MusiChild’s fourth multiplier event took place in Corfu organized by the Department of Music, Ionian University as part of the International Summer Music Academy.
Date: Saturday 11th of July 2015, 9.30 - 14.30
Location: Ionian Academy, Corfu
Participants: Forty (40) Kindergarten and Primary school teachers, music teachers, and other professionals from the public, private and communal sectors from different parts of Greece.
Brief description of the multiplier event:
1. Welcome from the host Dr. Zoe Dionyssiou (Ionian University), who briefly presented the activities and work that took place during the Training Course (6th-10th July), and the two music concerts/ events as parallel activities to the Training Course (7th and 10th July). She also presented the key ideas of the project, and possibilities about its future implementation in
the four participating countries of the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Spain, Greece and Italy) and elsewhere.
2. Welcome from Prof. Miranda Caldi, on behalf of the Department of Music, who talked about the importance of the good quality research in early childhood music education. She also talked about the long tradition of the Department on music educational projects in schools and the community in the fields of music education and music psychology.
3. Welcome from the co-ordinator of the project, Dr. Avra Pieridou Skoutella, who talked about the importance of the project as it connects cultures from four Mediterranean countries that share a long history.
4. Welcome from Mr. Perikles Papadopoulos, School Advisor for the Prefecture of Ionian Islands, who praised the good work of the Department of Music in its community music activities and educational projects.
5. Presentation: “Research and Scientific Backgroud of the MusiChild Project: Music in Early Childhood Music Education - Interculturality - Musicality - Evaluation”.
Avra Pieridou-Skoutella presented the main phases of the project, and justified our emphasis on early childhood education while elaborated on the music evaluation tool of the Partnership.
Zoe Dionyssiou presented the main findings from literature review on good practices in the teaching of traditional music in education and especially in early childhood education, and refered to the MusiChild musicality protocol. Paola Anselmi presented some key concepts from working with children aged 3 to 7 years old, as well as practical advice on how to observe children in their playtime for teachers and parents. Amaya Epelde Larranaga presented some key terms and process on creativity theory and its application in music education. Ioanna Etmektsoglou presented some main ideas on how to teach music in special education, the need to strengthen the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream education, and the benefit of listening to our inner self. We also refered to the importance of promoting an intercultural music education approach with young children.
6. Workshop: “Songs, Dances and Games from the Mediterranean: Intercultural Approach in Early Childhood Music Education”.
The partners of the project led this workshop with songs, playsongs, games, and dances from Mediterranean cultures. We presented playsongs from the following categories: rhymes, counting games, body-parts games, circle games, dialoge games, free space games. Among the playsongs we sung were: Kariotes, Skoupa, O ploumistos, La bella lavanterina, Triantafyllia mou trikardi, Il mio cappello a tre punte, Mi barba, Corre en Trencito, Sol Mario, Il sardina, Perna perna i melissa, etc. Among the dances we danced were I trata mas i kourelou, Hava Nagila, and the International Song that was composed by the participants of the Training Course. Many of those songs and games are under preperation for being included in the Musichild Manual and CD. The activities were presented in an 'intercultural' way, creating links among cultures through musical and other elements.
7. Discussion and closing of the seminar. In the last section of the day conference, questions and reflections were raised by the participants. Most participants expressed positive comments about the project, offered their reflections about the importance of promoting traditional playsongs, songs, dances and games in educational settings. They expressed their interest on the material presented, and stressed the importance on intercultural approach in early childhood music education within the Mediterranean region.