European countries' national music as a perspective in education and professional careers of young musicians

"The main goal of the project European countries’ national music as an educational and professional perspective of young musicians was to promote folklore and Polish, Hungarian and Bulgarian national music and extend international educational cooperation aimed at professional development of future musicians and increasing their competitiveness on the job market. As a part of the project, numerous workshops and seminars took place in order to increase young people's professional knowledge and performance skills at the threshold of their professional careers, as well as multimedia concerts with international orchestras, choirs, dance groups and soloists from partner schools: the Bronisław Rutkowski Music School in Kraków (coordinator), NUMSI „Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” from Burgas, the Kroó Music School in Budapest (rum by the KIZNA foundation) and The Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Schools and Institutions Complex in Kraków, whose students in sound engineering prepared recordings of all the events. The plan of educational activities and project mobilities was developed during international coordinators’ meetings in Budapest and Kraków, while in Burgas a summary and evaluation of the project was carried out. During the mobility to Budapest (June 2018), with 41 participants from Poland and Bulgaria, concerts in the concert hall of the Kroó Music School, the Bulgarian Institute of Culture, the Bela Bartók Memorial House and the Kobanya Cultural Center were organised, as well as workshops on Hungarian folk music, stereo recording techniques, Kodály's work and method at the Zoltan Kodály Museum and a seminar for teachers on the ""Colorstrings Method"". During the mobility to Burgas (September 2018), with 50 participants from Hungary and Poland, apart from musicians the NUMSI students and teachers specializing in Classical Dance and Stage Costume, Graphics and Advertising were also involved in the workshops and concerts. Everyone, along with a wide audience, participated in concerts in the District Administration Hall, Gala Concert in the Summer Theater and the concert for the Polish community in the Roman Catholic church, as well as in the workshops on Bulgarian folk music, and art: creating elements of the Bulgarian folk costumes, recording ethnic music, practical learning of dances: prawo horo, rachenitsa, prima vista (music sight-reading). During the mobility in Krakow (June 2019), not only 45 project participants from Bulgaria and Hungary, but also a wide audience could learn the steps of krakowiak and polonaise in dance workshops, the secrets of Chopin's mazurkas and polonaises at piano workshops and flute in the context of jazz folk music, as well as Polish folk instruments and techniques of recording them. Also a Concert in the Dark (called ‘Reverse’) in Bronisław Rutkowski Music School integrating the blind youth was organised as well as a Concert under the Tatra Mountains at M. Karłowicz Music School in Zakopane, the Kroó Music School concert at the General Consulate of Hungary in Kraków, the Partners’ concert at the ""Florianka"" Auditorium and the Gala Concert in Manggha, which all received the media patronage of TVP 3, Radio Kraków, Kulturatka.pl, Hejnał Oświatowy, the Bulgarian Writers' Confederation and honorary patronage of the General Consulate of Hungary in Kraków. The project activities encompassed educational events between mobilities: workshops and lectures - ethnic music and recording it, culture and music of Bulgaria and Hungary, lectures - folk instruments of Podhale, a Polish piano school seminar in and numerous concerts in Budapest, Burgas and Kraków including events in the Krakow Philharmonic (European Funds Days), #ErasmusDays and the Jubilee Concert of the Bronisław Rutkowski Music School. The subject of the project was promoted in the articles in the ‘CEA Artistic School’, ‘Hejnał Oświatowy’, a special Erasmus+ calendar with collected memories and photos of the project participants (including the winning photo of the Selfie+ photo competition), the project blog on the website of the Bronisław Rutkowski Music School as well as information on the partner schools and media partners networks. Also the international online ""Flying Stage"" competition (in Bulgaria), and above all the international online competition on the composition inspired by Polish, Hungarian or Bulgarian folk melodies ""Folking with Erasmus +"" contributed to promoting the project. The results of the latter were published in ""A Musical Notebook"" together with compositions specially written for the project by the Polish and Bulgarian teachers. They will all remain permanently in the programs of the partner schools and enrich their library resources. The curriculum for the subject 'ethnic music', created as part of the project activities, will also be used in the future to further develop the topics related to national music of European countries in an educational and professional context."