The OECE project, funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, brings together two universities, an academic arts centre and three European opera houses for two years (2021-2023): Universidad de Oviedo. Oviedo, España (coordinating institution). Akademiya za Muzikalno, Tantzovo I Izobrazitelno Izkustvo "Prof. Asen Diamandiev". Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Associazione Lirica e Concertistica Italiana, AsLiCo. Milano, Italia. Fundación Opera de Oviedo. Oviedo, España. State Opera – Plovdiv. Bulgaria. Universita ‘Degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca. Milano, Italia. The intention of this transnational and inter-institutional partnership is to make Opera, European Cultural Heritage, an effective tool for a more inclusive society and a greater sense of belonging to Europe. Our aim is to promote Opera as a means of inclusion of disadvantaged children, especially in rural areas, at the Early Childhood Education stage (0-6 years). The training methodology has been specifically designed for educators. The children participate in multiple educational actions based on the adaptation of the opera Cinderella (Rossini, 1816): Dolce Cenerentola, a co-production of the three operas involved in the project. Other educational resources include video tutorials adapted to the needs, demands and expectations of the participants, as well as an app designed especially for schools, families and children. Dolce Cenerentola proposes a playful, democratic, sustainable, educational, formative and inclusive approach to opera. The maintenance and projection of this project will be strengthened by the appointment of ambassadors in the different countries and institutions involved.
1. To promote and generalize Opera as a means of inclusion of disadvantaged population, specially from rural areas. 2. To design and plan educational experiences related to opera that make it possible to alleviate the access to culture children in Early Childhood Education in rural areas during pandemia times such as the current one. 3. To stimulate the taste for quality music in Early Childhood Education through Opera in (non-existent so far) formal and online education practices. 4. To improve the development of children’s musical, cognitive, psychomotor, linguistic and emotional competences. 5. To develop online and face-to-face training actions aimed at Early Childhood Education educators to promote their music didactic skills. 6. To offer multimedia didactic resources that promote the development of musical skills in Early Childhood Education. 7. To encourage and support parents with no music background on their key role for the cultural education of their children. 8. To get toddlers familiarized with high quality music education for further make them aware of its European singularity for the sake of social cohesion. 9. To promote the relationship between schools and families.
This project departures from our own experience with children at the Music Education Department at Universidad de Oviedo in several Innovation Projects. Music is a key element in Early Childhood Education (0-6 years old) although teachers do not know how to use music in their future classrooms. Music Education in Spanish public schools and private educational centers provides with teachers and educators misusing music and making use of poor-quality music tools in the classroom. In this sense, teachers sing with their children, they play musical instruments (tambourines, claves, etc.), they work on musical elements such as rhythms or melodies in daily classroom activities, despite not having the necessary knowledge to perform them effectively nor efficiently. Thus, it is necessary to promote these skills and develop training that provides teachers with the appropriate tools to use music correctly as a teaching methodology. Although music is part of the Early Childhood Education curriculum, classical music in general, and opera in particular, is not part of the curricular content. Opera is a purely European cultural asset and its imprint to achieve a feeling of belonging is essential in the methodological approach proposed by OECE