MOVEMENT is based on the idea that music is a way to discover and be an active part of the world. As many pieces of research show, it is a discipline that opens students’ mind beyond technical and creative aspects, by tapping into many different basic skills and learnings including: resiliency, socio-emotional skills, creativity, disruptive and divergent thinking, learn to learn, communication and more. The project brings together 8 full partners (2 schools, 4 music/cultural associations, 1 foundation + 1 scientific partner) and 9 associated/external partners (schools) distributed in 5 Local Hubs in Italy, France, Spain and Finland. It supports a true cross-sectoral cooperation in order to empower schools (and linked music associations) in designing and using an innovative multi-perspective non-traditional approach in music teaching, by drawing and building on different existing pedagogies and methods (e.g. Abreu – El Sistema, Reticular Teaching, methods Orff, Kodaly, Liberovici, Dalcroze,…), and by combining them with local experiences and an ad hoc designed impact evaluation. MOVEMENT will see the direct involvement in core activities of ca up to 55 teachers (music and other disciplines, e.g. STEM, Language etc) and up to 30 musicians (core project activities). During the 2 school years of the project (second term of 2021-2022; full-year 2022-2023) MOVEMENT will reach ca. overall 1600 students aged 6-12 enrolled in primary/middle schools of urban settings of Torino and Piacenza (Italy), Rouen (France), Helsinki (Finland) and Madrid (Spain), especially belonging to disadvantaged categories. The pillars at the basis of MOVEMENT approach can be summarized in: 1) Ensemble Music: group dimension as a key element to work with students; 2) Inclusiveness: all pupils (including those facing e.g. disability, learning or socio-economic disadvantages, cultural or linguistic differences, etc.) are welcomed in the group and a tailored approach is designed for each individual situation to foster integration and sense of community; 3) Peer to peer approach: music teaching and learning is not a prerogative of the ‘teacher’ in a top-down manner but, in a bottom-up approach, students can drive the learning process and help and mentor each other; 4) Learning process vs Performance: evaluation will be focused not on students technical ability but on the attitude and desire of the child to participate in the project and in the process, progress, and micro-changes of each student, acknowledging the variability of starting points of each student and of personal attitudes. To reach its main goals, the project will develop over the course of 24 months four Intellectual Outputs namely: 1) "Framing Non Traditional Music Teaching as empowering discipline"- a Framework Study that will allow partners to: a) better understand and share the value of the different music teaching methodologies and practices available and in use; and b) define the main features of MOVEMENT multi-perspective approach. The study will combine practical experience of the Educational Staff from partner countries with and rigorous scientific approach. 2) "Curriculum: Music for the future" – a Curriculum to design, transfer and test MOVEMENT multi-perspective approach in 11 schools (full, associated and external partners), to allow for its assessment and fine-tuning in real class scenarios, combining general features with specific local settings. Once finalized, the curriculum will be available to the broader possible international community. 3) "MOVEMENT Impact Kit" – a toolkit to provide Educational Staff involved in non-traditional music teaching (also beyond MOVEMENT approach) with tools and methodologies to assess and evaluate the impact of the approach on pupils’ progress and general wellbeing. 4) "From a Digital Music Campus to your classroom" – an 8-10 hours MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that will offer a step-by-by step guide for the implementation of non-traditional music teaching in different, multifaceted, school settings, by at the same time offering space for in-depth analysis and further elements linked to sustainability and community approach. MOVEMENT project aims at granting a strong legacy to its results and activities. Therefore, it plans on structuring a varied Dissemination strategy including an Advocacy Approach to promote MOVEMENT project as well as the concept of music as a strategic tool for learning and development. Dissemination will target broad and diversified audiences including policymakers, cultural and educational organizations working with other target groups (e.g. adults, younger students, ..), and/or in other artistic fields (e.g. dance, theatre, ..) and will also include a Transferability Plan to support the scaling up of MOVEMENT approach to such other contexts.
The project aimed to carry out background research and fieldwork to create a non-traditional music curriculum that would consider different music methodologies for inclusion. Movement's innovative approach was intended to inspire other music specialists working in schools. Based on a shared, multi-perspective pedagogy, MOVEMENT aimed to experiment with a theoretical-empirical framework for teaching music to promote resilience, life skills and social-emotional competencies. MOVEMENT aimed to contribute to the wide range of non-traditional approaches to music education for 6-12 year olds, with the difference that it focused on the whole child development. This also had a significant impact on the skills of educational staff (music, STEM, language, history teachers). The effort was channelled into the development of CURRICULUM MOVEMENT, an innovative, flexible and adaptable tool that involved all disciplines. This was evident at the closing event of the Turin conference (27 June 2023), which validated the approach as a replicable practice.
The call prompted the partners to focus on common needs emerging from their music teaching experiences. All partners show an early convergence in addressing the need to redefine a trusting relationship between teachers and students (and educators). All partners operate in disadvantaged local contexts and consistently seek a more systematic and recognized use of creative activities to promote social inclusion. These are an important starting point for schools to improve educational potential and individual growth enhancing transversal skills. In particular with music, this can be achieved through orchestral practice. During the 2020s, these pedagogical challenges were suddenly amplified, taking on a more urgent aspiration to promote an intertwined challenge between 2 main needs: 1) strengthening children's resilience in cognitive, emotional and social aspects (particularly relevant for the most vulnerable students due to cultural, social and economic obstacles, special needs, families in difficulty, etc.). 2) Recognizing the usefulness of creative learning activities as a component not only for play, but as a key element in transmitting transversal skills (social skills, communication, learning to learn, etc.).