"Jazz without borders" comes from the need to present a project that involves students and jazz orchestra teachers and a large part of the whole school in activities promoting culture, music and teamwork. In the music high school there are almost two hundred students; with their teachers, they form several ensemble music groups and play a lot of performances during festivals and events of Tuscany. In the last two years the jazz orchestra stood out for its high motivation and excellent results. The main objective of this project is to improve and promote musical culture through a shared heritage within the European community. In fact a lot of jazz experiences cross the various countries, contaminate the local musical culture and give life to new and original forms of music. The cooperation with other European realities allows the exchange of knowledge, skills, repertoires and also increases young musicians’ awareness of belonging to a wider community than the one which they are accustomed to live in and study. The selected repertoires will be performed by jazz orchestras formed by students of the two schools. With this activity we want to highlight the traditions, the characters, the places and also the migratory processes that affected the different countries and influenced sounds and evolution of jazz music. The project is biennial and bilateral. Our partner is the Finnish school Vaskivuoren Lukio of Vantaa where a big band is. It performs many concerts and participates in international festivals. The students and the teachers of the jazz groups of the two schools will take part in the exchanges of about 40 students between 15 and 19 within two years. During the school year and the exchange weeks, a substantial number of students and teachers from the participating schools will also be involved in various activities. During the school year, the planned activities will be: • to decide the repertoires and study the scores by working in a team; • seminars, meetings, online forums for teachers and students. During the exchange weeks, the activities will be: • orchestra rehearsals; • teamgroup activities of laboratory teaching; • improvisation and jazz arrangement seminars; • workshops linked to the sound/body connection (dance, body awareness, etc.); • individual or small group instrument lessons; • seminars on new technologies, recording and multimedia; • discussions on school organization, good practices and teaching methods (for teachers); • visits to places of musical and cultural interest. The methodology will focus on enhancing the creativity and reinforcing students’ skills. Through laboratory-type teaching, teachers will act as facilitators. Concrete “products” will be high quality shows and performances. In particular the participants will develop the skills to work together at a professional level and to play musical performances through exchange and sharing. By comparing with other realities, students will develop what basic skills of a musician/citizen are. Teachers and students will also improve their language skills. Thanks to the extended participation in these activities, “products” could be included in the curriculum, both as regards teaching, as well as acquired skills. The involvement in the Erasmus project of the musical realities of the two cities will make possible to present the performances of students in theaters and concert halls of both Finland and Italy.
“Jazz without borders” involves students and teachers of the schools of the partnership in activities aimed at promoting musical culture and in particular jazz music. The students of Liceo Passaglia are almost two hundred and, with their teachers, they form several ensemble music groups and play a lot of performances during festivals and events.. In the last two years the jazz orchestra stood out for its high motivation and excellent results. The Vaskivuori Big Band has been active within the Vaskivuoren Lukio school in Vantaa for years and has numerous concerts and participations in international festivals to its credit. The main objective is to enhance and promote musical culture through a shared heritage within the European community. In fact, there are many jazz experiences that cross the various countries, contaminate local musical cultures and give life to new forms and original styles of making music. The comparison with other European realities allows the exchange of knowledge, skills, repertoires and also increases young musicians’ awareness of belonging to a wider community than the one they are accustomed to live in and study; this stimulates boys and girls to undertake new linguistic, musical and human experiences. With this activity we want to develop the skills to play together on a professional level, to create musical performances through exchange and sharing. Through comparison with other realities, students increase what basic skills of a musician/citizen are. The activities that took place : • analysis of repertoires and scores; their re-elaboration and arrangement; • seminars, meetings, online forums between teachers and students; • orchestral rehearsals and concerts in prestigious locations; • group activities with laboratory teaching; • jazz improvisation and arrangement seminars; • implementation of new technologies, recording and multimedia; • exchange of good practices and teaching methodologies; • visits to places of musical, cultural and historical interest. The methodology was centered on the enhancement of the students' creativity and skills through laboratory-type teaching. The concrete products were: professional quality performances in concert halls and public squares; high quality videos and recordings of the two orchestras virtually joined and live performances The project allowed the participants to improve their professional skills in music, interpersonal and linguistic skills, particularly in the more fluent use of the English language, and the specific musical language. The participants in the project have established solid bonds that will certainly lead to the development of new projects both in school life and in the professional music field. Thanks to the extended participation in the project activities, it is possible to include the activities and products created in the curriculum of the schools. The involvement in the project of the musical realities and entities present in the two cities makes it possible to reproduce the results in theaters and events in the area to spread, in addition to good music, the reality of Erasmus both in Finland and in Italy..