The Global Conservatoire for a Digital Age Erasmus Project

Project Title

The Global Conservatoire for a Digital Age

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

The Global Conservatoire for a Digital Age (GloCoDA) is a two-year project to transform the quality and methods of online teaching in performing arts higher education. The project responds to the rapid demand for online learning during Covid, and the urgent need to develop accessible, inclusive, professionally-informed and practice-led courses for 21st century performers-in-training.

During Covid it became clear that there are many benefits for conservatoire students to engage in online learning. Today’s conservatoire students require well-designed courses that complement their practical activities while preparing them for a global and digital future. Students need access to more inclusive, globally-informed, progressive courses that their home institution may not be able to provide. Students also welcome flexible study patterns, greater subject choice and variety in delivery styles. Having acquired myriad digital skills at pace, it is now time for conservatoires to consolidate and move on from the rapid response to Covid-19. The GloCoDA project proposes that basic ‘conversion’ of traditional in-person teaching to video-conferencing is unsatisfactory. In addition, conservatoire teaching staff frequently lack the competencies and confidence to design and deliver courses that meet the needs of students and the profession.

There is now an opportunity to engage in deep critical reflection about the optimum blend of online and in-person teaching for 21st Century artists in a post-Covid era, and to improve student access to cutting-edge curricula. To do so, there needs to be international institutional collaboration to develop models of practice and teacher training in high-quality online course design and delivery. The GloCoDA project responds to this situation by developing courses that are digital by design and digital in content, enabling students to develop high level skills in digital fluency, global citizenship and cross-cultural collaboration. The evaluation of this cutting edge course portfolio will lead to the development of an open access online course for performing arts teachers in higher education, supported by a website and training workshop.

The GloCoDA project builds on the digital expertise of four world-leading conservatoires: the Royal Danish Academy of Music; the University of the Performing Arts, Vienna; the Royal College of Music, London; and Manhattan School of Music in NYC. By combining their online experience, digital resources and unique subject expertise, these four institutions will develop a set of distinctive online courses that demonstrate best practice in online transnational education in the performing arts. Sixteen cutting-edge new credited courses will be made available to all students in all four institutions. Throughout the project the project leads, teachers and technicians will engage in peer sharing and curriculum workshops at four transnational meetings to co-curate content and collaborate on cutting-edge pedagogies.

The project will produce three significant and related outcomes. The first is the portfolio of international online courses delivered to students across all four institutions. The second will be a detailed research study of the challenges of online delivery in conservatoires and an evaluation of GloCoDA’s new models. The third output will be an open access online course to develop conservatoire teacher competencies in online design and delivery. By combining pedagogy, research and staff development, GloCoDA will transform the traditional teaching models in conservatoire education to meet the needs of 21st century performing arts students and graduates.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 265316 Eur

Project Coordinator

Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium & Country: DK

Project Partners

• ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC
• ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES CONSERVATOIRES, ACADEMIES DE MUSIQUE ET MUSIKHAOCHSCHULEN AISBL
• Manhattan School of Music
• UNIVERSITAT FUR MUSIK UND DARSTELLENDE KUNST WIEN