"Working in/with a school orchestra" is a project to exchange good practices and collaboration presented by the IES Princesa Galiana from Toledo (Spain) and High School Stefan Luchian from Botosani (Romania). They are two specialized in arts schools and located in two small historical cities. The project focuses on the work around the school orchestra and the preparation and carrying out of various musical performances, an activity that for both schools has been an ideal space for years for teamwork, involving a good number of the Departments and students at each school and that extends throughout the whole academic year. The joint effort will culminate in several joint performances in both cities. It is a practical and effective way of learning about the complexity of the orchestral work, and encourages the participants to realize and appreciate the values of effort, overcoming, responsibility and teamwork, in addition to promoting the continuation of upper musical studies. It is also a key tool to promote the knowledge of great works of the European culture. The Liceul Stefan Luchian has been a model for the implantation in the IES Princesa Galiana of a branch of musical baccalaureate "semiintegrated", in which some students can combine hours of studies of their artistic baccalaureate at school with their own specific subjects of music at the music-school, doing all of them in the morning schedule. The Romanian school is an art school in which, from early ages, the "general" subjects as well as the specific of plastic arts and music are studied in parallel. The Liceul wants to advance its development by offering a European exchange project to their students for the first time. The IES Princesa Galiana has just introduced the studies of Performing arts, music and dance, and it is so far the only school in the province that offers these types of studies. The IES Princesa Galiana has obtained several awards at the national level for the project "Galiana Presenta" and is finishing its first project ERASMUS+ on theatre and this year is running projects Etwinning and Erasmus as well. The school will make its humble contribution as ERASMUS+ coordinator and, in return, it will receive a huge impulse to the consolidation of the musical branch of the artistic baccalaureate. With the exchange of experiences between our two schools we will greatly improve our work around the music, applying new methodologies and effective forms of organization (spaces, times, groups). We want to take advantage of the challenge that is presented to us to reach new audiences presenting works/plays by authors (or folklore) from the two countries and performing them in chamber groups and mixed orchestras. We also want our students to know both the educational and professional reality around the arts and music in both countries, which can certainly help them to define their own academic future. A parallel objective of this project is to strengthen ties and mutual knowledge between Romania and Spain, using as intermediaries the students and families of Romanian origin that we have in Toledo, enhancing their roots and favoring both their family cohesion and their positive integration in our society. This will be a two-year project. During the first year we will maintain a monthly coordination in which the bases of the joint work will be laid down in terms of works, groupings, concert modalities, etc. If the COVID-19 pandemic allows it, there will be also two mobilities with small groups of students and professors to know different aspects of the work at each other’s school (workshops, essays, etc.) and the cultural life of the neighboring country. In the second year the final concerts, in which the two orchestras of the both schools are participating, will be held in Toledo and Botosani. It is expected that each school will mobilize 26 students and six teachers, although we hope that through the dissemination activities (Etwinning, webs, social networks, youtube channel, media, lectures and exhibitions) the impact will reach the entire educational community. The project will take on its full significance if it generates a suggestive impact on each of the cities. In both cases we have the collaboration of various organizations (town halls, orchestras, musical associations, etc.) to guarantee the participation of external agents (music professionals) and to facilitate the programming of the concerts in representative spaces of each city. The main objective in the long term is the creation of a wider network of European schools that participate in orchestral exchanges that will help to spread the huge cultural heritage, that will act as a cultural driving force of their cities and specially that will improve, through music, the life experience and thus offer the highest quality education to our boys and girls.
"Working in/with a school orchestra" is a project for the exchange of good practices and collaboration presented by the IES Princesa Galiana centers in Toledo (Spain) and Liceul Stefan Luchian in Botosani (Romania). These are two schools specialized in arts and Located in two small historic towns. The project has focused on work around the school orchestra and the preparation and execution of various musical performances, an activity that for both schools has been an ideal space for teamwork in which a good part of the students participate for years. departments and students of each school and that extends throughout each academic year. The joint effort has culminated in several joint actions in both cities. We understand that it is a practical and effective way to learn about the complexity of orchestral work, and also encourages the values of effort, improvement, responsibility and teamwork in participants, in addition to encouraging the continuation of higher musical studies. It is also a fundamental tool to promote knowledge of great works of culture. The Liceu Stefan Luchian has been a model for the implementation at the IES Princesa Galiana of a branch of "semi-integrated" musical baccalaureate, in which some students can combine artistic baccalaureate studies in the morning with music subjects at the conservatory . The Romanian center is an art school in which, from an early age, "general" subjects and specific plastic arts and music subjects are studied in parallel. It wants to advance its development by offering its students a European exchange project for the first time. The IES Princesa Galiana has just launched its baccalaureate studies in performing arts, music and dance, being until now the only center in the province that offers these courses. She has several national awards for her project "Galiana Presenta" and has completed her first ERASMUS+ project on theater and this year she has other Erasmus+ projects underway. He has contributed his (brief) experience as ERASMUS+ coordinator and in return has received an enormous boost to the consolidation of the musical branch of the artistic baccalaureate. With the exchange of experiences between our two centers we have greatly enriched our work around music, applying new methodologies and effective forms of organization (spaces, times, groups). We have taken advantage of the challenge presented to us to explore possibilities of communication with new audiences, working on works by authors from both countries and performing in chamber groups and mixed orchestras. We have also tried to make our students aware of the educational but also professional reality around arts and music in both countries, which will undoubtedly help them define their own academic future. A parallel objective of this project has been to strengthen ties between Romania and Spain and mutual knowledge, using as intermediaries the students and families of Romanian origin that we have in Toledo, valuing their roots and favoring both their family cohesion and their positive integration. in our society. For this, the visits to the Romanian Spanish Cultural Center and the Romanian Embassy in Madrid have been very important. The project has lasted three years, with an extension granted due to the pandemic. There were two brief exchanges with groups of students and teachers who learned about the work at the other center (workshops, rehearsals, etc.) and the cultural life of the neighboring country. In the last year, the final concerts were held in which the two orchestras from the two centers participated in both partner cities. Each center has mobilized approximately 26 students and six teachers, although through dissemination activities (especially through concerts) the impact has reached the entire educational community (teachers, students, families). In both cases we have had the collaboration of various entities (city councils, orchestras, musical associations, etc.) to guarantee the participation of external agents (music professionals) and to facilitate the programming of concerts in representative spaces of each city. The main long-term objective is the creation of a broader network of centers from different parts of Europe that participate in orchestral exchanges that help disseminate the enormous cultural heritage, that act as a cultural engine of their cities and, above all, that enrich, through music, life experience and thus offer the highest quality training to our boys and girls.