European Choir and Orchestra – Sounds of Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Choir and Orchestra – Sounds of Europe

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: Social dialogue; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The Echo project has seen the realization of an ambitious and at the same time unique experience: the largest European orchestra and choir in Europe composed of non vocational students. To continue and develop this experience another partner – Sweden has been invited to join this multicultural group of schools to continue this project of schools able to perform orchestra and choir activities, with a good competence in the use of ICT.
The schools are of different sizes, one reaches 2300 students, one 1200, one 700, one counts about 500 students.
The E.Ch.O. Sounds of Europe project promotes the acquisition of various skills and competences. First of all they are musical skills and competences: vocal and instrumental. These skills and abilities have the merit and value of consolidating in a multicultural and multilingual dimension. Music, the universal language, will become a means of knowledge, of enlargement of cultural boundaries, and of positive relationships. Even the most disadvantaged students will have the opportunity, through this project, and through music, to make an experience in a European context and to improve their foreign language skills.
Through music we will reflect on the theme of the indispensable unification of Europe in the area of culture, social and multilingual development and the conservation of the shared European traditions and their enrichment on the bases of the multicultural world of today and its diversity. In particular we will deal with our common cultural heritage as an element that links the four countries involved, so different and far from each other. This theme will be developed in scientific, literary cultural and artistic perspective.
The project involves the choice by each partner of one song on the theme of national habits and traditions. The four songs will be shared with the partners in the original language and in English, all the songs will be arranged for all the instruments that compose the orchestra, performed and sung during the concerts planned in the partner countries. A new song for choir and orchestra will be produced in the four languages and in English. More songs on Christmas traditions will be learnt following the same pattern in occasion of the winter concert.
Multimedial products in English will be realized to illustrate the literary and cultural relationship between man and his culture in the partner countries.
The partners will communicate via e-mail, video conferences and letters, among teachers and students.
The project will l: promote the acquisition of new skills and competences; develop a multi-cultural learning, increase the interest in other European languages, improve the knowledge of the English language, develop creativity, reflect on environmental issues, improve computer skills, develop the habit of cooperating and making decisions.
The benefits that will remain will be the increased sensibility towards European cultural issues, the correspondence between students and teachers, the learnt songs that will be played in future concerts and, hopefully partnerships between schools and between other organizations involved in the area, such as municipalities, local choirs and orchestras. Moreover the documentation related to the project and the indications for the formation of a European orchestra will be found on the Erasmus and E-twinning platforms.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 72956 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zakladni skola a Materská skola Kladno, Ukrajinska 2447 & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Istituto Comprensivo Ariano nel Polesine
• Hulebäcksgymnasiet
• Agrupamento de Escolas Nuno Gonçalves