“Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” (SIMAME) It is commonly known that, together with a high quality education in new fields, mobility and collaboration between Europeans, especially within the educational and academic community, is the main purpose of Erasmus Programme aiming at the European Union integration. However, no one could approach anything beyond their own country and culture, if they had not previously begun with what significant exists in their local environment, let alone if their local history and monuments have ecumenical dimensions. Ιt is also equally important what could bring together different nations, ages, languages, religions etc. What else, if not the Art, could be the most successful interconnection bridge? Under this reasoning and according to objectives and priorities of the “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), Music High School of Kavala intends to be approved as Coordinator in a new project based on the following double pillar: 1. on the Art, particularly on Music Art and Education, 2. as well as on the common European cultural heritage. Regarding the first pillar of our Project, that is the art of Music, we aim to give more emphasis on it, because of two reasons: a) the type of our School specializes in Music art and education and b) Music incorporates in itself everything, being simultaneously international language, history, religion, mathematical science etc. It also includes even the second pillar of the project being presented now, that is all the main roots of what is European culture and values: ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Christianity. In this context, we do not isolate any type of the world music, particularly our Greek folk music in common with ‘Byzantine’ choral music or the relevant “ottoman music”, as parts of the whole Mediterranean and European types of music. That’s why Music High School of Kavala, starting from it, plans to organise festivals, conferences, concerts and online educational programs on the Art of Music. To be successful in this goal, Music High School will take advantage of its great experience in festivals and educational/training programs, culminating in “Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” multi-day international School Festival (See 1 and 2). We have to to make clear that we plan to repeat the festival’s context and content by an innovative project of Erasmus’ “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), submitted now by this application form. Regarding the second before mentioned pillar of our Project, we are going to focus on ‘reference cultural points’ which surround us in our local region and at the same time have global recognition with similar examples anywhere in the world, even more round the Mediterranean sea. We are talking about monuments and historical figures considered as emblems not only for Greek history or Christianity but for the whole European legacy. Among them and not far from us is located the ancient and medieval city of Philippi, which was recently declared World Heritage Site by Unesco, as a symbol combining uniquely the ancient Greek, the Roman, the Byzantine ages. It has been called ‘small Rome’ (‘Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis’) and ‘small Constantinople’, reminding through its monuments all the Roman and Byzantine world. Anyone could see how much Philippi, flourishing more than fifteen centuries before, resembles now to a typical multicultural European metropolitan center. The Organizing Committee of our School Unit resulted in a 2-year schedule of the Project, to which they contribute five (5) Partners from five (5) different European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece). Our Schedule consists of four (4) major Semesters, each of which has its distinct requirements and goals. During each Semester, teachers and students will have to conclude a specific programme (courses, workshops, educational programmes etc.), which is to be presented afterwards through a scientific conference and a festival. All programmes are addressed directly to the involved school's community, but also to the broader community through the mass media and social media. Previously, our Organising Committee had to answer the most crucial question: what does the entire European and much more the global community have in common, that already preexists in any local or regional environment and so it could be directly accessible? Moreover, how any local cultural tradition could be the entrance to the history and culture of the whole humanity? Which monuments or historical figures of our Greco-Roman and Christian world could be presented as symbols of universal values? As the European school community living in the postmodern age do we need to rediscover, share and rethink of our ancient, medieval and modern heritage? However, we are looking for the meeting point of all cultures, the most simple international language. It is no other than the Art itself.
General Objectives: 1) mutual knowledge, respect and understanding of foreign cultures 2) socialization 3) motivation through group activity 4) promotion of European social cohesion and active participation in society 5) encouraging intercultural dialogue 6) promotion of motivation to learn a foreign language 7) promoting the cooperation of people from different backgrounds cultural environment 8) intercultural communication through Music. Specific objectives: A) Pedagogical - Educators: 1) offering quality stimuli and positive visions to the student population 2) getting to know and developing creative relationships between students and school teachers communities 3) creation of a creative network of cooperating European Schools Units and Educational Organizations B) Moral - Social: 1) aesthetic cultivation of the participants 2) cultural decentralization 3) strengthening the incentives to invest together as a society in education and innovative actions 4) consolidation and generalization of the disposition as well as the necessary skill for cooperation between citizens and agencies and 5) stimulation of incentives for local cultural and self-governing bodies
Our proposal was based on our existing experience in successful organization and co-organization of large cultural events and educational programs. Basic actions such as cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, training programs and lectures for teachers, students and the general public, focused not only in Musical Art, but more generally in history, philosophy, religious tradition, etc., were designed as axes of the project. The first question that was raised, referred to the common cultural tradition that all European citizens and the wider global community draws from a shared past as well. How the local cultural tradition, i.e. the historical monuments and persons of each place, its works art, customs, are the entrance to world history of all mankind? All this in the light of the fight against racism as emerging scourge of our time, but also of the essentially international unification and especially of the European community, first and foremost through school education.