The aims and prominent tasks of the EMU as defined in the statutes are:
- To promote music education and music practice.
- To co-operate by exchanging information on all questions concerning music schools.
- To promote exchanges of student delegations, teachers, pupils, orchestras, choirs, other music groups and so on.
- To raise the interest of the competent authorities and the public on questions of music education in general and to encourage amateur music and music studies.
- To help create and develop nation-wide federations of music schools.
- To maintain regular contact with interested international institutions such as the UNESCO, the European Music Council (EMC) and others.
EMU devotes itself to:
- Defending the interests of its members
- Providing services to its members
- Developing the organisation
- Being active in the field of music education on European level
The President and the Secretary General are obliged to report on the EMU’s work in an annual report. This entails an analysis of the budget and an evaluation of various ongoing projects. The EMU’s work results in:
- Resolutions (Weimar Declaration)
- Manifesto’s (Music Makes People)
- Publications (Music Schools in Europe)
- European meetings with politicians and high functionaries on ‘The Future of Music Schools in European Policy’
- Management meetings
- Directors seminars
- Events (European Youth Music Festivals)
- Model projects (Intercultural Music Education)
- Gathering and publishing statistical information on European music schools
- Collecting descriptions of publications (related to the effects of music on children and young people)
- Collecting descriptions (quality management; curricula for instrumental education; project descriptions from the different member countries)
- Public Relations (Internet-Site)
- Research into the pedagogical-didactical content of the music studies offered by conservatories in the different member states of EMU.
To achieve its goals and to fulfill its tasks, the EMU relies on the help of representatives from many national music school associations who work for the EMU on a voluntary basis, contributing working time, know-how, and new infrastructures.
The EMU’s annual budget is sustained by membership fees. The EMU’s main projects are also funded by public means – for example, the European Council (EC) or the European Commission (EU) and by private sponsors.