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L'Hospitalet: spreading the use of art as a tool for social cohesion all over Europe

Edited on

05 June 2020
Read time: 2 minutes

2019 ends with lots of good news from the Music School - Arts Centre of L’Hospitalet (EMMCA). The URBACT network ONSTAGE: Music Schools for Social Change wants to spread the use of art as a tool for social cohesion. During these first months of the scholar year, EMMCA’s professionals had an intense international activity, visiting other partner cities (Katowice, Poland, and Aarhus, Denmark) and welcoming an international delegation in the first general mobility in L’Hospitalet, where they could learn and share good practices among each other.

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TWICE AT KATOWICE

From 9th to 11th September three Tandem projects coordinators in L’Hospitalet visited Katowice, UNESCO City of Music 2015, on a training mobility focused on music and arts programmes in primary schools. The experience, structures, didactics and resources of L’Hospitalet were shared with teachers from Katowice and Brno (Czech Republic), helping them to develop their own programs in their cities. The visit also included workshops with local students.

"Poland has a historical background full of overlapping empires and confronted sides. Katowice has been an industrial capital and 20 years ago after closing its carbon mines struggles to retrieve its identity.

In EMMCA they found is a project that can be useful, that makes them dream of an environment where the sounds of a metal in the schools cling to what they are looking for. For us, sharing what we do has been a challenge, but sharing why we do it was very easy. Dzięki Katowice!"

Diana Franov, primary school string orchestra coordinator (EMMCA)

One month later Katowice hosted the 4th transnational meeting, from 21th to 23th October, focused on the operational level of the Good Practice, including educational and organizational skills. All seven partner cities discussed about the professional profiles and overall structures needed to empower young people for an active citizenship through music and art education. In addition, this new meeting was used to share the development of the transfer plans.

GENERAL MOBILITY IN L’HOSPITALET

The first general mobility of the ONSTAGE network took place from 7th to 10th October in L’Hospitalet, the lead partner and Good Practice city. Seventeen delegates from the six cities involved visited EMMCA to obtain a deep dive experience of the Good Practice. The main aim of the mobility was to see how common pedagogical and artistic criteria in EMMCA are embodied in the task of every teacher in all kinds of programmes.  

The teachers participated in specific working sessions, focused on the features and principles of EMMCA, the programmes in primary schools and the actions addressed to students with special needs. Several music, drama and dance lessons were visited, both in the main building and in primary schools. One of the schools visited was Pau Vila School, the first on where EMMCA developed a music programme (string orchestra) on 2005. In addition, some social activities were organized, as well as short concerts where teachers, families and students enjoyed performances of different EMMCA groups (jazz manouche, wind band, big band and pop rock).

GENERAL MOBILITY IN AARHUS

Finally, the Aarhus Musikskole in Denmark hosted the last mobility of the year.  From 25th to 29th November this institution shared their experiences and projects, such as the World Music Center, Musikunik or the Grobund Bandakademi, with teachers from L’Hospitalet, Adelfia (Italy) and Grigny (France). During this mobility, Albert Bello, Oriol Saña and Gemma Abrié (jazz teachers from L’Hospitalet) and Camil Arcarazo (EMMCA student) performed in two concerts with the Danish double bass player Løkke Fedt, in the Aarhus Musikhuset and the Erlings Jazz Club.

ULG MEETING

The Urbact Local Group in L’Hospitalet keeps working during all this international activity. Its last meeting took place the 3th of December, where its members talked about the status of the improvement plan, shared their impressions about the mobilities and transnational meetings, and discussed how other partners’ experiences can help to improve the Good Practice.

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

Follow our activity on Twitter and visit our website urbact.eu/onstage!

Submitted by c.salido on 11 December 2019