IncluMusic – Final Conference
October 7th, 2025,
Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Bucium St., no. 2, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Music and Inclusion: Educate, Empower, Engage
The completion of the IncluMusic project – Increasing skills for building more inclusive conservatories – was marked by a major event to disseminate the results, namely the International Conference Music and Inclusion: Educate, Empower, Engage, hosted by the Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca on October 7, 2025, at the newly inaugurated campus on Bucium Street no. 2.
In addition to the contributions of the project members (Kim Fallen Bailey – RIAM, Elide Scarlata – ConsPa, Maria Prodromou and Yiannis Mirallis – EUC, Maria Cinque, Ioana Zagrean and Maria Pia Ferdinandi – LUMSA, Dragana Mitrović – Resolvo srl., Alfonso Guerra and Alessandra Callegari – AEC, Paula Mladin, Diana Sârb, Cristina Pascu – ANMGD) who presented the implementation stages and other unique aspects to an audience of over 40 participants, the conference program also benefited from the participation of distinguished guests from the European musical field.
Prof. Lois Văduva, PhD, from Emanuel University in Oradea, with an extensive experience in music therapy, addressed another facet of inclusion through music in her presentation Inclusion through Music: Models and Experiences from Clinical and Community Music Therapy, Avri Leviatan – artistic director of the 1000+ Concerts project, co-founder and artistic director of the Musethica International program – participated with an online presentation on social inclusion as an innovative component in higher music education, while Prof. Fredrik Schwenk from Hamburg University of Music and Drama, who is also Artistic Director of the Festival of Young Bayreuth, gave us an exciting insight into the evolution of the renowned festival (Inclusive Practices at the Bayreuth Festival), focusing on the success stories of participants with disabilities, as well as current efforts to increase inclusive practices.
The finale consisted of a passionate dialogue between the panellists of the round table Inclusion as a Key Aspect of Higher Arts Education – the same Prof. Fredrik Schwenk, Finn Schumacker, Executive Director of AEC, and Corina Ceclan from the Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music, coordinator of the INCLUSIV project – under the impetus given by Assoc. Prof. Mara Rațiu, PhD from the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca, also a member of the Representative Board of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA, The Netherlands). The diversity and complementarity of perspectives on inclusion objectives in particular artistic environments across Europe were skilfully summarized by the discussion moderator.
The informational consistency of the entire event was complemented by two unique practical moments offered by Elide Scarlata from the Conservatorio Statale di Musica Alessandro Scarlatti (Palermo, Italy) and Maria Pia Ferdinandi from the Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta Roma, consisting of music therapy and mindfulness exercises, which successfully engaged all the participants.
In addition to the constructive dialogues and captivating presentations by the guests of the Music and Inclusion: Educate, Empower, Engage Conference, the event provided a wonderful context for reiterating the impressive results achieved throughout the four work packages of the IncluMusic project, results made possible thanks to the sustained efforts of the project members, as well as the professional coordination of each work phase by the leading institutions.
In the context of an increasingly pressing need for curricular and pedagogical adaptation, as well as for cultivating a conscious attitude in higher music education institutions, we anticipate the sustainability of the courses developed within the project in building more inclusive conservatories around Europe and beyond!
Paula Mladin (ANMGD)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency for Community Programs in the Field of Education and Professional Development. Neither the European Union nor ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them.