Modernizing European Higher Music Education Through Improvisation

Joint modules

JOINT EUROPEAN MODULES

An important outcome of the METRIC Network and previous METRIC Projects has been the development and establishment of Joint European Modules in the area of improvisation.

In European cooperation in higher education, Joint European Modules are constructed in such a way that institutions coordinate the content of a particular course and let teachers travel to the various institutions to provide tuition. Whereas in joint programmes the students travel from institution to institution, in joint European modules the teachers are the ones travelling with the students staying in their home institutions to follow a course of which the content has been aligned among the participating institutions.

In the course of the METRIC Projects and Network, the following modules have been developed:

  1. The European Joint Module ‘International Collaboration in Contemporary Improvisation’ with the Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia (EMTA), Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademija (LMTA) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS).
  2. The European Joint Module ‘Improvisation: from Score to Creation’ with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama London, the Royal Conservatoire The Hague and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp.
  3. The European Joint Module ‘The Improvising Classical Ensemble’ with the Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
  4. The European Joint Module ‘Issues in Contemporary Improvisation’, with the Hochschule Luzern Musik and Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo.

During the course of the project, the sub-group worked on the course content, course objectives, and agreements were made on the level of the course, the number of students and the schedule, the working forms, and the assessment method and grading. Practical arrangements were also discussed for the participating teachers, who would ideally make use of regular ERASMUS+ mobility grants (STA) to support their travel expenses. Because of the use of ERASMUS+ mobility grants, the modules are sustainable for the future, with the institutions providing financial support for the teaching hours of the teachers.

Further information (course content and course descriptions) can be found for each Joint European Module pages.