Europe - Twelve Points! A European Song Contest
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Primary Schools from nine European countries join in the project “Europe – Twelve Points! A European Song Contest”. It involves about 2500 children aged 5-12 years. The project’s focus is on music – traditional and modern - which is used as a platform for cultural awareness and intercultural dialogue.
Through their locations, the participating schools represent the diversity of European music – from Iceland to Turkey, from Spain to Romania, a variety of musical traditions and genres will be explored and experienced by the children. They will learn about their own country’s musical heritage and view it in relation to other European countries. While dealing with various musical styles, the teachers plan to address the diversity in today’s European classroom, discussing inclusive teaching practices as well as enabling children with different educational needs and cultural and economic backgrounds to participate in all project activities.
During the three years of the project the children from all participating schools will engage together in a large number of musical activities supported by modern technologies. In the beginning of the first year of the project each school will send a "musical box" to travel around Europe. This box contains a story book with a story connected to music, information about the school and the country, and a sounds quiz with typical sounds from the area. Schools will document the travel of their boxes as well as other project results on eTwinning. Then the children will record a CD with typical Christmas songs that can be learned by children at all schools. "Our favourite European Christmas songs" will be chosen by all children. Then a folk songs and dances DVD/CD will be produced, again for the partner schools to try out and learn. The year ends with an online National Anthem Quiz produced by the pupils.
The second project year starts with a Pop Music Project in which the children compare and discuss their favourite Pop music online. This is followed by a National Composers Activity in which the pupils make PPT presentations about famous composers in their countries and learn about those in their partner countries. A numbers songs project for younger children collects songs in all languages teaching the numbers. In the end of this year there will be a flashmob dance designed by children, in all schools at the same time.
The third project year starts with a project on traditional musical instruments in all countries and then the preparations for the European Song Contest begin: music will be composed based on what was learnt in the course of the project,and rehearsed and the Song Contest event planned. This event is to be supported by webcam and judged by a jury, with members from the wider community in all schools.
Class partnerships and meetings between students are an essential part of the project in order to develop friendships throughout Europe and promote Foreign Language Learning. So, each class will have a partner class to communicate with, and 15 classes will meet their partners, getting to know each other and playing music together.
The teachers will collaborate at transnational project meetings, planning project activities, evaluating results, exchanging teaching methods and ideas and gaining insight in each others’ schools and school systems.
The whole project is reliant upon close cooperation between the different schools with the focus being on both difference and similarities. It aims to make children aware of their place as members of a wider European community which flourishes more when all members work together. Travel to partner schools will raise awareness for mobility in Europe and encourage the children to cooperate and communicate with people from other nationalities. The possibility of discussing inclusive teaching practices on a European scale is a great asset for the teachers and is a step towards common European educational standards.
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