Due to the rather nationalistic tendencies of many countries and parties we want our sudents to deal with europe and it's different cultures and the chances that they offer. We chose music as our medium to achieve that. In this project we will write different songs that will be based on the same musical theme. Our partner schools in portugal and finnland will each write their own version of the song, reflecting their own culture. At the same time we will develope a song with a shared vision of europe. To acompany the songs, we will produce videos to introduce the schools, the respective towns and their people in different ways. In addition to that we will publish different products like video tutorials, logos, Posters and artworks on different channels (e.g. selected internet platforms, press, etc.). Knowledge about for example video production, sound recordings and the usage of digital media will be shared by teachers and students in common workshops, therefore educating each other. These aquired skills will be used in the course of the project as well as afterwards, in different areas. Every country will hold a collective concert and exhibition. Therefore there will several meetings in the according countries with students from different grades.The participants will be recruited from different cultural groups of the schools (e.g. the orchestra, choir, etc.).To intensify the exchange between students of different countries they will be living in host families and working in mixed groups. In between meetings we will continue working on the projects and share and develope the results on eTwinning. Students can contribute by creating posters in class or taking part in logo-contests. Especially the videos bear a wide range of possibilities of contribution. Both individual groups from school (Classes, Clubs, Colleagues, Committees, Parents, etc.) as well as the city (Societies, location management, firefighters, caritative facilities, etc.) can and should be included in the video in different places. All in all, next to artistic and artisanal skills, we want to convey acceptance and understanding as well as awareness of the wide range of possibilities and benefits of the european union.
In our project "We Are Music" we have set ourselves the goal of showing our students the opportunities and advantages of international cooperation and at the same time strengthening their personal commitment on site. Active engagement with music is particularly well suited to emphasizing cultural differences as well as similarities and thereby achieving mutual acceptance and appreciation as the basis for successful cooperation. As a result, a self-written song was to be created in various country-specific versions and a joint international version, and recorded in sound and image. We have achieved this and in doing so have stimulated many very different learning processes. Not only did the participants' knowledge of English improve significantly, but also their technical and musical skills. The basis for our song was composed by Finnish students and presented and passed on at our 1st real meeting in Fürstenau. A workshop on recording technology in the recording studio was also held here. At the second meeting in Barreiro, the national versions that had been developed in the meantime could already be played. In this work phase, the participants also dealt with the topic of “War and Peace” through music and dance. In Savonlinna the joint international version of Our Song was worked out and recorded directly. At a second smaller meeting in Portugal, some participants exchanged views on the joint film and film processing techniques. At our big final concert in Fürstenau, all four versions of Our Song were presented alongside various other contributions from the participating schools. During the various meetings in Portugal, Finland, Germany and virtually via the Internet, the participants worked in international teams, got to know each other and complemented each other with their different skills. In addition to working on the songs, there were other activities and workshops such as recording technology, dance, circus, sports activities, sightseeing, discussions about Europe and the EU and making music together again and again. External speakers were also used for the workshops. The results of the joint workshops, as well as the work of the national project groups between the meetings, were presented in the three cities of Barreiro, Savonlinna and Fürstenau. The local conditions (school, town hall, youth club, town park, town hall...) were used to involve the municipalities and make the project accessible to the general public. Several working groups at the schools have emerged from the project. Special mention should be made here of the formation of school bands in Portugal and Germany, a video and photo club and a wind ensemble in Germany and the promotion of numerous musical talents. As a result of the project, some students have started learning different instruments or writing their own songs. In Portugal, there was a permanent cooperation between the school and the local jazz academy. In Germany, based on the Open Stage evening of the last mobility, a new format for musical encounters between several local schools was created, in which music groups from the schools meet twice a year for an open stage. In addition to the composition and production of the Erasmus song and the videos, numerous traditional and modern songs were exchanged and expanded the repertoire of the music formations of all participating countries. The evaluation of the questionnaires that were filled out at the beginning and at the end of the project shows that, according to their own assessment, the participants now on average know more about the musical, cultural, geographical and political characteristics of the partner countries, and interestingly also about their own country. Many participants now also rate their knowledge of the EU better. All participants observe that they now speak English with more courage and self-confidence. However, the willingness to possibly study or work in another country could not be increased. For the clear majority of the participants, the most important aspect of this project is getting to know other people and how people in other countries live.