But... how was IncluMusic project financed?
The IncluMusic project is dedicated to promoting the inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disadvantaged backgrounds in Higher Music Education Institutions. If you've ever been curious about institutions that champion projects focused on training music teachers in innovative pedagogies to enhance access, participation, and completion rates for students with fewer opportunities in the field of music, then this article is an absolute must-read.
Let’s start by saying that IncluMusic is a project financed in the framework of ERASMUS+, which is the European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €26,2 billion (for the period 2021-2027) provided opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. Erasmus+ does not just present opportunities for students. Merging seven prior programmes, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations.
In the rich menu of the opportunities offered by Erasmus+, there are also the so-called “Cooperation Partnerships”. And this is the scheme that allowed us to have our project financed!
The primary goal of Cooperation Partnerships is to allow organisations to increase the quality and relevance of their activities, to develop and reinforce their networks of partners, to increase their capacity to operate jointly at transnational level, boosting internationalisation of their activities and through exchanging or developing new practices and methods as well as sharing and confronting ideas. They aim to support the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices as well as the implementation of joint initiatives promoting cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experience at European level. Results should be re-usable, transferable, up-scalable and, if possible, have a strong transdisciplinary dimension. Selected projects will be expected to share the results of their activities at local, regional, national level and transnational level.
IncluMusic is giving its contribution to reaching all the main objectives of the program and is encompassing the main features of a Cooperation Partnership project, as it aims at:
- Increasing quality in the work, activities and practices of organisations and institutions involved, opening up to new actors, not naturally included within one sector;
- Building capacity of organisations to work transnationally and across sectors;
- Addressing common needs and priorities in the fields of education, training, youth and sport;
- Enabling transformation and change (at individual, organisational or sectoral level), leading to improvements and new approaches, in proportion to the context of each organisation.
The IncluMusic consortium is diligently undertaking the outlined tasks within the project, showcasing an extraordinary collaborative spirit to reach the set targets. Our main goals revolve around advancing innovative learning and teaching practices while fostering inclusivity in conservatories, aligning with the call's specific requirements.
By pooling our efforts and embracing a shared vision, we are determined to make a positive impact on the field, paving the way for a more inclusive and progressive educational landscape!