Singing and Making Melody in your Heart Erasmus Project

Project Title

Singing and Making Melody in your Heart

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Creativity and culture; Ethics, religion and philosophy (incl. Inter-religious dialogue)

Project Summary

“Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” (SIMAME)

It is commonly known that, together with a high quality education in new fields, mobility and collaboration between Europeans, especially within the educational and academic community, is the main purpose of Erasmus Programme aiming at the European Union integration. However, no one could approach anything beyond their own country and culture, if they had not previously begun with what significant exists in their local environment, let alone if their local history and monuments have ecumenical dimensions. Ιt is also equally important what could bring together different nations, ages, languages, religions etc. What else, if not the Art, could be the most successful interconnection bridge? Under this reasoning and according to objectives and priorities of the “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), Music High School of Kavala intends to be approved as Coordinator in a new project based on the following double pillar:
1. on the Art, particularly on Music Art and Education,
2. as well as on the common European cultural heritage.
Regarding the first pillar of our Project, that is the art of Music, we aim to give more emphasis on it, because of two reasons: a) the type of our School specializes in Music art and education and b) Music incorporates in itself everything, being simultaneously international language, history, religion, mathematical science etc. It also includes even the second pillar of the project being presented now, that is all the main roots of what is European culture and values: ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Christianity. In this context, we do not isolate any type of the world music, particularly our Greek folk music in common with ‘Byzantine’ choral music or the relevant “ottoman music”, as parts of the whole Mediterranean and European types of music. That’s why Music High School of Kavala, starting from it, plans to organise festivals, conferences, concerts and online educational programs on the Art of Music. To be successful in this goal, Music High School will take advantage of its great experience in festivals and educational/training programs, culminating in “Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” multi-day international School Festival (See 1 and 2). We have to to make clear that we plan to repeat the festival’s context and content by an innovative project of Erasmus’ “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), submitted now by this application form.
Regarding the second before mentioned pillar of our Project, we are going to focus on ‘reference cultural points’ which surround us in our local region and at the same time have global recognition with similar examples anywhere in the world, even more round the Mediterranean sea. We are talking about monuments and historical figures considered as emblems not only for Greek history or Christianity but for the whole European legacy. Among them and not far from us is located the ancient and medieval city of Philippi, which was recently declared World Heritage Site by Unesco, as a symbol combining uniquely the ancient Greek, the Roman, the Byzantine ages. It has been called ‘small Rome’ (‘Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis’) and ‘small Constantinople’, reminding through its monuments all the Roman and Byzantine world. Anyone could see how much Philippi, flourishing more than fifteen centuries before, resembles now to a typical multicultural European metropolitan center.
The Organizing Committee of our School Unit resulted in a 2-year schedule of the Project, to which they contribute five (5) Partners from five (5) different European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece). Our Schedule consists of four (4) major Semesters, each of which has its distinct requirements and goals. During each Semester, teachers and students will have to conclude a specific programme (courses, workshops, educational programmes etc.), which is to be presented afterwards through a scientific conference and a festival. All programmes are addressed directly to the involved school’s community, but also to the broader community through the mass media and social media.
Previously, our Organising Committee had to answer the most crucial question: what does the entire European and much more the global community have in common, that already preexists in any local or regional environment and so it could be directly accessible? Moreover, how any local cultural tradition could be the entrance to the history and culture of the whole humanity? Which monuments or historical figures of our Greco-Roman and Christian world could be presented as symbols of universal values? As the European school community living in the postmodern age do we need to rediscover, share and rethink of our ancient, medieval and modern heritage? However, we are looking for the meeting point of all cultures, the most simple international language. It is no other than the Art itself.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 154430 Eur

Project Coordinator

Music School of Kavala & Country: EL

Project Partners

• I.I.S.S. “Carlo Maria Carafa” Mazzarino
• ISTANBUL AVRUPA ARASTIRMALARI DERNEGI
• MOUSIKO SCHOLIO TRIKALON
• ASOCIACION DE INNOVACION FORMACIONY EMPLEO PARA EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE
• Agrupamento de Escolas de Paredes de Coura