INTERMUSIC (INTERactive environment for MUSIC learning and practising) Erasmus Project

Project Title

INTERMUSIC (INTERactive environment for MUSIC learning and practising)

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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

The INTERMUSIC project, as programmed and planned, concerned the following areas: teaching, creation and music production shared between four European Higher Music Education Institutions, through advanced and optimized systems for Remote Musical Interaction and Network Music Performance (NMP), starting from the Italian ultrawide network (GARR) connected to European and international broadband network infrastructures, promoting the processes of internationalization and mobility in the field of Higher Music Education. The online teaching and interaction for instrumental and vocal performance practices, composition and music theory, electronic music, was accompanied by a technological and experimental research focused on the “Synchronous Online Ensemble Performance” whose results were made public with four publications, one of which constitutes a chapter of a book dedicated to Online Music Teaching, with scientific and technological support for research by the fifth partner of the project, which was the Politecnico di Milano. According to the planned objectives, priority was given to the design and creation of the INTERMUSIC platform (INTERactive environment for MUSIC learning and practice) https://intermusic.lmta.lt/ through which the four European Institutions were able to share skills, methods and materials specifically developed for distance music practice and culture by experimenting cooperative forms of remote music teaching and practice (Distance Learning) between European music HEIs with a historical background rooted in their respective classical and contemporary musical cultures: the Intermusic Platform presents itself as a Learning Management System dedicated to music teaching, practice and performance in its various forms: singing, instrumental performance, both solo and ensemble, theoretical and compositional training, electronic music; full of courses and innovative materials such as those of the “Mastering Vocal Literature in Foreign Languages” blended pilot course.
For each activity of the project, three referring teachers were involved for each of the teaching activities: Chamber Music, Chamber Singing, Musical Composition, Music Theory and Network Music Performance, for a total of 15 teachers. The respective virtual classrooms were populated by students from the three music HEIs with an average of about 30 students involved. The teaching, within the limits imposed by the COVID / 19 pandemic, ended with a chamber music concert in Vilnius with the students of the three institutions in presence at the end of an online educational activity and with various online sessions for the other pilot courses of the project.
The results on the two fundamental sides of the project, the online musical and teaching practices based on the INTERMUSIC platform and the results of the scientific and technological research relating to Network Music Performance, confirmed useful, sustainable and effective application possibilities both for the interest and integration of the different European music teaching and practice traditions, as well as for the audio-video quality of online music practice, concerning virtual acoustic spaces and gestural – and therefore visual – communication in the interaction between musicians during live performances. The latency in the audio signals, in relation to the paths and nodes of the European network, gave a good and acceptable response, which can be absolutely improved both in terms of bandwidth and in the optimized management of the audio-video signal paths. The long-term benefits depend on the ability of European institutions to design, acquire, develop and accept an expanded teaching model, through the online development of specific teaching modules within the collaboration between teachers of different European institutions and made available to students on shared platforms.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 427235,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

CONSERVATORIO DI MUSICA “G.VERDI” DI MILANO & Country: IT

Project Partners

• POLITECNICO DI MILANO
• Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium
• ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES CONSERVATOIRES, ACADEMIES DE MUSIQUE ET MUSIKHAOCHSCHULEN AISBL
• LIETUVOS MUZIKOS IR TEATRO AKADEMIJA