicale “Angelo Masini”
• Stadtkapelle Leonding
• Landesmusikschule Leonding