L'Hospitalet de Llobregat: art practice as a tool for improving community life and social cohesion

L'HOSPITALET: THE CITY OF JAZZ MANOUCHE

The Django Orchestra Academy

The Django Orchestra Academy (TDOA) is a pedagogical project developed by the EMMCA –L'Hospitalet Municipal Music and Arts School, URBACT's good practice to be transferred through the OnStage network– and the Association of Musicians and enthusiasts of the Jazz Manouche. TDOA uses a pioneering methodology “shadowing”, which allow the students to share space with musicians and learn artistic and social skills thanks to 360 grades immersion in a professional Big Band.

The musical education project manages to start and show Jazz Manouche music to significant share of citizens of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. “The Jazz Manouche encourage respect to Roma culture” highlights Albert Bello, one of the highest country representatives of Jazz Manouche.

The Django Orchestra Academy at Barts Concert Hall

During 2019 TDOA spent a weekend at EMMCA learning all the necessary tools to work on the big band and prepared a repertoire of different songs with the teachers from the orchestra. 

On 12th of June, The Django Orchestra and The Django Orchestra Academy jointly played a concert at one of the most important halls from Barcelona, the Barts Concert Hall, with more than 60 musicians on stage.

Jazz Manouche Day in the city: Building social life in Can Sumarro garden

On the 15th June, from 10 am to 6 pm, the Jazz Manouche Day was held for the students and teachers of the EMMCA at Can Sumarro Garden, which has been transformed into the meeting place for musicians and fans of Jazz Manouche. This year, the event welcomed participating students from the Tandem of Josep Janés Primary School and Jazz Manouche students of the EMMCA – who shared great experiences together. At the garden there were some activities to enjoy with family and friends such as having a nutritious breakfast, participating in jam sessions or taking an excellent aperitif – or as vermut, as Catalans say. All the activities were organized with the intention of boosting the social life of the city and making neighbors come together.The international collaboration of the day came with the Colombian instrumental ensemble “Octeto de cuerdas pulsadas”, which shared with the audience musical pieces from this South American country.

Currently, EMMCA makes possible more than 350 concerts per year, with an audience around 33,900 people. These activities create community spaces, making each concert a common celebration – and this is what EMMCA aims at encouraging in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Theatre, music and dance onstage

On June 19th at 8:30 pm, drama, music and dance students of the EMMCA represented William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". The courtyard of the EMMCA became a magic forest to end the course, with a complete show that for the first time at the school brought together drama, music and dance students.

The youth theatre group took care of providing voice and body of the characters and all the fairies and goblins.  Each scene of the forest, the palace or the awaited wedding of the Dukes of Athens featured very different music styles. String and wind groups, a Jazz Manouche ensemble, a pop rock combo, a big band and the orchestra of Ministrils played music to this show, which also featured the participation of dance groups of the EMMCA.

Common artistic project

The EMMCA takes a step forward as a Municipal Music School and Arts Centre by bringing the several art forms​​ to the service of a common artistic project and being a true mirror of the city, which is one of the essential purposes in URBACT project driving change towards better cities.

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Text by Belén Ambi. For further information please contact her at projectesemmca@l-h.cat

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