Culture Academy participates in creating an international traditional music network

From 16 to 19 February, partners of the Erasmus+ project TUNE (Traditional Music Undergraduate Network in Europe) met in Rauland, Norway to discuss the possibilities for developing a joint traditional music module and student exchange. The UT Viljandi Culture Academy was represented in the talks by Lecturer Cätlin Mägi, Director for Academic Affairs Kadri Steinbach, and Project and Development Coordinator Anu Almik.

In the course of the project, the participants plan to work out a joint study module, an online platform for learning and teaching and sharing repertoire, and to organise the exchange of students from the partner countries during intensive weeks. Students can participate in intensive weeks together with teaching staff and the main goal is to get to know the traditional music of the project partners and introduce their own traditional music.  Over the week, workshops, rehearsals and public concerts take place.

At the first meeting, the project partners analysed the curricula of all the partner institutions and the possibilities for creating a joint module. The next round of discussions, as well as the first intensive week, will take place in Greece in May. From Estonia, five students of traditional music and two members of the teaching staff will participate in that event. In October, a similar intensive week will take place in Viljandi.

According to Kadri Steinbach, Director for Academic Affairs of the UT Viljandi Culture Academy, the main strength of the project is its broad international scope. “While usually our good partners in traditional music are higher education institutions of the Baltic and Nordic countries, through this project we will have the opportunity to make contacts with traditional musicians from Southern Europe. I am sure that the experience gained from this project will be invaluable for our students,” said Steinbach.

The lead partner in TUNE is the University of Southeastern Norway, and the project partners beside the Culture Academy are higher education institutions from France (Pôle Aliénor), Spain (Conservatorio Superior de Música de Vigo) and Greece (University of Ioannina). The team also includes Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen, the network of European conservatoires, music academies and universities. 

The project runs from 1 November 2021 to 1 November 2024 and is funded by Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships programme for a total amount of €354,700.

In the photo, members of the TUNE network during the first meeting in February. Photo by: Sara Maaren