Panels

Friday 24 September

Session 2

Clara Schumann Hall 

Advancing equitable access through early childhood music education: The CC-ECME project

Dorothy Conaghan1 (moderator), Michaela Hahn2, 3 (author, panelist), Taru Koivisto4 (author, panelist), Michael Dartsch5 (author), Luc Nijs6 (author), Natassa Economidou Stavrou7 (author) 

1International Music Council; 2mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria, 3European Music School Union; 4Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland; 5Hochschule für Musik Saar, Germany; 6University of Luxemburg; 7University of Nicosia, Cyprus

This panel presents the CC-ECME project, an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in Higher Education that promotes early childhood music education (ECME) as a key driver of equitable access to music education and cultural participation. The project is rooted in the view that, while access to high-quality ECME should be understood as a matter of equity, cultural participation and institutional responsibility, it is also an ethical, philosophical and human-rights concern. At its heart is the conviction that all children, regardless of socio-economic background, cultural identity or geographic location, should have meaningful access to inclusive and high-quality music education from the earliest years. ECME can support artistic, social and personal development, while also contributing to cultural understanding, participation and social cohesion. Yet such benefits remain unevenly distributed across Europe, depending on policy frameworks, institutional priorities, teacher education and local provision.

The panel first introduces the context, aims and activities of the CC-ECME project. It then turns to questions of policy provision, teacher training and institutional collaboration. Drawing on two expert workshops held in Vienna before the symposium and bringing together ECME specialists from across Europe, the presenters share emerging insights into advocacy, policy-making, teacher training and capacity-building in the field. The first workshop focused on advocacy and policy-making, opening a space for dialogue on how policy and institutional commitment are enacted within existing systems to better support and ensure inclusive and collaborative early childhood music education. The second workshop explored the design of a modular framework for ECME capacity-building, aimed at equipping educators with practical strategies for culturally responsive teaching and fostering sustainable collaboration between institutions.

Throughout the panel, the presenters critically engage with ethical questions emerging from the project: What is needed to ensure high-quality, barrier-free and equitable access to ECME for all children? How can music and art schools become drivers of change in this field, and what do they need to do to take on this role responsibly? The panel concludes with an interactive dialogue between the presenters and the audience. 

 

Saturday 25 September

Session 4

Fanny Hensel Hall 

Ethical dimensions of gifted music education

Guadalupe López-Íñiguez1, Magdalena Bork2 (moderator), Romain Asselborn3, Chun Li1

1Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland; 2mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria; 3European Music School Union; 

In this session, symposium participants will have the opportunity to discuss the topic of the keynote with Guadalupe López-Íñiguez and a panel of experts: Magdalena Bork, head of the Talent Lab at mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna; Romain Asselborn, vice-president of the European Music School Union and president of the Luxembourg Music School Association; and Chun Li, doctoral researcher at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki. We focus on the questions raised in the keynote: 

  • How can music education systems nurture exceptional talent without compromising the child's autonomy, dignity, or well-being? 

  • What shared responsibilities do teachers, families, and institutions hold in mitigating harm while fostering development?

  • If many of the ethical cracks discussed in the keynote are systemic rather than individual, what would music institutions actually need to change – not simply encourage – to make care structurally possible? 

 

Session 6

Fanny Hensel Hall

A music school for all: Ethical dimensions of an inclusive approach

Desiree Calzavara1 (moderator), Júlia Espinet Alegre2, Anne Jordhus-Lier3, Siw G. Nielsen3, Katherine Spencer4,5, Edmar Tuul6, Robert Vroegindeweij7

1Free University of Bozen-Bolzano; 2Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC); 3Norwegian Academy of Music; 4Bochum Music School, 5Cologne University of Music and Dance; 6Viimsi Music School, Estonia; 7European Music School Union

In a society that calls on educational institutions to pursue the goal of inclusion (United Nations General Assembly, 2015, SDG 4), and increasingly requires cultural institutions to provide tangible evidence of their commitment to inclusive practices, music schools find themselves facing various ethical dilemmas concerning the very definition of the concepts of inclusion and accessibility. Music schools may find it challenging to translate these concepts into genuine organisational, artistic, communicative and educational practices that are not merely symbolic but can have a real impact on access and participation for all. Some questions that may arise are: 

  • Is inclusion mainly an obligation for publicly funded institutions, or is it a value worth pursuing for its own sake? Is there an ethical responsibility for music schools to remove every possible barrier to access for minority communities, low-income families, and people with disabilities, for instance? What is the relation between inclusion and the pursuit of artistic excellence?

  • Is it possible to be inclusive for everyone at the same time? When different forms of inclusion require different and conflicting measures, or when funds are insufficient to cover every inclusive need, who should have the power to decide what to prioritise?

  • Does pursuing inclusion necessarily require the categorisation and classification of people and their needs, or do these mechanisms themselves risk being a double-edged sword, increasing the perception of otherness and the sense of alienation among those who should instead feel welcomed and supported?

In this session, a panel of researchers and music school principals will discuss these questions, drawing on their practical and academic knowledge and experience. The moderator and panel members will engage the audience in a discussion aimed at analysing these complex issues from different perspectives, offering practical insights and creating opportunities to reflect in depth and develop a shared understanding of the challenges.