EMC Newsletter 13

EMC Newsletter – February 2011
 

Editorial
Dear Reader,
welcome to the first issue of the EMC Newsletter in 2011 - a year which promises to be active and vibrant for music and the arts in Europe and further afield. In September 2011, the European Music Council will join forces with the International and Estonian Music Councils in organising the 4th IMC World Forum on Music focusing on "Music and Social Change". Before the music world come together though, the EMC is offering a one-day seminar on music education which will take place on 16 May 2011 and will focus on the UNESCO Seoul agenda and how to find implementation measures for the field of music in Europe. The EU has dedicated the 2011 to volunteering and the music sector has a lot of voluntary engagement opportunities to offer. Whereas voluntary commitment is an integral part of the music sector, we should not forget that these are times of budget cuts and negotiations, therefore, you will find more information on the we are more campaign and other culture policy issues that are important 2011.

Enjoy reading the EMC Newsletter,

Simone Dudt                                                        
Secretary General             
From Seoul to Bonn

From Seoul to Bonn - Translating the Goals for the Development of Arts Education to Music in Europe

The EMC’s one day seminar on Music Education in Europe, 16 May 2011, Bonn, Germany 

The EMC’s seminar on Music Education will focus on how to adapt the UNESCO Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education for the music sector in Europe. In cooperation with the German UNESCO Commission, the seminar will examine formal, non-formal and informal music education strategies and how they reflect the Seoul agenda for a European environment. The event will be hosted by Deutsche Well.  Registration for the seminar will be open as of 21 February at www.emc-imc.org


IMC News

4th IMC World Forum on Music, Tallinn, September 26 – October 2, 2011

The International Music Council, the European Music Council and the Estonian Music Council are pleased to announce the 4th IMC World Forum on Music to take place in Tallinn, September 26 – October 2, 2011, under the title “Music and social change”. As the forum will be taking place in Europe, the European Music Council will for the first time cooperate with the International Music Council in preparing this prestigious event. The World Forum on Music (WFM) is a global knowledge-building platform on music and society in the 21st century, which explores a variety of topics from diverse perspectives: cultural, political and economic, and is considered one of IMC’s main contributions to setting the stage for the free celebration of music in the world. The 2011 World Forum on Music will focus on five areas which IMC and EMC considers being of crucial importance to the world of music:

• Music as a tool for social change

• Current challenges and opportunities for music education

• Music distribution and export

• Music and development

• Youth: informal spaces

By seeking synergies across different sectors, this high-level forum will provide exceptional opportunities for scholars, government officials, private sector executives, professionals from the civil society, artists and students to engage in serious debates on current key issues.
IMC Executive Board Meeting in Cameroon

 The IMC Executive Board met in Douala, Cameroon from 14-20  November 2010, the first time that the IMC has ever held an official meeting in sub Saharan Africa. During this opportunity, the IMC met with representatives of the African Music Council to discuss future cooperation and to identify joint issues for advocacy work. Representatives of the International and African Music Council also participated in a symposium as part of the Le Kolatier music festival. The symposium was organised by Cerdotola and OCPA (Observatory for Cultural Policies in Africa) and focused on the creation of a regional music market in Africa.
Cerdotola provides a concept summary of the symposium in French here. An English summary by Simone Dudt is available here
Music Freedom Day
In four years, the annual Music Freedom Day has grown into a truly global event which encourages increasing numbers of musicians and concert organisers to take part, and informs millions of radio listeners about issues of freedom of expression for musicians.

F reemuse invites musicians, broadcasters, clubs, dj’s, labels, organisations and the media to join the annual Music Freedom Day on 3 March 2011. Themes addressed:
  • Musicians' and composers' rights to freedom of expression are violated w or ldwide.
  • Hundreds of musicians are imprisoned cens or ed and persecuted because of their music or lyrics.

Music Freedom Day provides an opp or tunity to take a th or ough look at the subject – in your own language, with your own perspective and in a manner that suits you. You can or ganise a concert or a seminar, produce a radio feature, show a film, write an article or just dedicate a song to Music Freedom Day.  If you wish to join Music Freedom Day 2011 visit: www.musicfreedomday.org     or   www.freemuse.org


We are more campaign - Act now for culture in Europe
The current budget of the European Union is in place until 2013. As of 2014, a new budget will have been adopted and negotiations on the layout of the new EU programmes have begun. The we are more campaign advocates for a strong culture programme and for increased support for culture in other EU programmes. The manifesto of the campaign is available in many different languages at www.wearemore.eu. Everybody is invited to sign the manifesto on the website and as such demonstrate that the culture sector is more than only a subsidy eating monster and that investment in culture pays back; that engagement for the arts contributes to a culturally diverse Europe where the arts and culture contribute to creative and peaceful societies.

European Year of Volunteering

2011 has been designated the European Year of Volunteering, during which the European Union will celebrate the almost 100 million of its citizens, of all ages, who invest their time, talents and money to make a positive contribution to their
community by volunteering. Volunteering plays an important role in many sectors,including music, and is acknowledged by the European Commission as being an active expression of civic engagement which contributes to the strengthening of 
common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Furthermore, Volunteering can improve people’s employability, thanks to the new skills and competencies they can acquire, which is particularly important in this period of economic crisis.


The EU will use the Year to work towards four main objectives:
1. To create an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU;
2. To empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering;
3. To reward and recognise volunteering activities; and
4. To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

                                                                     
 For more information visit: http://europa.eu/volunteer
Cultural Policy
EU Call for Proposals - Third Countries
 The designated country for 2011 is Mexico. This strand of the culture programme of the EU supports cooperation with countries outside the EU to promote European culture and to contribute to a better understanding between different regions of the world. Deadline for application is 3 May 2011. You will find the call for proposals as well as application material at http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/culture/funding/2011/call_strand_135_2011_en.php#eligible. The designated country for 2012 will be South Africa.
Interim Evaluation of Culture Programme
The European Commission assigned Ecorys, a research and consulting company, with the interim evaluation of the 2007-2013 Culture Programme. This report evaluates the current programme and presents its findings based on the criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. It also offers a set of conclusions and recommendations for the next generation of the Culture Programme. Among others, the evaluation suggests that the future culture programme should consider whether the distinction between multi-annual and two-year cooperation projects should be retained (as they pursue the same objectives) and to rethink the third country model. The evaluation has shown the need for and the potential of the programme. It recommends thinking about how a balance between encouraging  new and innovative activities and structures, and established structures may be gained.The evaluation is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/key-documents/doc539_en.htm
EU Agenda for Culture - Culture Council Work Plan
 With the conclusion of the Council's work plan for Culture 2008-2010, the Culture Council adopted a new 4-year work plan in November 2010 that is available here. The work plan set out new priority areas that will be the basis for new OMC working groups of the member states. The areas are:
  • Cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and accessible and inclusive culture; 
  • Cultural and Creative Industries;
  • Skills and mobility;
  • Cultural heritage, including mobility of collections;
  • Culture in External Relations;
  • Culture Statistics.
Additionally, the Culture Council has published conclusions on the role of culture in combating poverty and social exclusion.
Culture and Creative Industries
 In Barroso's Europe 2020 strategy, smart, inclusive and sustainable growth has been put in the centre of the future policy of the EU. Putting a focus on flagship projects such as the "Innovation Union" and the "Digital Agenda", the Culture and Creative Industries are customised to meet the expectations of this emphasised qualitative growth. The EU recognises more and more the importance of the Culture and Creative Industries which is reflected in the following publications:
  • The European Competitiveness Report dedicates a whole chapter to the Creative Industries in Europe; it states that  "Creative industries are increasingly a source of growth in the EU" , accounting for "3.3% of total EU GDP and 3% of employment" (p. 13)
  • The Communication on an Integrated Industrial Policy states that "the cultural and creative industries are important drivers of economic and social innovation in other sectors".
  • The European Commission entrusted the Utrecht School fo the Arts with a Study on Entrepreneurial Dimension of the Cultural and Creative Industries. The aim of this Study is to provide a better understanding of the operations and needs of companies in the CCIs, especially small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The study describes some of the transversal challenges that CCIs face today and provides recommendations.  Read more..
The Contribution of Culture to the Implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy
Conference in the frame of the Hungarian EU Presidency, 28 February - 1 March 2011

The conference aims to explore the specific areas and means of action through which this goal can be achieved, and furthermore, to propose operative measures to the Member States and the Commission. The discussions will aim at identifying more focused exploitation of culture in the economy, in education and in other fields of social action. Read more at: http://www.kulturpont.hu/culture2020/introduction.php Attendance at the conference is upon invitation only.
European Culture Forum 20 - 21 October 2011, Brussels, Belgium
 Save the date: as part of the European Agenda for Culture, the European Commission is organising a biennial Culture Forum to bring together the different actors of the field of culture and to encourage the so-called structured dialogue between culture operators and political institutions.

2011 European Borders Breakers Awards Winners
On 12 January, ten young musical artists were awarded different European Borders Breakers awards. The Public Choice award was given to The Baseballs - a German Rock and Roll Band. European Borders Breakers Awards aim at stimulating the cross border success of debuting European artists, and are funded by the EU Culture Programme. To find out more visit: http://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu

News from EMC members
On 24 November 2010, at The Sage Gateshead, under the leadership of the English SingUp programme, delegates from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Wales and USA launched The Singing Nations Network. The Network – open to all nations – advances singing at and outside of school and will soon publish its manifesto. The Aarya Foundation is a founding member of the Network and will provide its members with the evidences they need to advocate singing education www.aarya.org.uk        
The ERASMUS Network for Music ‘Polifonia’, jointly coordinated by the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, has published its findings. Several publications have been produced, studying various aspects of higher music education in Europe such as research, instrumental/vocal teacher education, admission and assessment procedures, work placements as well as quality assurance and accreditation. All documents can be found online in English (and soon in French and German) at www.polifonia-tn.org/publications        
The Albanian Music Council has published an article in the latest edition of PHOENIX magazine, of the University Ca’ Foscari Venezia entitled Odyssey and Sirens: A Temptation Towards the Mystery of the Iso-polyphonic Music Regions of Epirus. A Homeric theme with variations. The theme originates from the authors long-standing desire to show the ancient origins of Albanian Iso-polIsohony as a prodigious conceptual occurrence of music itself. Theses and hypotheses on such symbolism are interlaced and, furthermore, sufficient motives can be found to substantiate the existence of Iso-polyphony from antiquity. (http://scriptaweb.eu/Catalogo/phoenix-in-domo-foscari-issue-2).
The International Current Music Professionals Meeting, organised by the Insitute for Modern Music in collaboration with the United Islands festival and Czech Music Council will take place on 25 July 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic. Topics include: life music clubs operation, artistic identity in music, creativity in music production, life music mobility and more. The event is aimed at: music events organisers, booking agents and managers, music producers, composers, creators, interpreters, specialised press. More details coming soon on: www.instituthudby.org | www.unitedislands.cz Are you a music professional? Want to participate? Contact: info@instituthudby.org
Fondazione Adkins Chiti: Donne in Musica has a myspace-profile for “Donne in Jazz” which it uses to reach jazz women composers and/or performers, and keep you informed of its activities such as publications, open calls and jazz concerts. This profile is designed to increase visibility for all jazzwomen and to foster international networking!  Visit www.myspace.com/donneinjazz, … and spread the word!        
The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) has published its Resolution on the Management of Author's Rights and a Position Paper on Collective Rights Management which provides a detailed background of the resolution, outlines pending problems with the licensing of music for online uses, proposes a solution advocated by ECSA and highlights some ideas on how this can be achieved.
    
The Atelier for Young Festival Managers, the training programme of the European Festivals Association (EFA) for emerging artistic festival directors, opens its doors twice in 2011. EFA and its partners successfully launched SINGAPORE 2011 (14-21 May): young festival managers from all over the world showed great interest; programme to be published soon! Application for IZMIR 2011 (24-31 October) – coorganised with the International Izmir Festival – is still open! For information on all partners, procedures and programmes visit the Atelier website!        

The European Music School Union's 36th General Assembly and Conference will take place in the European Capital of Culture 2011 Tallinn, Estonia from 26 to 29 May 2011. Main subject of the Conference: The Future of Music Education in Europe - Further Development of Music Schools. EMU will organise the meeting in close cooperation with the Estonian hosts the Eesti Muusikakoolide Liit.

    
The 31st International Music Seminar organised by the Dutch Music Council together with CNV Kunst & Cultuur and others will take place on 8-13 August 2011. The seminar will consist of approx.100 different workshops, many of which are related to music (singing, vocal techniques, instruments, improvisation, ensemble, etc). To be held at the KSI conference centre, Bad Honnef, Germany, the language of workshops and plenums will be English. Theme of plenum: more jobs in the cultural sector possible in spite of the crisis? For more information and registration: www.christianartist.org  
The Finnish Music Council recommends Opera By You, a project launched by Savonlinna Opera Festival in May 2010, which allows anyone to contribute to the creation of an opera. Any member of the online community can help to write the libretto, compose the music and design the sets and costumes – from beginning to end. The Savonlinna Opera Festival will be placing world-class soloists, a chorus of 80, a symphony orchestra and its entire production machinery at the community’s disposal. The community opera will be premiered at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in summer 2012. More information available at: http://operabyyou.wreckamovie.com/
The 21st IASJ Jazz Meeting, will take place between 3 - 9 July 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. More than 120 students, teachers and representatives of schools of jazz from all over the world will meet for the first time in South America at the Sousa Lima Conservatory to perform, network, teach, lecture and do anything else to promote jazz and jazz education. For more information visit: www.iasj.com      
The latest ISME World Conference was held in Beijing, China, in August 2010. A 6-minute summary of this event and footage of the Opening Ceremony are available on the ISME website at: www.isme.org ISME will once again return to Europe in 2012 and invites you to the 30th ISME World Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece from 15-20 July as a delegate and/or presenter. Non-English speakers will be able to enjoy the numerous concerts, workshops and demonstrations!              
Live Music Now! Scotland!: In November 2010, the 4-piece rock group Miniature Dinosaurs worked with pupils from Donaldsons, a school for children with hearing impairments and communication disorders. Over the course of a week, 16 pupils aged 12-14 worked alongside band members to write songs about the weather, a topic they were studying in class. The songs were performed in front of an audience of school pupils, teachers and guests. The pupils demonstrated their creative, compositional and performance skills and the band also performed some of their own material.The concert was enhanced with the help of signers and projections on a large screen.   
Miso Music Portugal: In order to encourage the creation and circulation of new music works, the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble and the Goethe-Institut Portugal are organising the 1st Forum for Young Composers, which will take place between 17 -20  May 2011 in Lisbon. The organizers intend to create a privileged space for exchanging ideas and experience between young composers and performers as well as organize a public performance of new works with the participation of the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble. Deadline for submissions: 15 March 2011.        
Over the past two months the Scottish Music Centre has proudly celebrated and publicised the outstanding achievement and successes of four of its composer members, Rory Boyle, whose 2010 opera Kaspar Hauser won a British Composer Award at the ceremony on 30th of November and Sally Beamish, Anna Meredith and Oliver Searle, all of whom have been announced as successful participants in the PRS Foundation’s New Music 20x12.The Scottish Music Centre would like to acknowledge composer members Sally Beamish and John McLeod who also received nominations. To find out more, please visit: www.scottishmusiccentre.com      
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