“You can learn more about people by listening to their songs than any other way, for into the songs go all the hopes and hurts, the angers, fears, and the wants and aspirations”,John Steinbeck quoted and inspired us to put his thoughts into practice or even try to get a bit further than that: The context /background of our project is thinking about songs and music as historical artifacts and resources for learning, as, like other historical sources, musical compositions reflect the values and biases of the individuals who created them. Since the earliest days of every nation’s and country’s history, people have always creatively expressed themselves in lyrical form—in hymns, ballads, marches, limericks, love songs, and elegies. The songs and poems they have left for posterity are unmatched in their vitality and variety, and the events and emotions that these works describe together make up a portrait of the heritage of every country. Thus, when music is used as a source, it must be analyzed to see what it depicts. The projects aims to provide the students and teachers the relevant and high quality skills in today’s society and to make use of the national and European identity through music in order to foster social inclusion and education through music related topics. The project targets at 12-15 years old ordinary students but also at students with fewer opportunities who are from underprivileged backgrounds and experience social, economic or learning difficulties. The project also targets at teachers who are interested in continuous personal and professional development for a better world. There will be 140 students and teachers who will directly take part in the transnational Learning/Teaching/Training Activities. as a result of the selection criteria to meet the objectives of each project meeting. Our group of 5 schools will decode the information presented in pieces of music or different sources related to music so that the target group should develop their social, civic, English, ICT skills, raise their cultural awareness, boost their self-esteem and motivation to improve continuously. through the understanding of the attitudes, emotions, and complex circumstances that shaped the perspectives of creative Europeans. The project lasts 24 months, with 5 transnational Learning/Teaching/Training Activities for whose achievement we will have activities in preparation of the final products and that have as follow-up the evaluation stages and disseminations of results. All partner schools will cooperate and communicate continuously so that there should not be any interaptions regarding the task achievement and project implementation
The project tangible results will be:.’Project Logo’, ‘Story of music’, .’Songs:not only tunes, but the mentality of a nation’., ‘Landscape in songs’, ‘Lanscape and Traditional Songs, Dances and Clothing’, ‘Traditional instruments’, ‘ My musical instrument’, ‘Friendship through Music’,’ ‘Music- what and why I listen to’, ‘Music unites people’, ‘Let’s teach our mother tongue to our partners through music’,.’Intercultural communication through music’ and ‘Songs in the English class’ . To create these final products, we will do research, make documentation visits, attend lectures, produce presentations, make comparisons, write booklets, make videos, CDs, conduct surveys, construct our own musical instruments, play musical instruments, learn songs in the partnership’s mother tongues and in English and learn English through songs, all of these representing ways through which the musical history and identity of each country will be revealed and interpreted.and the students and teachers will develop the skills aimed at by the project objectives. As a result of the participation in this project, through the acquired skills,competences and attitudes, the students will actuvely campaign for a society that will be more tolerant and respectful of diversity, they will have access to a better life, they will not feel socially excluded, they will not be at risk of dropping school and they will continue their education for better careers.
Teachersl will have the opportunity to adopt innovative methods of teaching and CLIL will be applied, as a variety of school subjects will be involved, and e-lectures will be available,stimulating innovative projects/methods and sharing good practices. A successful dissemination and exploitation of our project will lead to external recognition of the work carried out, adding further credit to it and multiplying its effects. All results and materials will be shared on the project and the schools’ websites, project Twin space, through paper publications and through workshops in each participant’s region. Our aim is to work towards lifelong learning and maximize the effect of the developed activities, by making our products accessible and sustainable beyond the end of the funding period, via optional courses, accreditation or mainstreaming.