A.L.C.H.E.M.I.A Erasmus+ project

A.L.C.H.E.M.I.A. (Alliance of Cultural Heritage Exchange for Musical Innovation and Acquisition) is an Erasmus+ project organized by music schools from Finland, Italy, Latvia, Belgium and Spain.

Goal: to create a Best Practice teaching Guide in Music Education.

How?

Using the national music repertoire of the national heritage of each country. This repertoire will be taken into pedagogic use by benefiting the expertise of each participating partner.

A.L.C.H.E.M.I.A. will take place during 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.

There will be 5 different study-packs.

At the end of each of them there will be a meeting in the different countries (multiplier event), where delegates (students and teachers) from each institution involved carry out the conclusion of the activity.

All mobility costs will be covered by EU funding.

This is A.L.C.H.E.M.I.A. schedule:

Belgium – Academie voor Muziek, Woord en Dans – Bornem

Study-pack: September – December 2021

Multiplier event in Belgium: January 2022

Focus: vocal and instrumental improvisation technique of the Franco-Flemish polyphony (XV and XVI century)

Latvia – Lielvarde District Music and Art School – Lielvarde

Study-pack: November 2021 – April 2022

Multiplier event in Latvia: May 2022

Focus: educational experience in teaching vocal and choir theory

Italy – Scuola di Musica di Fiesole – Fiesole / Firenze

Study-pack: February – May 2022

Multiplier event in Italy: June 2022

Focus: educational experience in music education in ensemble settings (strings and piano)

Spain – Conservatorio Profesional de Osuna – Osuna

Study-pack: September – December 2022

Multiplier event in Spain: January 2023

Focus: educational experience tied to ensemble, with specialization in wind instruments and guitar

Finland – Iisalmi Ylä-Savo Music School – Iisalmi

Study-pack: November 2022 – February 2023

Multiplier event in Finland: March 2023

Short description of the Italian study-pack 
Scuola di Musica di Fiesole – Fiesole / Firenze

Orchestral and chamber music activities have always played a fundamental role in the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole teaching-methods. String and piano (as well as harp) students begin to play together just after their very first steps with their own instruments, being part of the various Orchestras dedicated to the different levels and ages (from Micromusici up to the Orchestra dei Ragazzi). As soon as possible they also start having chamber music lessons.

The Scuola di Musica di Fiesole study-pack provides sharing ensembles' methods and repertoires, involving music students of different ages, levels and backgrounds in orchestral and chamber music experiences, stimulating their own instrumental and human growth.

Short description of the Finnish study-pack
Ylä-Savo Music school


The Finnish Ylä-Savon Musiikkiopisto will collect and share with other project partners a collection of songs from the Kalevala, different folk songs and material from the Finnish national romantic era with other partners. Each partner will choose one piece and recompose it by connecting it with a piece representing the heritage of this other partner’s culture.

The Finnish study pack will contain guidelines how the student can use his/her own creativity in improvising and composing.

Short description of the Latvian study-pack
Lielvarde Art and Music school

The point of the Latvian study pack is to search for new ways and methods to combine singing and choir with music theory teaching using musical material of the traditional national heritage of each country. Latvia has a wonderful history of respecting traditional songs and dances and there is a lot for the other partners to learn about this attitude. Latvia is also known as a singing country, where singing and dancing has influenced even their political history as a form of so-called singing revolution. It goes without saying that the level of the choir and vocal education is at the top level.

However, the course won’t be for singers only, but also for instrumentalists who will be encouraged to use their voice as a natural mean of musical expression. This will open a door for the attitude to integrate instrumental studies with theory and solfege as well in the future. 

Short description of the Belgian study-pack
Academie Muziek Woord Dans Bornem

Improvised polyphony was a widely spread practice from the XIVth to the XVIth century.
The Low Countries was the cradle of what we call today Franco-Flemish polyphony.
The music school of Bornem (Belgium) is located along the river Schelde. This river was not only important for 
trade but also the vein for spreading the flourishing practice of polyphony.
Young boys were trained at an early age in improvising polyphony and writing 3-part up to 5-6 part polyphony.
This way of singing was wanted all over Europe in these days and boys were transferred to other important 
royal chapels and religious institutions like the Vatican.
What's left today are luxurious manuscripts with a body of fantastic polyphony.
These choirbooks are silent witnesses of important musical heritage.

During the sessions of ALCHEMIA we will bring alive the improvising techniques of those dates based on output by recent scholars.
How to improvise 2-part polyphony, how to create realtime a canon, how to improvise a faux-bourdon.
Reading the manuscripts requires also basic knowledge of the mensural notation. A way of notation that is context related.

During the mobility days in Belgium we will exchange all our improvising experiences and we will visit the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels to see the manuscripts where singers were singing from 500 years ago. 

Short description of the Spanish study-pack
Conservatorio Profesional de Osuna – Osuna

Students will enjoy an immersion in the tradition and heritage of Spanish Music through guitar, wind instruments, singing and dancing. 

They will dance Spanish dances to learn the basic rhythms and sing popular songs to get closer to the spirit's composers such as Manuel de Falla. They will also play in music ensembles to feel and enjoy Andalusian band tradition. 

During our free time, we will plan some cultural visits to Seville. We will visit the Professional Dance Conservatory of Seville, some Music Bands and participate in a body percussion workshop. This experience will fullfil our great Concert. 

Wind, singing and guitar ensembles will be created to learn the teaching method used in the Osuna Profesional Conservatory of Music.