Report on the Third European Meeting 'The Future of Music Schools in European Policy’ in Prato, Italy on 21 October 2005
At the occasion of its General Assembly in Prato, Italy in October 2005 EMU organised its Third European Meeting. During this meeting attention was paid to the public levels that are/should be involved in the financing of the music/art schools, in connection with the wish to develop them well according to the needs in society and to the practical situation in the different European countries as to the co-operation mentioned. To the educational/political goals that are fulfilled with this co-operations and how possible problems can be solved that arise from the situation that regular schools and music/art schools many times don't depend on the same public authority.
Curricula for instrumental education at European music schools
Introduction Commissioned by the European Music School Union (EMU), Cultuurnetwerk Nederland, Netherlands Expertise Centre for Arts- and Cultural Education, has drawn up a comparative description of several national curricula for instrumental education at European music schools. The curricula of Germany, Flanders (the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium), the Netherlands and France were analysed. The analysis attempts to provide insight into the similarities and differences in structure and content between the music education programmes in the countries analysed.
Training of classroom music teachers and instrumental/vocal teachers in music and its place within a conservatoire
AEC Congress, Oviedo 2004
Speech by Dr Gerd Eicker, Vice President EMU
If we were to take a brief look at the history of the profession of the instrumental/vocal teacher, it would be easy to explain the diffuseness which surrounds this line of studies in European conservatoires and which persists even today.
The effects of music on children and young people
Description of literature related to both the psychological and social effects of music education
Collected by Cultuurnetwerk Nederland - National knowledge centre for arts and cultural education in the Netherlands - by order of the EMU
1. The effect of music on IQ
2. The effect of music on memory and learning
3. The effect of music on spatial insight and mathematical performances
4. The effect of music on writing, spelling and (pre)reading skills
5. The effect of music on self-esteem
6. The effect of music on pain or emotional disturbance
7. The effect of music on social interaction
8. The effect of music in classroom management
9. The effect of music on brain injuries
10. The effect of music on prematures, neonates or early childhood
Report on the Second European Meeting 'The Future of Music Schools in European Policy’ in Malmo on 9 May 2004
At the occasion of its General Assembly in Malmö, Sweden in May 2004, EMU organised its Second European Meeting with politicians and high functionaries from several countries in Europe. This time the meeting was not so much focussed on gathering general information and opinions from the different countries, but more on in-depth discussions of certain topics that met with a lot of interest from all people present at the Madrid-Meeting. These topics were, successively: -Importance and Characteristics of publicly financed Music Schools -Importance and possible characteristics of national laws concerning Music Schools -Importance and possible characteristics of systematic stimulation and control of Quality within the Music Schools. Whereas the first meeting in Madrid in 2003 also saw a lot of discussion between representatives of the national Music School systems and the politicians present, the meeting in Malmö was designed to have the politicians and functionaries hold discussions among themselves, with the EMU-people in a listening role. An exception was made for Mr Gerd Eicker, EMU´s vice-president, who also actively participated in the discussions. The meeting was moderated by EMU´s president Jan van Muilekom, who also spoke some welcoming words.
Total Quality Management systems in music schools
Many Schools of Music in Europe are currently in the process of introducing an integrated quality care system, often referred to as Total Quality Management (TQM), in order to ensure and to improve the quality of education at the school. Total Quality Management is concerned with managing the entire system, requiring a full appraisal of all areas of an organisation. This integrated approach is based on the experience that quality is linked to customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, the impact on society and organisation results. Another fundamental thought of TQM is the concept of continuous improvement. Terms associated with Total Quality Management are efficiency, results, flexibility and continuing innovation. The following documents describe the quality system in four countries or regions in Europe, which work with a quality system. It concerns Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. The documents examine questions such as: Which initiatives concerning quality improvement are undertaken? What quality system is being used? In what manner is the system established? What is the magnitude of the system? Which products did the system produce? How was it implemented? Such information may be useful to associations of Schools of Music in other countries, which also are working on the development and introduction of systems of quality development. Firstly, a brief introduction to and comparison of the TQM systems will be given. Thereafter, the four countries will be described in more detail.
Report on the First European Meeting 'The Future of Music Schools in European Policy’ (a European Development Centre for Music Schools) in Madrid on 21 and 22 February 2003
The Meeting in broad outline in the pdf version of this document.
This first European meeting on the future of Music Schools in European Policy actually consisted of three parts. First, there were speeches with a general content focussing on the situation of the Music Schools in Europe in general and in host-country Spain in particular, on the shared need for a European Development and Information Centre, on other examples of international cooperation in the cultural and educational field, and on the possible role of the European Union regarding a European Centre for the Music Schools.The second part of the meeting gave the floor to the political representatives from the 11 European countries represented. In their speeches they not only described the successes of the music school system in their own country which they would like to share with others, but they also sketched the foremost challenges they see in the near future for which they would like to have help from abroad.In the third part the discussion focussed on the content and feasibility of a possible European Development and Information Centre, and on the steps to be taken towards its realization in the near future.Below you will find a report that consists mainly of excerpts from the speeches held, in combination with brief texts binding these together. The excerpts are offered in a small letter. By the way: different parts of peoples texts have been put together, and the English of the speakers is used directly without modification.
Some good advises for making successful European Youth Music Festivals (EYMF) in the Future
With a Little help from Our Friends ...
(Draw up at the request of the EMU by Johan Svendsen, Norsk Kulturskoleråd, organisers of the 6th European Youth Music Festival in Trondheim 2000)
When reading the history of American music you will be astonished by the fact that jazz as an art form started as a note of protest.As a sharp contrast to this historic fact, you will discover that the philosophy behind the European Youth Music Festival is quite the opposite...
The educational training of music school teachers in the domain of instrumental/vocal studies in Europe
Results of a questionaire - by Gerd Eicker and Arthur Gieles, EMU 2002
Pages 1-16 (pdf)
Pages 17-34 (pdf)
Pages 35-40 (pdf)
When teachers of music cross borders, and also wish to work abroad, prospective employers ask themselves what kind of professional education the teacher has received, especially in didactic and pedagogical subjects.
Because of this, EMU has been carrying out a research project into the pedagogical-didactical content of the music studies offered by conservatories in the different member states of EMU.
The results of the project are described in a small booklet, written by project leader Dr Gerd Eicker, vice president of EMU and Arthur Gieles from the Dutch National Schools Inspectorate. They have been using information offered by the EMU-member associations.