European Music Council

Haus der Kultur

Weberstr. 59a

53113 Bonn

Germany

Tel.: +49 228 96699664

Fax: +49 228 96699665

www.emc-imc.org

info@emc-imc.org

Timo Klemettinen

Christian Höppner

Stef Coninx

Erling Aksdal, Claire Goddard , Helena Maffli,

Frank Stahmer, Kaie Tanner

Simone Dudt (sd)

Julia Osada (jo)

Merveille Mubakemeschi (mm)

Simone Dudt, Merveille Mubakemeschi

Judith Buschfeld, Isabelle Métrope, Julia Osada

kominform design, Hamburg (www.kominform.net)

Leppelt Grafik & Druck GmbH, Bonn

Photo on front page by Vincent Kenis

Photographers as credited

The European Music Council is supported by:

© 2010 European Music Council. All rights are reserved. The

views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not

necessarily of the publisher or editor. No part of this publication

may be reproduced in any format without permission of the

European Music Council.

The European Music Council (EMC) is a platform for

representatives of National Music Councils and organisations

involved in various fields of music from many European

countries. As a European umbrella organisation, it gathers

the European members of the International Music Council

(IMC).

The European Music Council contributes to a better mutual

understanding among peoples and their different cultures

and to the right for all musical cultures to coexist. Therefore

it provides exceptional value to its membership by building

knowledge; creating networking opportunities as well as

supporting and enhancing the visibility of initiatives that

help sustain people’s participation in music and cultural

life.

The Problem With Good Intentions

Erling Aksdal

Music: A Tool for Development and Social Sustainability

Andris Piebalgs

Tallinn to Host the Music World – The IMC World Forum

on Music comes to Europe

Silja Fischer

Pop Stars and the Aid Revolution

Peter Gill

Fair Culture – Protecting and Promoting Diversity of Cultural

Expressions in International Co-operation

Federal Coalition for Cultural Diversity Germany

The IMC Music Sector Development Programme

Blasko Smilevski

The Millennium Development Goals and Culture

Setting the Agenda for Cultural Change for the 21st Century

Anne Bamford

we are more – EU Budget Negotiations now underway

2005 UNESCO Convention - Further Steps towards its

Implementation

Silja Fischer

Made in the Congo

Andy Morgan

A Better Conductor Equals A Better Choir!

Kaie Tanner

Sound Told Fairy Tales

Sílvia Seixas Rodrigues & Jakub Szczypa

A Cultural Europe! A Citizen’s Europe!

Kathrin Deventer

Institute for Modern Music

Jaroslav Raušer, Jana Tomášková, Radek Adamec

Fair Play! Music Against Corruption

Kate Declerck

Mixages!

Edgar Garcia

Volcanic Ash Meets Musical Diversity – The 1st European

Forum on Music

Jamie Munn

It’s all about Access! – European Youth Forum on Music

Claire Goddard

Good deeds may be born from good intentions, but good

intentions never guarantee good deeds, not simply because

the intentions are not acted upon, but rather because they

are. And deeds aren’t necessarily good, even if they are

assessed so by clients/customers/participants/students.

Unfortunately, doing ‘good’ may be a complicated

undertaking.

This is particularly evident in issues of development. In the cultural

field, UNESCO has established multiple platforms to help with such

cases: Intercultural Dialogue, The World Commission on Culture

and Development (1991), and two conventions: The Convention

for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) and

The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of

Cultural Expressions (2005). The EMC’s business has in recent years

largely been directed towards the latter convention which in practice

has served as an ideological platform for much of its work.

The problem with conventions and similar documents is that

they do not generate automatic actions. They need interpretation.

Interpretations are often made with specific interests in mind, and

we have seen that even commercial interests have been able to make

use of these conventions. This is unavoidable. In our globalised world,

moving towards free markets and the free flow of capital, this is the

order of the day. In some special cases this may even serve cultural

diversity. But it is not the norm, and very rarely the intention. The

furious pace of globalisation is neither controlled by ideology (perhaps

by ultra-liberalism?) nor ethics. There are, however, two types of

body that have a great potential for doing ‘good’: State governments

that have ratified the Convention of 2005, that are committed to its

implementation, and many publicly supported NGOs, other civil

Gode gjerninger kan være født av gode intensjoner, men gode

intensjoner garanterer aldri gode gjerninger, ikke bare fordi

intensjonene ikke blir omsatt i handlinger, snarere fordi de

blir det. Og gjerninger er ikke nødvendigvis gode selv om

de blir vurdert slik av klienter/kunder/deltakere/studenter.

En god gjerning kan være en problemfylt oppgave.

I utviklingsarbeid er dette særlig tydelig. I det kulturelle feltet har

UNESCO opprettet flere plattformer for å hjelpe oss: Interkulturell

dialog, Verdenskommisjonen for kultur og utvikling (1991), og to

konvensjoner: Konvensjonen for vern av den immaterielle kulturarven

(2003) og Konvensjonen om vern og fremme av et mangfold av

kulturuttrykk (2005). EMC‘s virksomhet har i de senere årene i stor

grad vært rettet mot sistnevnte konvensjon, som i praksis har fungert

som en ideologisk plattform for mye av arbeidet.

Problemet med konvensjoner og liknende dokumenter er at de

ikke genererer automatiske handlinger. De trenger tolkning. Tolkninger

er ofte gjort med spesifikke interesser i tankene, og vi har sett at også

kommersielle interesser har vært i stand til å utnytte konvensjonene.

Dette er uunngåelig. I vår globaliserte verden, som beveger seg mot

frie markeder og fri flyt av kapital, er dette dagsorden. I noen spesielle

tilfeller kan dette også tjene det kulturelle mangfold. Men det er

ikke normen, og svært sjelden intensjonen. Globaliseringens rasende

tempo er verken styrt av ideologi (kanskje av en ultra-liberalisme?)

eller etikk. Det er imidlertid to områder som har et stort potensial for

’gode gjerninger’: Stater som har ratifisert konvensjonen av 2005, er

forpliktet til å implementere den, og mange offentlig støttede frivillige

organisasjoner, andre sivile aksjonsgrupper og utdanningsinstitusjoner

skal- om ikke juridisk, så i hvert fall moralsk - opptre i samsvar med

den.

Vestens økonomiske og politiske hegemoni overgås kanskje bare av

dens kulturelle hegemoni. På musikkområdet kan vi til og med si at vi

har vunnet. Som grunnleggende musikalsk språk, i strukturell forstand,

har vår musikk nådd ut til nesten alle folkeslag, vunnet høystatus og

blitt mer eller mindre assimilert. Likesvevende temperatur, dur- og

molltonalitet, rytme- og formstrukturer, vår musikalske persepsjon og

forståelse er sjeldent fremmed. I mange tilfeller har regionale og lokale

musikkulturer blitt redusert til tryllestøv som man drysser over vestlige

strukturer i egen musikkproduksjon, slik som vi i Vesten i ekotistisk

narsissisme drysser etnisk lånt tryllestøv over våre egne strukturer med

sikte på kunstnerisk selvrealisering.

Poenget her er at møter mellom ulike musikalske kulturer og

vestlig musikk ikke er møter på like vilkår, enten vi tror det eller ei,

og manglene er på vår side. Spesielt når disse møtene er konkrete,

fysiske møter mellom representanter for ulike musikk-kulturer (’spille

sammen’). Det er derfor de fleste samarbeidsprosjekter i stor grad er

på vestlige vilkår, best egnet til å styrke våre musikalske strukturer,

vår musikalske kultur. (Bevisstheten om dette er vanligvis svært lav.

Mange handler i god tro basert på grunn tekning.) Denne mangelen

på balanse forsterkes ytterligere når vestlige penger kommer inn i

bildet, noe som vanligvis er tilfelle. I de fattige deler av verden har

man ikke råd til å si nei til vestlig genererte ’samarbeidsprosjekter’.

Dessuten innebærer slike møter enestående individuelle og kollektive

muligheter som mange ellers ville være avskåret fra.

Jeg skal være den første til å innrømme at dette er et lite vakkert

perspektiv, men et perspektiv sjelden tegnet. Det er enkelt å forstå

hvorfor. Hvem ønsker å tale nedsettende om prosjekter omgitt av glade,

smilende barn? Eller om fattige kunstnere inspirert av forventning om

å vinne nye markeder og mulig velstand? Eller om små samfunn som

blomstrer under oppmerksomhet og tilførsel av eksterne ressurser?

Slikt kan lett forveksles med ’negative intensjoner’.

Det som står på spill her er kulturens status i utviklingsarbeid.

Mange vestlige kulturorganisasjoner, utdanninger og statlig politikk

på kulturområdet står i fare for bare å drive velferdsprosjekter. Eller

som verre er, å bare være agenter for egen kultur. Nå er det ikke noe

galt med dette. Problemet er: Hvis slike organisasjoner, institusjoner

og policies ikke fremmer og verner om et bærekraftig mangfold av

kulturuttrykk, hvem gjør det da?

Men det er håp. Selv om mange prosjekter er drevet av spesielle

interesser, er nok like mange drevet av intensjoner om gode gjerninger.

Så hinderet er ikke nødvendigvis motstridende interesser. Hinderet er

å ikke ha klart hva vi ønsker å oppnå i forhold til konvensjonen. Først

må vi erkjenne og oppdage utfordringene med å implementere våre

beste intensjoner ved å stille det grunnleggende spørsmålet: Vil mitt

prosjekt støtte konvensjonens ånd i det lange løp? Deretter vi må finne

gode eksempler på de som gjør det. Heldigvis finnes de!

Det neo-kolonialistiske spøkelset hjemsøker oss alle om vi er

snille’ eller ’slemme’. Det beånder til og med den teksten du nå leser.

Men så lenge vi er ansvarlige for vurderinger om hva som er bra eller

dårlig for andre og for verden, har vi i det minste en forpliktelse til å

forsøke å ikke gi næring til dette spøkelset.

action groups, and educational institutions which should – if not

legally, at least morally – act in accordance with it.

The economic and political hegemony of the Western World is

perhaps surpassed only by its cultural hegemony. In the field of music,

we may even claim victory. As basic musical language, in structural

terms, our music has reached out to almost all peoples, gained high

status, and become more or less assimilated. Equal temperament,

major and minor tonality, rhythm and form structures, our musical

perception and comprehension are alien to very few. In many cases,

regional and local music cultures which in their own music making

have been reduced to a magic dust that is sprinkled over Western

structures, much as we in the West, in exotic narcissism, sprinkle

ethnically borrowed magic dust over our own structures to achieve

artistic self-realisation.

The point here is that meetings between non-Western and

Western music cultures are not meetings on equal terms, whether

we choose to think so or not, and that the shortcomings are on our

part, especially when these meetings are concrete, physical meetings

between representatives of different music cultures (‘playing together’).

That is why, to a large extent, most collaborative projects are displays

of working on Western terms, in the end reinforcing our musical

structures, our musical culture (awareness of this is usually very low,

many act in good faith due to shallow thinking). This lack of balance

is further enhanced when Western money comes into play, which is

usually the case. The poor parts of the world cannot afford to say no

to Western generated ‘collaborations’. Moreover, such meetings often

offer unique individual and collective opportunities that many would

otherwise be precluded from.

I will be the first to admit that this is a grim perspective, but a

perspective seldom drawn. And it is easy to understand why. Who wants

to put down projects with happy, smiling children? Or with poor artists

inspired by the prospect of gaining new markets and possible affluence?

Or with small communities thriving on attention and external resources?

Such put-downs may easily be confused with ‘bad intentions’.

What is at stake here is the status of culture in development

work. Many Western cultural institutions, organisations, educational

institutions and state policies in the cultural field face the risk of merely

running welfare projects, if not worse, of primarily being agents for

the promotion of their own culture. There is nothing wrong with

either. The problem is: If such institutions, organisations, educational

institutions and policies do not work for the promotion and protection

of a sustainable diversity of cultural expressions, then who does?

But there is hope. Although many projects are driven by special

interests, just as many are driven by intentions of doing ‘good’. So the

obstacle is not necessarily a conflict of interests. The obstacle is not being

clear about what we want to achieve in relation to the convention. First,

we must acknowledge and detect the challenges in the implementation

of our best intentions by asking the fundamental question: Will my

project support the convention’s spirit in the long run? We must then

look to best practices in the process. Fortunately they do exist!

The neo-colonialist ghost haunts us all whether we are ‘good’

or ‘bad’. It even imbues this very text which you are reading. But as

long as we are responsible for judgments on what is good or bad for

others as well as the world, we at least have an obligation to try and

not nurture this ghost.

I come from a country that illustrates a fascinating example

of how the musical heritage has helped to develop and foster

a modern state.

Over a million of our folk songs, nurtured throughout centuries,

have been passed on from generation to generation and they still

live today as a unique part of the UNESCO world heritage. This

outstanding musical heritage has enabled us to accumulate knowledge

that has been a vital element in building national identity and guiding

the nation’s development.

It is important to note that I am not merely talking about the

historic value of music. It is a tool in creating dialogue between

different groups within a society as well as between different nations

and cultures. Music is more than a symbol of community or social

inclusion and plays an important role of individuals’ creative and

innovative expression. It is an essential part of personality development

from a very young age.

Education is another crucial area where music brings in enormous

value and enhances a cultural identity. Countries that have succeeded

in creating strong music industry traditions give us evidence of a

correlating impact on their national brand reputation – it activates

international visibility and awareness, contributes to export growth

and tourism flows. Thus the link between music, development and

social stability is clear. It is for this reason that in recent years the

European Commission has engaged in a number of projects providing

support to musical education, local music industries and various

socially-oriented musical projects. Through programmes launched in

the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso and other developing countries,

we have encouraged young musicians to develop musical careers,

supported the strengthening of music sectors, and fostered access of

local musicians to the international music market.

I firmly believe that culture, and especially music, can be used in

support of reaching the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). I am

proud to say that the European Commission and the EU Member States

together with UNESCO are at this moment in the lead to increase

the importance of culture and cultural industries in development

policies. Music will prove to be more than just a soundtrack for this

ambitious strategy.

2011 will mark a special year as

the European Music Council has

decided to join forces with the

International and Estonian Music

Council for the 4th IMC World

Forum on Music.

It is the first time that the IMC

World Forum on Music will come to

the European continent and the EMC is

happy to have the possibility of joining

this gathering of the Estonian, European

and international music life in Tallinn.

After the first European Forum on Music

in Vienna in 2010 and before the second

European Forum on Music in Istanbul

in 2012, the international music sector

will exchange and discuss “Music and

Social Change”.

The IMC World Forum on Music

(WFM) is a global knowledge-building

platform on music and society in

the 21st century, it explores a variety

of topics from diverse perspectives:

cultural, political and economical.

Topics go beyond the aesthetic aspects

of music production and address

those mechanisms and incentives that

undermine or foster people’s active

participation in cultural experiences.

A non-commercial initiative, the Forum provides the opportunity

for government officials, private sector executives, music managers,

activists, scholars and practitioners to engage in high-level, cross-

disciplinary debates and to design the course of action for the

future.

The 2011 World Forum on Music will focus on five areas which

the IMC and EMC consider of crucial importance to the world of

music:

Music as a tool for social change

Youth: informal spaces

Current challenges and opportunities for music education

Music content, distribution and export

Music and development

2011. aasta on eriline, sest Euroopa

Muusikanõukogu (European Music

Council – EMC) on otsustanud

ühendada jõud Rahvusvahelise

Muusikanõukogu (International

Music Council – IMC) ning Eesti

Muusikanõukoguga, et korraldada

üheskoos IV IMC Ülemaailmne

Muusikafoorumang.

Eelmised kolm muusikafoorumit

on toimunud Los Angeleses, Pekingis

ning Tunises. 2011. aastal koguneb

rahvusvaheline muusikamaailm

esmakordselt Euroopas – Tallinnas –

ning arutleb teemal „Muusika ning

sotsiaalsed muutused“.

Maailma Muusika Foorum

on ülemaailmselt mõjukas üritus,

mis süvendab teadmisi muusika ja

ühiskonna vahelistest seostest ning

vastastikustest mõjudest 21. sajandil.

Varieeruvaid teemasid käsitletakse

kultuurilisest, poliitilisest ja

majanduslikust vaatevinklist. Teemad

lähevad kaugemale muusikaga seotud

esteetilistest aspektidest ning vaatlevad

mehhanisme ning ajendeid, mis

õõnestavad või edendavad inimeste

võimalust aktiivselt kultuuri kogemises

osaleda. Mittetulundusliku algena pakub foorum võimalust ametnikele,

erasektori esindajatele, muusikaelu korraldajatele, aktivistidele,

teaduritele ja praktiseerijatele osaleda kõiki distsipliine hõlmavates

kõrgetasemelistes diskussioonides ning kujundada seeläbi tegevuskava

tulevikuks.

2011. aasta Maailma Muusika Foorum keskendub viiele valdkonnale,

mille arengul on otsustav tähtsus muusikamaailmale.

Muusika kui vahend sotsiaalseks muutuseks

Noored ja inforuum

Muusikaharidus

Muusika levik ja eksport

Muusika ning arendustegevused

TALLINN TO HOST THE MUSIC WORLDTHE IMC WORLD FORUM ON MUSIC COMES TO EUROPE

TALLINN VÕÕRUSTAB MUUSIKAMAAILMARAHVUSVAHELISE MUUSIKANÕUKOGU MAAILMA

MUUSIKA FOORUM TULEB EUROOPASSE

26 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2011, TALLINN, ESTONIA

By seeking synergies across different sectors, this high-level forum

will provide exceptional opportunities for scholars, government

officials, private sector executives, civil society professionals, artists

and students to engage in serious debates on current key issues. The

conference sessions will be of a diverse nature; there will be panel

discussions, open discussion rounds, project presentations, workshops,

live music presentations, presentations of research papers, etc. Poster

presentations and an exhibition area will complete the conference

programme.

The 4th IMC World Forum will again be an outstanding opportunity

for representatives of the music world to meet directly with each other

and the EMC and IMC leadership, and to engage with expert advisors

from the fields most relevant to their new endeavours.

The Forum will involve a broad audience of music actors and

people engaged in and in a position to make decisions regarding the

improvement of the conditions under which music is celebrated –

created, performed, disseminated, taught and learnt, preserved, shared,

etc. – in various parts of the world.

The Forum participants will consist of

Invited speakers and presenters (from the world of music, but also

from governments, intergovernmental organisations, development

agencies, foundations, and the business sector)

A broad audience of people from all aspects of music,

including members of IMC member organisations and those from

the broader music community.

Representatives of Estonian music organisations

Music students and musicians from Estonia

IMC and EMC strongly encourage youth participation in their activities

and therefore make a special call to their member organisations to

include youth representatives in their delegations.

The organisers will also endeavour to support the participation

of delegates from developing countries.

The outreach of the Forum does not limit itself to the audience

present: We can count on an enormous multiplying effect since

every participant is an opinion leader and decision maker for his/

her organisational constituency, which can comprise up to millions

of people. IMC acts as a switchboard for gathering people and

disseminating information and new knowledge production in the

field of music.

Moreover, the some 30 different Forum sessions will be made

available as live streams and podcasts on the Internet, which will ensure

an unprecedented outreach for the Forum with a potential of a web

audience of thousands in 150 countries around the world.

Thanks to Tallinn’s buzzing cultural life, Forum participants will

be offered an exciting artistic and social programme which will benefit

from the exceptional atmosphere created as the city celebrates its year

as European Culture Capital 2011. Estonian culture will be present

throughout the city during concerts, performances, festivals etc.

In the framework of the Forum, IMC members will also gather

for the 34th General Assembly. Likewise, the EMC will hold its

Annual Meeting of members in Tallinn. Both assemblies will consider

the programme implementation and formal matters of the two

associations.

Otsides sünergiat erinevate sektorite vahel, pakub see kõrgetasemeline

foorum kõikidele osalejatele erakordset võimalust kaasa

rääkida päevakajalisi võtmeküsimusi puudutavates aruteludes.

Konverentsi sessioonid on erineva loomusega: toimuvad nii avatud

paneeldiskussioonid, projektide presentatsioonid, workshop’id, elava

muusika ettekanded, uuringutulemuste esitlused ja palju muud.

Konverentsi kava täiendavad näitused ja väljapanekud.

IV Maailma Muusika Foorum on väljapaistev võimalus erinevatel

muusikamaailma esindajatel nii üksteisega kui ka EMC ja IMC

juhtkonnaga vahetult kohtuda ning saada oma ala ekspertidelt head

nõu edaspidisteks ettevõtmisteks.

Foorumi avar publik koosneb nii muusikainimestest kui ka

erinevatest maailma nurkadest pärit ekspertidest, kelle igapäevase

töö hulka kuulub muusika loomise, esitamise, levitamise, õpetamise,

säilitamise, jagamise jms edendamisega seotud otsuste vastu

võtmine.

Foorumist võtavad osa:

lektorid, esinejad (peamiselt muusikavaldkonna esindajad ja

arvamusliidrid, aga samuti avaliku ja erasektori esindajad);

muusikavaldkonna rahvusvahelise avalikkuse esindajad;

Eesti muusikaorganisatsioonide ja haridusasutuste esindajad;

Eesti muusikavaldkonna üliõpilased ja muusikud

IMC ja EMC julgustab noori oma tegevustes osalema ja saadab

seega välja eraldi kutsed IMC liikmesorganisatsioonidele kaasamaks

oma delegatsioonidesse noori muusikuid. IMC püüab ka leida

toetusvõimalusi delegaatidele arengumaadest.

Foorumi ulatus ei piirne kaugeltki vaid foorumi publiku ja

osalejatega. Konverentsiga kaasneb jõuline multiplikaatorefekt.

Kuna enamus osavõtjatest on oma organisatsiooni arvamusliidrid

ja otsustajad, siis jõuab info läbi nende isikute ja organisatsioonide

veelgi laiema sihtgrupini üle kogu maailma (70 osalevat riiki üle kogu

maailma).

Lisaks sellele tehakse suur osa sessioonidest publikule avatuks

interneti-ülekannetena. See teeb foorumi kättesaadavaks tuhandetesse

ulatuvatele veebikasutajatele üle kogu maailma.

Foorumi külastajatele pakutakse põnevat kultuurilist ja

meelelahutuslikku programmi. Erakordset atmosfääri lisab kireva

kultuurieluga Tallinn, mis kannab 2011. aastal ka Euroopa

Kultuuripealinna tiitlit. Linnas toimuvad kontsertid, performance´id,

festivalid ja muu pakub võimalust Eesti kultuuriga lähemalt

tutvuda.

Paralleelselt foorumiga toimub ka Rahvusvahelise Muusikanõukogu

34. peaassamblee. Samuti peab Euroopa Muusikanõukogu Tallinnas

oma iga-aastast kohtumist.

Corporation. Sleepless one night in 1984 over all the terrible images he

was editing, he decided to cut pictures to that melancholy hit ‘Drive’

by The Cars. “Who’s gonna tell you when/ it’s too late? Who’s gonna

tell you things/ aren’t so great?”. For a time the editor thought he might

have done something in terrible taste. But months later the tape was

shown to Geldof and then introduced at ‘Live Aid’ by David Bowie.

One image in the video haunted all those who saw it. It was that

of a little girl, emaciated and dehydrated, apparently on the point

of death. Her name was Birhan Woldu. But she did not die, thanks

to the care of Irish Roman Catholic sisters. She grew up and was

supported through her education by the Canadian reporter whose

crew had filmed her. Twenty years on from the famine at the ‘Live 8’

concert in London’s Hyde Park – organised to put pressure on that

summer’s G8 conference with its focus on African poverty – Birhan

was brought on stage by Bob Geldof in a triumphant illustration of

what aid could achieve. The little girl on the point of death in 1984

had been transformed into a beautiful young woman, now a graduate

in agriculture from her hometown university. She was photographed

in a smiling embrace with Madonna, and one of the press pictures of

2005 was created.

In October 1984 the Irish pop singer Bob Geldof watched

a horrifying BBC Television news story about deaths from

starvation in the famine camps of northern Ethiopia.

His first thought was to give the profits of his next record to

charity, but his group was not doing well and he knew it would be only

a paltry sum. He set out instead to mobilise friends in the pop world

to do something directly for the cause of African hunger. Thus ‘Band

Aid’ and its chart-topping single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.

What followed in 1985 was the global concert ‘Live Aid’ and the

start of an extraordinary relationship between celebrity singers and

aid activists that has sustained the drive for development for the past

quarter century.

Among the most memorable performances at ‘Live Aid’ was that

of the young singer with U2. Like his fellow Irishman Geldof, Bono

too applied his celebrity status to combating world poverty. He took

the message to the United States where fame gave him access to the

highest reaches of government and where he founded DATA (now

ONE) which expanded the pop agenda beyond money-raising to

well-grounded campaigns on Third World debt, western aid, trade

imbalances and HIV/AIDS.

The high point of the concert for emotional content was a pop

video which stunned the audience and television viewers into silence.

It was the work of a tape editor with CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting

offered the only route to salvation until, of course, the free market

failed even in the stable West. The cost of this pursuit of fashion

has been to downplay the obvious: the imperative of agricultural

development and the poor world’s staggering population increase.

A faltering confidence in the West is balanced by growing

assertiveness in the East. China has its own answers to the development

conundrum, and has raised many millions of its own people out of

poverty, certainly many times the figure that western aid has ever

achieved. The Chinese are messianic about infrastructure and are

building roads and telecommunications links throughout Africa, as

they have done at home. That surely helps China’s trading ambitions,

but it enables poor producers to find new markets as well. Beijing’s

lack of commitment to individual rights appals the West, but we also

need to ask whether it was liberal values that made Europe rich or

whether commerce, statehood and empire gave us the foundation of

our prosperity – and our liberalism.

When the history of post-colonial development in

Africa comes to be written, the role of pop musicians

will have to be recognised and honoured. They

did more than either the politicians or the aid

professionals to focus the attention of a generation

on the shame of world poverty. Without them,

certainly in Britain and North America, it is

doubtful that popular interest in the objective of

banishing poverty could have been sustained. But

25 years on from ‘Live Aid’ the age of ‘celebrity

aid’ may be drawing to a close.

Bob Geldof himself sometimes seems disenchanted.

Reflecting recently on the pop events of the 1980s, he told

an interviewer he had been responsible for two of the worst songs

in history. One was ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and the other was

‘We are the World’, the song composed by Michael Jackson and Lionel

Richie and recorded by USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for

Africa). Geldof complained that carol singers now came to his house

each Christmas to inflict the Band Aid song upon him in the same

breath as ‘Silent Night’.

The schizophrenic British media continues both to flatter Geldof

as a national treasure and take its customary delight in tearing him

down. In the past year alone, the BBC has devoted a long and

expensive TV drama to the story of ‘Live Aid’ and produced a radio

documentary seeking to prove that much of the money the public

originally contributed to Band Aid went astray, in fact to buy weapons

for Ethiopian rebels. Then another television channel, Channel Four,

screened a tendentious documentary arguing that Band Aid was

concerned more with self-promotion than with helping Africa and –

again – that the funds were misused.

The simple fact about popular music’s engagement with aid and

development is that all those years ago individuals with a following

wanted to use their fame to respond to an African tragedy. The cause of

life-saving in one emergency was instantly transformed into ‘Feed the

World’. Then Pop found itself part of an aid business that claimed to

have all the answers to world poverty. Such hubris is now exposed and

it is apparent that only politicians and the people themselves, not the

aid-givers, will ever unlock the problem. Yet the instincts of 25 years

ago were still honourable. The need for charity will endure.

That G8 Africa summit at Gleneagles, in Scotland, in 2005 (Tony

Blair’s ‘Year of Africa’) was also the summit of the western world’s

self-confident engagement with the anti-poverty drive in Africa. As

our prosperity increased at the end of the last century and into the

21st, there was a feeling that global hunger, like world communism,

could be banished by the application of assertive capitalism.

Britain took the lead, proud of this deployment of ‘soft power’ to

balance its participation in US-led ‘hard power’ exercises in Iraq

and Afghanistan. The Labour government’s new Department for

International Development (DFID) issued a series of policy papers

with the grandiose aim of ‘Eliminating World Poverty’ and when pop

singers and aid activists needed an arresting brand name for their G8

campaign, they chose ‘Make Poverty History.’ For the whole post-

colonial era western statesmen had promised to end extreme poverty

and the final spurt was to be led by the stars of ‘Celebrity Aid.’ Yet now,

more than five years on from Gleneagles and with less than five years

to go to the realisation of the United Nations Millennium

Development Goals, the problem of Africa’s desperate

poverty appears as intractable as ever.

The financial meltdown of 2008 and the

recession that followed has cast growing doubt

on the West’s commitment to sustain, let alone

increase, its aid levels to developing countries.

Several European countries have cut back on their

overseas assistance, Ireland and Italy in the lead.

Some major players have trimmed their aid budgets,

including Germany and France. In a continuing

exercise of ‘soft power’ politics, Britain’s Conservative-

led coalition has so far held to its commitment not only to

maintain aid levels, but actually to increase them to the United

Nations target of 0.7 per cent of national income by 2013. At a time

of unprecedented cuts in the rest of government spending, this promise

is proving increasingly unpopular among British voters and it has yet

to be seen whether the government will follow through on an aid

increase of several billion pounds.

Worse than the West’s disinclination to keep up its aid spending is

its lack of drive in the field of trade reform. It is now almost a decade

since the World Trade Organisation held the ministerial meeting that

launched the Doha Development Round, the trade negotiations that

would level the playing field between the rich West and poor Rest.

They were to be concluded within two years. Seven years later they are

still mired in international wrangles, between rich and poor but also

within the rich world, with the Europeans and the Americans at odds

over the concessions they must make. When the financial hurricane hit

western economies in 2008-9, the prospects for helping poor countries

trade their way out of poverty receded further. Initiatives on the table

would have reduced the rich world’s subsidies to its own farmers so as

to benefit their counterparts in the poor world and taken down some

of Europe’s trade barriers so as to aid exporters from the developing

world. Neither has happened nor looks like happening. Where, after

all, is the western politician ready to risk antagonising powerful groups

at home in order help the poor in faraway places?

Our failure to fix the relationship between rich and poor or to make

serious progress in transforming the prospects for the world’s poorest

economies is accompanied by a sense that we do not even have the

answers any more. For decades we have adopted ever more novel

approaches to the problem of poverty – the philosopher’s stones of

development – while often ignoring the basics. Was gender equality the

key to prosperity? If we could only sort out environmental degradation!

We must demand democracy and ‘good governance’ if there is ever to

be progress... and all this time we held to the faith that free markets

her. Her visit falls through due to difficulties related to obtaining

her visa. Meanwhile, a composer from Columbia, whose well-loved

music is performed in Germany, neither receives GEMA1 royalties nor

benefits from the Künstlersozialkasse (Artists’ Social Welfare Fund).

Throughout the world there are worthwhile individual attempts

that need a boost. So for example, even if a music conservatory

in Malawi can fall back on highly specialised experts, there are no

permanent structures that would allow their knowledge to be shared.

A mobile library in Bolivia receives start-up help from Germany

in the form of financial and in-kind contributions, but no local

sponsor to ensure its survival can be found. Arts administrators in

developing countries work on contemporary art projects, but they

lack connections with counterparts in neighbouring countries, and the

network required for international exchange is still in its infancy.

The UNESCO Convention creates the conditions to promote

international dialogue by way of cultural policy; to improve cultural

exchange programmes; and to promote partnerships with civil society,

non-governmental organisations and the private sector. It calls for the

integration of culture in national development policies with regard

to sustainable development and poverty reduction. In particular the

cultural industries need to be enhanced in developing countries.

(Planning) capacities in the cultural sector have to be improved

through exchanges and co-operation, and cultural management know-

how has to be passed on (Articles 12 – 15).

The industrialised nations are called upon to simplify cultural

exchange by creating suitable legal frameworks (meaning preferential

treatment) for artists and cultural intermediaries, as well as for cultural

goods and services from the South; in situations of serious threat to

cultural expressions, help is to be granted (Articles 8, 16, 17). An

international fund for cultural diversity is being established through

voluntary donations to highlight exemplary demonstration projects.

This fund currently (March 2010) has an approximate value of $ 2.4

million, contributed by fourteen Parties and one private party. On the

occasion of the first Conference of Parties in Paris in June 2007, the

German Government held out the prospect of a six-figure contribution

to the fund.

A large number of developing countries have pursued

initiatives over the past ten years that reflect a consciousness

of the inter-relation of culture and development. These

initiatives include Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers for

the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Meanwhile, various industrialised nations (including the Nordic

countries, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Great Britain, and

Germany) have been working to integrate the sociocultural dimension

into their development co-operation policies, partly through sustained

political support, partly through exemplary programme commitments.

For the first time, the UNESCO Convention is connecting these

efforts with an agreement under international law, the general principle

of which is the “integration of culture in sustainable development”

(Article 13). The basis for these efforts is the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. Co-operation should be the foundation on which a

dynamic cultural sector in developing countries is built.

The UNESCO Convention creates a new basis under international law for partner-based international cooperation in culture and development

First initiated as a counterbalance to trade agreements, the Convention

represents a corrective for the State Parties and for the European Union

since 1 December 2009 that should hinder further liberalisation in

the WTO with regard to cultural goods and services.

The states thereby maintain broad leeway to shape cultural policy

and pursue a new quality of global co-operation.

Throughout Germany one finds a wealth of examples of private

and public co-operation with artists from developing countries and

emerging markets. It is worthwhile to grasp the quantity and quality

of this ‘invisible’ aspect of international cooperation. The practical

and logistical frameworks of these initiatives, however, often pose

challenges for event organisers and artists that one can hardly fathom.

So for example, a film festival invites an Indonesian director to the

premiere of her film in Germany, but must in the end make do without

The diversity of cultural expressions must be continuously protected and promoted around the world, irrespective of national interests.

Thanks to the UNDP’s $ 500 million fund for implementation

of the UN Millennium Development Goals, Culture and Sustainable

Development programmes garnered tremendous visibility since

2007.

UNESCO is in charge of its technical implementation. Until now

solely a Spanish initiative, starting in 2010 this fund will be increased

considerably as a joint fund of Spain, Great Britain, and Norway.

The European Agenda for Culture in a Globalised World, adopted in

December 2007 by the European Council, includes the UNESCO

Convention in the normative foundation of European cultural policy.

In November 2008, the Council of Ministers expressly declared the

goal of “Enhancement of Cultural Diversity” a part of the political

dialogue and of co-operation in EU foreign relations. Initial budgets

have been established. Furthermore, the two Directorates-General

(Education and Culture, Development Co-operation) continue to jointly

move the implementation process forward.

These include, for instance, artists’ professional organisations,

cultural networks, and the strengthening of communication and

management capacities among artists, curators, organisers, fundraisers,

journalists, broadcast managers, technicians and other cultural

intermediaries. Nations that want to modernise and further develop

their cultural policies can be supported in this strategic planning

with the assistance of cultural policy reviews. Measures for capacity

development in administration and consulting services – for example

in connection with copyrights – also help to improve and promote

the infrastructure and the general conditions for the exchange of

artistic and cultural activities, goods and services. At the same time

it is important to ensure that the activities are not limited to only

the privileged elites and the higher middle-class in the capitals and

metropolises, but that they reach a wider circle of the population across

the entire country. Such approaches enhance a more balanced cultural

sector in the partner country and ensure the sustainability of cultural

policy initiatives. Research, education and training programmes are

also important.

All the stages of cultural expressions – the complete cycle from the

artistic idea to production, dissemination, distribution, consumption,

and enjoyment – are based in different contexts, as is the case in the

established sectors of development co-operation such as education,

local administration or health. The inherent power of culture and its

effect on development processes is difficult to measure. It should be

verified whether instruments of promotion and forms of co-operation

that have been common in development co-operation thus far can be

transferred to the sector of cultural expressions without hesitation,

even if Official Development Assistance (ODA) resources are being

used. The UNESCO Convention provides a binding legal framework

for this purpose.

International cultural exchange is to be shaped sustainably according to the principles of ‘fair culture’.

Cultural policy, like most policy areas, has been internationalised by

the global interconnectedness of its players and goods. Internationally

agreed upon standards are therefore of fundamental importance –

be it for the cultural industries or the exchange of artists. In order

to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions at home

and abroad, cultural policy know-how regarding the frameworks in

Germany and the partner countries is a must. By the same token,

cultural policy and cultural exchange are politically sensitive topics,

since they touch on questions of identity as well as on power structures

and individual freedoms.

‘Fair culture’: “The cultural sector plays an important role in enabling

sustainable social and cultural development and in reducing poverty.

Fair culture means realising cultural rights and including everyone

in cultural signification, irrespective of age, gender, disability,

or ethnic, religious and cultural background. These are aspects

that should also be guidelines for development co-operation”

(“Fair Culture – Culture for Sustainable Development. Background Paper on

Cultural Sector and Development Work in the Nordic Countries”. Helsinki:

Ministry of Education, 2006).

Three things are of vital importance for successful communication

and co-operation: respect for the cultural sovereignty of the partner

country; an on-going exchange regarding individual and collective

rights to cultural free expression and development; and a general

awareness of the particular cultural context in which the partners are

situated. German organisations and their partners must be sensitive

to these relationships, and to the possibility of tensions arising. In

international cultural exchange, it is important to develop a sense

of ‘fair play’ to promote co-operation. Increased mobility of artists

and cultural intermediaries is a relatively simple way to promote the

diversity of cultural expressions.

In civil societies, whether in developing countries and emerging

markets or in Germany, there are a number of experiences and

innovative approaches that may produce fruitful outcomes. In this

regard it is particularly important that on the basis of the UNESCO

Convention the Parties expressly acknowledge the participation of

civil society when promoting the diversity of cultural expressions

(Article 11).

The Convention lists a comprehensive catalogue of objectives for

international co-operation, ‘next steps’, and areas of responsibility.

International co-operation, and global protection and promotion of

the diversity of cultural expressions affect a multitude of stakeholders

in Germany. In addition to policymaking, the Convention specifically

encourages the engagement of civil society. This poses a great

opportunity, which is at the same time a difficulty. The Convention

applies just as much to an artist, a religious charitable organisation, or

a public or privately run cultural festival, as it does to domestic and

foreign development policies of the Federal Republic of Germany or

the programme work of intermediary organisations. This places special

demands on consultation and co-ordination.

The key ministries of the German Federal Government have not yet acknowledged ‘Culture and Development’ as an important area for action.

In 2009, the Federal Government looked into the possibility of

establishing a special programme for ‘Culture and Development’.

However, the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and

Development and the Federal Foreign Office have yet to take a

clear position on a ‘Culture and Development’ focus. This is highly

regrettable, given the internationally acknowledged wealth of

experience embodied in German cultural policy, and the outstanding

global networking of cultural intermediaries and development

co-operation organisations. It delays development of a medium and

long-term strategy, as well as timely positioning in the co-operation

with possible European partners.

It is worth revisiting the topic through interministerial

co-ordination and sector policy and furthermore to increase German

public awareness of culture and development in the field of global

learning. Politics can provide a motivating and financial contribution.

Germany has committed itself to increase Official Development

Assistance expenditures to 0.7% of GDP by 2015.

The Federal Government, the German Bundestag (National

Parliament) and the Länder (States) can all give impetus to these

efforts, notably in co-operation with the other EU Member States that

negotiated the Convention and made it possible. In October 2008 the

Prime Ministers of the German states voted to actively support the

implementation of the UNESCO Convention through international

co-operation (cf. Zukunftsfähigkeiten sichern: Entwicklungspolitik

in gemeinsamer Verantwortung von Bund, Länder und Kommunen

–Ensuring Sustainability: Shared Federal, State, and Community

Responsibility for Development Policy, resolved 22 October 2008).

It is essential that the cultural institutions in the Federal Government,

the Länder, cities and local governments promote the diversity of

cultural expressions in their contexts, strengthen exchange through

partner projects and partner groups, and develop creative forms of

public awareness-raising.

To understand cultural and creative activities as an object of

development, and to promote them as a contribution towards the

development of a country, backing from the public and from within

institutions is needed.

The direct contributions towards the implementation of the

Convention could be much more significant if both the implementing

organisations of development co-operation and the intermediary

organisations of foreign cultural and educational policy invested more

in the internal training of their executive staff and employees, as well

as in institutional awareness raising and inter-ministerial knowledge-

sharing. Employees require appropriate training. The ‘Culture and

Development’ area of action must be placed on a sturdy footing, both

in terms of personnel and finances, to ensure that the basis for success

goes beyond a handful of engaged individuals.

A solid empirical basis is important.

Within the context of the new generation of EU Economic

Partnership Agreements, the European Commission developed a

cultural supplemental protocol at the end of 2007 based on the spirit

and text of the UNESCO Convention. This cultural supplemental

protocol contains inter-sectorial tasks (development of cultural policies,

cultural exchange, mobility of artists, technical co-operation) and

sector-specific projects (audio-visual services and cinema, performing

arts, literature, monument conservation). It is based on principles

of cultural co-operation and should not lead to further trade

liberalisation. The Commission hereby refers to Article 20 of the

UNESCO Convention in its arguments. This article is interpreted

to mean that the European Community shall have to consider the

objectives of the Convention in all future international agreements,

including trade agreements. The first cultural supplemental protocol

was agreed on in 2008 between the EU and the Caribbean states

(CARIFORUM Agreement, Official Journal of the European Union,

L.289/i/3, 30 October 2008); a second one was signed in October

2009 between the EU and South Korea. The chapter contained in the

agreement dealing with culture gave rise to very critical comments

arising from both European and South Korean civil society. Further

comparable agreements are currently being prepared and negotiated

with Canada, India and South Africa.

Certain universities in Germany have committed themselves to the

topic. So far, however, there are no inter-disciplinary research clusters,

networks or inter-disciplinary co-operative efforts among political,

cultural and development experts. It would be worthwhile to create

near- and medium-term possibilities for PhD students and partnerships

with foundations, and particularly to sound out the creation of a

‘special research field’ through the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

(German Research Foundation), or comparable programmes.

Like any instrument under international law, this UNESCO

Convention is primarily a political agreement negotiated by the

Parties to lay out their national cultural policies in such a manner

that the artistic creation, production, dissemination, distribution

and enjoyment is ensured, and a diversity of cultural expressions and

international exchange and co-operation is intensified. However, a solid

empirical initial basis for the appraisal of the cultural infrastructure

does not yet exist in many countries. In October 2009 the UNESCO

Institute for Statistics (UIS) published Statistical Framework for

Culture, a modern, up-to-date work instrument. In this connection,

too, co-operation on the part of German universities could be of

service and result in visible outcomes.

as a catalyst for sustainable, social transformation and economic

development of the societies.

Addressing the different approaches necessary for cultural

development in both, the Global North and the Global South, the

IMC attaches special attention to the importance of international

co-operation. The International Music Council launched its Music

Sector Development Programme (MSDP) in order to assist countries,

in particular developing ones, in their effort to establish integrated

and sustainable national music sectors that respond to local needs.

Guided by the key principle and right of having access to music for

all, the MSDP refers to demand driven, grass rooted and integrated

programmes aiming to either develop the national music sectors as

a whole or to develop only specific aspects of the music sectors like

education, promotion and/or research… As such, the MSDP consists

of and promotes a full menu of activities that support the music sector

development which include, inter alia:

Having closely followed the discourse surrounding culture

and its importance for the overall human development, the

ongoing work at the International Music Council (IMC) has

actively engaged in understanding culture in the context of

international cooperation and development purposes.

Our working methods were greatly influenced by key cultural

instruments such as UNESCO’s 2005 Convention and other documents

such as the 2009 Brussels declaration of artists or the conclusions of the

2010 EU-Spain conference on culture and development in Girona.

The IMC has been strongly advocating the importance of music,

cultural and creative industries (CCIs) and their surrounding technical

infrastructure in development strategies and international cooperation,

focusing on how music can help strengthen the cultural sector and

how culture can help to accelerate progress towards achieving the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We therefore strive to

enhance and further the debate with regards to music and culture

of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and community leaders. The

inauguration represented the culmination of several years of planning

and hard work overcoming the obstacles that were the legacy of thirty

years of war and the Taliban’s prohibition of music.

The examples given in this article demonstrate the social,

economic, and environmental potential provided by music and

cultural development programmes as part of a transversal approach

to international development.

comprehensive general and specialised music education

development

development of sustainable local music infrastructure

socio-economic development of the key actors in the music

field with special attention to young people, young musicians

and women

continuous knowledge development and training of key actors

in the music field

advocacy actions at the national and international level

music policy development

music legislation and partnership.

Ongoing activities in the MSDP presently include the Sustainable

Futures for Music Traditions: Towards an Ecology of Musical Diversity

project. In music, one of the great concerns is the survival and

revitalisation of traditional music. The IMC has entered into a

partnership to discover and describe projects across the world that are

successful in returning traditional music to everyday life. Sustainable

Futures for Music Traditions investigates key characteristics of musical

sustainability and aims at enabling communities across the world

to forge musical futures on their own terms while protecting and

promoting our global cultural expressions. The IMC is the senior

non-academic partner in this five-year project, led by the Queensland

Conservatorium Research Centre, Brisbane, with seven universities on

five continents. The project will produce an accessible and user-friendly

online interface for disseminating findings to assist communities and

governments across the world.

Other key activities include capacity building projects in East

Africa. Taking into account the specific needs of potential beneficiaries,

UNESCO and the IMC launched a pilot project training module

in East Africa with the objective of developing capacities for music

sector operators to access increasing international development aid

funding, and sensitising and involving government officials and

decision makers in the donor community. This ongoing programme

aims to turn creative projects into sustainable cultural industries. The

training project was carried out under UNESCO’s Global Alliance for

Cultural Diversity with the financial support of the Spanish Ministry

of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The workshop is now being

followed by a coaching phase during which the trainees receive

individual and collective guidance in formulating their concept notes

and applications. Upon completion of the training it is expected that

many of these applications will result in successful project and grant

proposals, thus making a positive contribution to the musical life and

infrastructure of East Africa. It is expected that this project will further

contribute to the development of sustainable cultural industries in

Tanzania and Uganda as well as fostering cultural partnerships between

the two countries.

Furthermore, the IMC assisted efforts to rebuild music education

in Afghanistan and establish the first national institute of music (cf.

Sounds in Europe #5, p. 37). IMC was instrumental in connecting

the project initiator, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, a music professor from

Afghanistan, with music educators from around the world as well as

with NAMM, the International Music Products Association, a non-

profit organisation of music instrument manufacturers. The IMC also

provided moral support to Dr. Sarmast with letters to the Ministers

of Education and Culture in Afghanistan underlining the importance

of the initiative. Throughout this process the IMC has been happy to

provide valuable resources and networks that have helped to facilitate

education, intercultural dialogue and international co-operation in

Afghanistan. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) was

formally inaugurated in June 2010 in Kabul, in front of an audience

of dignitaries including Ambassadors, officials from the government

world’s most deprived – all U.N. Member States committed to active

peace keeping, protection of the environment, and a contribution to

combating poverty as their core objectives. This historical pledge was

intended to be a significant step towards passing over the threshold

to an era of global equality and opportunities for all.

However, now, ten years after the Millennium Summit, and with

the financial crisis behind us, the ammunition with which the U.N.

was fighting the cause has proved itself ineffective, mostly due to the

lack of commitment by wealthy Member States. Today, the situation

of the poorest countries is still alarming and it has even become

apparent that we’ve taken retrograde steps on the path to sustainable

development.

It was on 9 September 2000, more than ten years ago, that

189 Member States of the United Nations Organisation,

both rich and poor countries, decided to join forces to fight

against the ever-expanding gap between the world’s most

prosperous and most poverty stricken nations.

“End Poverty 2015” was declared the slogan of the U.N.’s

international campaign, created to mobilise not only the governments

of the world, but also each and every single person inhabiting the

landmasses surrounded by the seven seas, to make a stand against

economic inequity. Its target was clear. In adopting the Millennium

Development Goals – a catalogue of explicit, obligatory and highly

ambitious aims with clearly set deadlines for improving the lives of the

universal solution for all our global problems. Alone the engagement

of these stakeholders in the realisation of the aims set out in the

Millennium Development Goals, and in the United Nations latest

resolution respectively, could initiate the necessary change upon which

the world’s development can finally thrive.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that culture is indeed an enormous

asset, providing massive potential for increasing economic growth

and decreasing poverty. Whereas the long established sectors which

the U.N. Member States have for too long relied on to achieve

sustainable development are now becoming more and more obsolete,

the fast growing innovation-based cultural and creative industries

are gaining in importance. The estimated global value of the cultural

industries today is $ 1.3 Trillion3. On top of that, the culture sector

represents 2-6 per cent of the GDP of most OECD

Member Countries4. Moreover, as stated in the

UNESCO Concept Note of the MDG

Summit High-Level Round Table on

Culture for Development, culture

is a huge contributor to peace and

reconciliation. Only through cultural

dialogue, which enhances mutual

knowledge, understanding and tolerance

between nations, can an open discussion be

held on the areas where interests meet and diverge,

counteracting ignorance, prejudices, marginalisation and the

degradation of people. The potential of culture, however, remains

mainly unrecognised and unutilised by national and international

stakeholders.

The UN Resolution on the Role of Culture for Development represents

a major breakthrough at international level indicating a sign of change,

and sowing the small but sprouting seed of hope that humanity will

soon be passing over the threshold to a fairer world.

.

Long overdue, the U.N. has now decided to revise its existing strategies

to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to finally listen to

representatives from the cultural sector, who have been preaching for

decades about the importance of culture for development.

In its Resolution on the Role of Culture for Development which was

adopted on 20th December 2010, a physical outcome of the MDG

Summit in September 2010, the U.N. General Assembly recognises

“…that culture is an essential component of human development,

represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the

individual and the community and an important factor in the fight

against poverty, providing for economic growth and ownership of

development process…”

By acknowledging international conventions that emphasise the

important role of cultural diversity for social

and economic development such

as the Universal Declaration

on Cultural Diversity1

and the Convention

on the Protection

and Promotion of the

Diversity of Cultural

Expressions2, the document

emphasises that culture is a

resource for the enrichment of and a

contributor to the sustainable development of local

communities and nations. Furthermore, the resolution recognises the

links between cultural and biological variety, stressing the importance

of including local and indigenous traditional knowledge when dealing

with environmental challenges.

Striving to achieve the development objectives set in the Millennium

Development Goals, the U.N. General Assembly urges all Member

States, intergovernmental bodies and organisations to encourage

international cooperation in the cultural field. Within this context,

the U.N. Resolution on the Role of Culture for Development

provides a new set of culture-related aims to which all Member States

have committed themselves, such as raising public awareness of the

importance of cultural diversity for sustainable development, and

promoting its positive value through education and media tools.

Moreover, political stakeholders should guarantee a more visible and

effective integration and mainstreaming of culture in development

policies and strategies at all levels, and also promote capacity-building

for the development of a dynamic cultural and creative sector. In

addition to this, U.N. Member States, intergovernmental bodies and

organisations should enhance national legal frameworks and policies

for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage and property, as

well as support the efforts of developing countries in the development

and consolidation of their cultural industries, by assisting them in

acquiring the necessary skills and infrastructure.

These new objectives are all extremely ambitious and are somehow

reminiscent of the first phase of the Millennium Campaign, when

the former U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Anan, proudly announced

the Development Goals, which ended up in the desk drawers of

most leading economy powers for the following ten years. Today, less

than five years before the Millennium Campaign is due to end, it is

highly questionable whether affluent U.N. Member States, which

find themselves in a key position to change the current economic

and social disparity in the world, will truly abide by their promises

this time round. For one thing is certain: contrary to what most

representatives of culture advocate, culture is the first step but not the

Europe has a strong community sector supporting out-of-school

music learning including local brass bands, music and culture schools,

amateur societies, religious groups, broad or ‘after school’ programmes

and many private providers. These out-of-school provisions are

available locally and frequently heavily subsided to represent good

value for money. Yet the research5 suggests that pupil attendance is

relatively low, with even the most successful models likely to attract

less than a quarter of all the possible children in the area.

The children who do attend tend not to be representative of the

full diversity of learners, with children from different social or ethnic

backgrounds and children with disabilities most likely to miss out.

In many countries, particularly for certain ages of pupils or types of

instrumental learning, there are long waiting lists for getting a place

in out-of-school music provisions.

To increase the participation in, and relevance of, out-of-

school programmes, consideration should be given to offering

more interdisciplinary programmes (for instance, programmes that

combine dance, singing and visual arts or music and digital creation).

For programmes to be accessible to a broader range of children,

music educators need to develop innovative pedagogies and creative

approaches to curricula that will engage a diversity of learners. There

is also evidence6 to suggest that the wider use of group, multi-aged

and intergenerational teaching and learning approaches may also help

to broaden the appeal of music education offers.

The second goal from the Seoul Agenda follows naturally from the first

and focuses on the prerequisites that characterise quality. This goal

places responsibility upon those who design, deliver and manage arts

education to ensure that the activities are of a high quality in terms

of conception and delivery. It is recognised for quality to be improved,

a particular focus must be given to the importance of enhancing the

quality of teaching. The second goal recommends formal qualifications

In May 2010 arts educators, politicians and civil servants

from around the world made the journey to Seoul in the

Republic of Korea.

The reason for this journey was the Second World Conference on

Arts Education. This summit served as a ‘checking point’ following

the launch in Lisbon 2006 of a global focus on the importance of arts

and cultural education in the lives of children1.

A major output from the meeting in Seoul was The Seoul Agenda:

Goals for the Development of Arts Education2. While it could be argued

that the Lisbon Road Map (2006)3 gave a renewed energy to the

arguments surrounding the value of arts education, the Seoul Agenda

proposes three key goals for arts education.

The first of these goals is perhaps the most difficult at both a local and

international level. This primary goal is to ensure that high quality arts

education is accessible to all. It immediately confronts arts educators

with two enormous challenges – how do you ensure quality while at

the same time be as inclusive as possible?

European music struggles to accommodate the complexities of

delivering on this first goal.4 The ideals of ‘accessibility for all’ often

in practice fall short of the espoused aspirations. If music education is

to reach all children, it must be placed solidly within the compulsory

school sector. This means that those people teaching music in the

compulsory school need to be well-trained and confident to deliver

high quality musical learning. This aspiration may be well meaning,

but in reality it is most likely that music will be offered as a mix of in

and out-of-school programmes.

the practices of music education it is possible to understand the role

culture plays in shaping children’s musical learning and thinking. This

may require new paradigms for understanding music education and

its responsibility within an increasingly globalised community where

diversity, hybridity and difference flourish.

Goal three makes explicit reference to the application of arts

education to enhance the creative and innovative capacity of society.

Economic success is largely now dependent upon having a creative

and adaptive workforce. Research findings8 indicate that musical

activities have a positive impact on the development of several key

‘future’ competencies within young people. These include capacities

such as creative problem solving, social communication and tolerance,

flexibility, concentration and collaboration. Music can therefore have

a positive impact on the well-rounded development of learners.

The Seoul Agenda presents three explicit and meaningful goals

for music education now and into the future. While they provide

a vision forward, the goals equally challenge us around the areas of

accessibility, quality and relevance of music education. The cultural

change occurring in the lives of the children will be only matched by

the cultural changes occurring in music education itself.

as a prerequisite for all specialist teachers and community facilitators

of arts education. Generalist teachers currently may have little or no

formal education in the arts. The second goal suggests that both pre-

service teachers (across all discipline areas) and those already working

within schools should be given sustainable professional development to

enable them to integrate artistic and creative principles and practices

within the broader learning of children. Whether there should be

specialist or generalist teachers for music is not the question, but rather

high quality programmes need both sorts of teachers. The specialists

provide discipline skills and knowledge (education in the arts) while

the generalists should receive sufficient training to be able to feel

confident to introduce education in the arts and be sensitive enough

to pursue high quality learning through the arts.

In line with the arguments many professional associations have

been making for the past decade, the second Seoul Agenda goal makes

the direct connection between quality in arts education and the

provision of appropriate facilities and resources for arts education.

Given current budget conditions, music educators are facing challenges

to maintain and develop adequate facilities and resources for effective

teaching. Newer schools are often built without specialist rooms and

facilities for arts education.

One way to enhance quality while working with limited resources

is to more widely partner with community and cultural industries to

deliver arts education. Alternate learning environments can involve

parents, family and community members in partnerships within and

beyond schools to strengthen the quality of arts education.

Once quality and accessibility have been achieved, goal number three of

the Seoul Agenda suggests that the principles and practices of excellent

arts can contribute to resolving the social and cultural challenges

facing today’s world. This is certainly a grand goal! The problem is that

a wide variety of research evidence7 suggests that the arts are capable

of making a difference in everything from educational attainment and

economic growth to anti-social behaviour and community coherence.

The fact that the arts can make a difference across a range of areas does

not mean that a single programme should attempt to answer all these

goals. A general shortcoming apparent in national evaluations of arts

education conducted conclude that arts education programmes often

lack a clear focus and the abundance of supposed aims leaves teachers

and children bewildered as to the significance of their arts learning.

The main focus of music education should be the cultivation

of children’s aesthetic capacity and their full development in music.

When this is the unquestioned aim of the programme, then it is likely

that music education will enhance cultural awareness in general and

contribute to creating and sustaining social cohesion and participation

in societal culture. A focused, high quality and accessible music

programme offers enormous potential to develop and conserve a

child’s identity and to promote diversity and dialogue among cultures.

In some ways this could be considered as being a wonderful bi-

product of the music education process! By examining more deeply

Ah, I see she’s written ‘culture operator’. It looks like

she’s too scared to say ‘lobbyist’. What a coward!

Oh come on! You know that lobbyists have a rather negative

reputation, though it can’t be denied that finding good arguments

for the support of culture is comparable to the work of hard core

lobbyists, who, for example, fight for CO2 emission restrictions

to be relaxed. Engagement in the arts and culture is beneficial for

the whole of society – it encourages fruitful exchanges, promotes

peace, and increases understanding amongst peoples.

Ok, ok, but it doesn’t help if politicians don’t listen; at least

lobbyists know what to do when approaching politicians – present

facts and figures! So what point is she trying to make?

She states that the key attributes of the Europe 2020 strategy

such as the terms ‘smart’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘inclusive’ form the

core of culture and artistic processes, and that the Europe 2020

strategy actually has a lesson to learn from the cultural sector.

Still, you will have to find the right arguments, get the relevant

facts and figures.

You’re funny! Where from? Are we expected to do our own

research on top of everything else that we do? Did you know that

most European and international cultural networks only have

one to three full-time employees? For most of them, advocacy, or

if you like lobby work, forms only a fraction of their workload,

alongside preparing content based activities, such as a workshop

on music education in Europe or the next World Forum on

Music.

But there is evidence all around us, plus a lot of research has

been conducted which is accessible to everyone. For example, you

could refer to the KEA study on The Economy of Culture in Europe

which shows that the culture and creative industries contribute

2.6% of Europe’s GDP, and employed more than 5.8 million people

in 2004. In contrast, the EU budget only allocates 0.04% to the

culture programme.

Will this really help the public funding of arts and culture?

Definitely! Artistic creation is the centre of the culture

and creative industries, without the right framework to

support artistic creation, the CCIs will lack artistic input and

will not be able to contribute to Europe’s growth and economy.

All so-called ‘culture operators’ are facing cuts in their

budgets, especially since the ‘big crisis’ of 2008, following

which a new dimension has come into play when negotiating

funding for culture. Whether looking at the UK or the

Netherlands, or at the local communities in Germany,

culture seems to be paying the price for the gaps in public

budgets as it is a sector dependent on public funding.

One reaction of some policy makers is that the culture sector

should now carry the burden of proving itself: show us that it is worth

spending money on culture – but bear in mind that our assessment is

above all based on economics – so you better find a way of showing

us that every Euro invested in culture returns at least double.

Sitting at my desk, I was planning to write a comprehensive article

on the next EU budget negotiations, presenting the arguments that we

could use when negotiating a budget increase and the continuation of

the EU’s culture programme. However, in the course of my writing, two

strange beings suddenly appeared, one on each one of my shoulders. I

could not exactly tell whether one was a devil and the other an angel

but, past experience of beings on my shoulders taught me that it was

good to let them stay there and to argue with one another.

As I thought it much more entertaining to listen to the quarrelsome

twosome, I have decided to provide you with an excerpt of their

dialogue, rather than the dry and comprehensive (well, who knows if

it actually would have been…) cultural policy article.

And we can still rely on studies for additional arguments.

Yeah, it seems like the combination of the intrinsic and extrinsic

values of the arts and culture will finally be acknowledged!

Let’s hope so – we are more! we are more!

(joining in): we are more!

And off they went…

Once my shoulders were free again and I was able to reflect on what I

had heard, I felt more positive. As was said during the Culture Action

Europe conference in October 2010, the ‘time is NOW’ to act for

culture in Europe. The EU budget negotiations are under way and it

is important to join forces and lobby for support for culture at local,

national and EU level. Only through an active engagement in the

arts and culture will the EU be able to achieve its aim of becoming

a smart, sustainable and inclusive environment.

That’s good. What else?

Well, then there’s the EU’s study on the contribution of culture

to local and regional development. This is a very good example of

how culture can contribute to growth in the regions, and also that

other EU programmes may be used for funding culture.

Oh, you mean like ‘cultural mainstreaming’?

Exactly!

But don’t you think that if we advocate mainstreaming, by

trying to convince all other EU departments (Directorates-

General, DGs) such as enterprise, competition, regional policy,

employment, internal market, information society and media

etc., to incorporate culture, in the end decision makers might

say, “Now that you have culture everywhere you don’t need your

own programme”?

Yes, that is a risk, but have you heard of Culture Action Europe’s

we are more campaign? It focuses on just two programmes, structural

funds and the Culture Programme, and highlights the importance of

culture by presenting a clear argument for why the Culture Programme

should not be replaced – It is the only place for risk-taking, innovative,

artistic and cross-border cooperation in Europe.

It sounds great – how can I get involved?

It’s easy. There’s the manifesto that you can sign online at

www.wearemore.eu/manifesto, and as it is an open source campaign,

you can also make use of and re-design posters which are available

on the website.

It reads well: “The arts, culture and the humanities engage

and inspire us, and stimulate us to challenge the world we live in.

Investing in the arts from kindergarten to old age builds societies

that are creative, innovative, democratic and diverse. Let us

re-imagine long-term public investment that contributes to

human, social and environmental progress.” – I am definitely

subscribing to this one! How many signatures do they need for

the EU to support the campaign’s demands?

Hmm, it’s hard to say, though of course the more the better.

However, the decision on the future EU budget will be made by the

Member States, thus national governments will determine which

EU policy areas they want to strengthen and which EU programmes

will then follow. And then of course, there’s the principle of

subsidiarity…

The principle of what?

Subsidiarity – this means that culture is an area which remains

in the hands of the Member States and therefore the EU does not

have any legislative power in this field. But like I said, it’s up to the

national governments to decide, and they may very well agree that

there is much more to the European idea than just economic aspects.

Solidarity and cultural diversity are real arguments for stability in

Europe, and therefore a thorough Culture Programme at EU level

is necessary.

the least due to the fact that the expert group appointed to evaluate

the funding applications had not been given sufficient guidelines

to accomplish their work: their recommendations greatly exceeded

the amount of funds available. On the spot, Norway pledged a

contribution of $ 1.4 Million but this amount could not be taken

into consideration for the 2010 round of applications. It was decided

that a second round would be launched in 2011.

The lessons learned from the first round translated into the adoption

of additional criteria for the next call for projects, including:

a maximum amount of $ 100.000 can be requested from the

Fund for programmes/projects

the Panel of Experts and the Committee can adapt the amount

of funds attributed to programmes/projects

a Party, a national NGO or an international NGO may present

a maximum of two programmes/projects

It should be noted that among the programmes/projects that will

receive funding from the 2010 budget, there were a good number

of applications from national NGOs that had been presented by the

government of the State Party. We believe this is a very positive sign.

The IMC Secretary General made a statement – on behalf of the

seven NGOs present as observers – on the Fund and its implementation.

Our statement included an appeal to IGC members to formulate better

and clearer guidelines for applicants (clear time-frame, rules and criteria,

including whatever regional and other balances are needed). Moreover,

we launched the idea of an informal market place where State Parties

and civil society groups which are considering potential projects can

meet together informally to review the concepts and explore whether

synergies can be found. This and other NGO statements can be obtained

from the IMC Secretariat: info@imc-cim.org.

Fundraising for the International Fund for Cultural Diversity

remains high on the agenda: The UNESCO Secretariat was asked to

prepare an information document for the 3rd session of the Conference

of Parties (June 2011) that would succinctly outline the terms of

reference for a future fundraising strategy for the Fund.

Last but not least, the contribution of the IMC and its network to

ensure a large ratification of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection

and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was highlighted

in an information document distributed at the IGC meeting. Only

three organisations have found their way into this document.

The working papers and decisions of the meeting are available on

the UNESCO website: www.unesco.org.

State Parties to the Convention continue to engage in the

effective implementation of the UNESCO Convention on

the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural

Expressions.

At its last meeting from 29 November to 1 December 2010 in

Paris, the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) of the Convention

adopted further operational guidelines:

a) On information sharing and transparency

(Article 9 of the Convention)

The guidelines include an extensive framework for the periodic

reports on implementation that State Parties are to submit. It is

stated clearly that this reporting should be a participatory process

also involving civil society. The IMC and EMC urge all members to

be prepared to respond to calls for contributions from their national

governments.

b) On the exchange, analysis and dissemination of information

(Article 19 of the Convention)

The guidelines define responsibilities of State Parties and the

UNESCO Secretariat. They also include a short paragraph about

the contribution of civil society. According to the text, civil society

organisations from different regions in the world are encouraged

to establish links between them at the international, regional

and sub-regional levels and to keep the UNESCO Secretariat

informed of their activities. So, regular business for organisations

such as the IMC and EMC…

c) On education and public awareness

(Article 10 of the Convention)

Measures proposed in the guidelines target both secondary and

higher education, as well as training and research institutions.

The guidelines advocate for an integrated approach in the design

and implementation of educational programmes that promote the

objectives and principles of the Convention. Ties between culture

and education should be strengthened at the policy, programme

and institutional levels.

Having invited the UNESCO Secretariat in 2009 to provide a

feasibility study and cost analysis for the creation of an emblem for

the Convention, the Intergovernmental Committee postponed the

decision on this issue to its next session in December 2011.

With regards to the pertinence and feasibility appointing public

persons to promote the Convention, the IGC decided that “each Party

is entitled to choose the mechanism which it deems appropriate to

promote the objectives of the Convention, including the possibility to

appoint a spokesperson.” It seems that no consensus could be found

among State Parties on a general mechanism at international level.

The main part of the IGC meeting was however dedicated to the

implementation of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity. State

Parties engaged in extensive discussions on the use of the funds, not

MADE IN THECONGOArtisan Guitar Maker from Kinshasa supported by Music Fund

Andy Morgan talks to the Kinshasa-based guitar maker Socklo, who makes

the distinctive, hand-crafted guitars played by Staff Benda Bilili

Pairon of Music Fund travelled to Kinshasa in 2007 and met both

guitar-makers. “They’re struggling to survive, which is hard to see,”

he tells me over the phone from Ghent in Belgium. “They’re both

very proud of their work, and they’re very well known locally,

and supported by musicians like Jupiter and Staff for Socklo,

and others for Almaz. I went back to see them with two expert

luthiers from Belgium. They could see a number of problems

with the guitars, but they were completely amazed by both

Socklo and Almaz.”

Music Fund imports the guitars to Europe in batches of ten and

sells them through its website, paying 50% up front, which allows

Socklo and Almaz to buy better materials and support themselves

while they fulfill the orders. Pairon is actively seeking a European

guitar distributor to take over the operation and increase the

marketing push and invites any interested parties to contact him

(email below).

Socklo himself has little doubt that his future survival depends

on finding new markets. “I am VERY happy to work

with Lukas,” he shouts through a telephone blizzard from

Kinshasa. “It’s important for me to sell guitars in Europe.

But to develop, I really need more tools. They’re hard to

find here and very expensive. With tools I could work

faster and produce a higher number of guitars.”

Vincent Kenis, the Belgian producer of many bands

to emerge from the Congo, including Staff Benda

Bilili, is a huge fan of Socklo. “He’s very modest

and very conscientious. I think he makes the best

guitars in Kinshasa. But he’s a bit discouraged with

the economic situation. Nevertheless he manages

to keep going.” Kenis helped Staff Benda Bilili

to adapt their guitars for their European tour,

adding Western tuning mechanisms and piezo mics for

amplification. “These guitars have a real personality. I bought a guitar

from Socklo last December and I was pleased to see that following the

visit of the Belgian luthiers, many basic problems have been ironed

out. They last long too,” Kenis reassures me. It seems that Staff Benda

Bilili’s musical rallying cry also extends to the amazing artisan guitar-

makers of Kinshasa: Très Très Fort!

Last summer, when Staff Benda Bilili wheeled themselves

onto the main stage of the Eurockéennes de Belfort Festival

in France and unveiled their bittersweet rumba to

an exultant European audience, many listeners were

intrigued by their extraordinary guitar sound.

It was powerful, bright, full-bodied and yet as raw as an

uncooked onion, fizzing with the kind of raunch that many rock

guitarists have been searching for in vain since the end of the 60s.

On closer examination, curiosity turned to amazement. The

guitars were unlike anything seen before in Europe. Their shape

and décor varied from electric blue sunburst with classical curlicue

sound holes to blended black and copper red tiger stripes with round

sound holes. The bridges, nuts, frets and other bolt-on mechanisms

were all rough-hewn yet functional. The guitars seemed to be the

product of the eye and imagination of an artist.

Staff Benda Bilili soon revealed their secret. All their guitars

are made by Misoko Nzalagala, universally known as ‘Socklo’,

a guitar-maker from Staff’s home city of Kinshasa, capital

of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once a guitarist

himself, Socklo now makes two or three instruments per

week in a clapboard shed in the Lembas district of this

enormous teeming city. Tools are rudimentary – just a

heap of hammers, chisels, planes, saws and anvils made

from recycled ordnance, all lying at the feet of the

kind-faced Socklo while he sits and patiently fashions

his artisanal wonders on his lap.

A hand-cranked turning machine serves to make

guitar strings from bicycle brake wire coiled with

copper filament, which has been recycled from old

engines and dynamos. Apart from the plywood used

to make the sound boxes of the guitars, all the other raw

materials are recycled from bits of wood, old engine parts,

refrigerator innards and plastic chairs. Socklo’s workshop is a shrine to

all the positive things mothered by necessity: ingenuity, skill, artistry,

imagination, pride and plenty of invention.

Across the city in Bandal, Socklo’s rival, Almaz, has a few more

mod cons in his workshop. Almaz stands for Atelier Lutherie Mazanza,

but the avuncular white-haired patron is also known by that name.

He owns a few electric tools, but an 11-month power cut made them

inoperable until recently.

Their main market has been Kinshasa’s own legion of hopeful

guitarists. But though a typical Socklo guitar sells for only about $ 25

locally, they’re beyond the reach of most of Kinshasa’s wannabe guitar

heroes, thanks to the relentless economic crises and general poverty

that clings to the DRC like a curse.

But help is at hand. A Belgian NGO called Music Fund has

decided to support both Socklo and Almaz, initially for a year. Lukas

most suitable mentors for their needs: work with a mixed choir, vocal

problems in children’s choirs, folk music interpretation, Estonian

pronunciation (for Russian choirs) etc. Mentors may also be invited to

lead workshops and courses, give lectures, become members of juries,

help regional festivals and other events as artistic consultants.

The Ministry of Culture annually gives about 30 000 € to the

Estonian Choral Association, which acts as co-ordinator for the Mentor

Programme. This funding may only be used to pay the mentors’ salaries

and that of their accompanists, with a small amount also going to the

programme co-ordinators. The regions are responsible for organising

the venues in which the courses take place themselves, and there is no

participation fee for the conductors and music teachers.

In the last 6 years the ECA has organised free courses as part of

the mentors’ programme, and it has proved itself as a flexible and

fast solution to the various problems faced by conductors in Estonia.

Thanks to the programme, the ECA has built up good contacts with

its regions, and therefore has acquired a thorough knowledge of the

choral landscape across the country. Furthermore, this programme has

given employment to Estonia’s high-level conductors and supports the

Song Celebration festivities.

The Estonian Choral Association’s (ECA) Mentor Programme

was born from a board meeting, during which possibilities

for developing Estonian choral music were discussed. By the

end of the discussion a simple formula had been found:

Better educated conductor = better conductor = better choir

There was a mutual consensus on the importance of lifelong learning

and the necessity for adult education, however it soon became apparent

that most of the ECA’s conductors hadn’t attended any new courses

or seminars since graduating from their music academies or colleges.

The main reason behind this being that conductors are not paid very

well for their work, and therefore can’t afford to pay for additional

courses despite there being a need for it, as well as a great interest in

studying!

In co-operation with the Estonian Ministry of Culture, a training

programme was developed which started out as a pilot project in 2005.

It is now functioning as a stable programme with 100 – 200 courses

and workshops taking place every year.

The idea is quite simple:

The Estonian Choral Association (ECA) announces the Mentor

Programme in its newsletters and at its meetings, inviting all good

choir and wind orchestra conductors, as well as vocal coaches, to

apply to become mentors. The successful applicants are then selected

by the ECA’s music commission. As of today, there are 33 mentors

specialised in choirs and brass bands working throughout Estonia.

Each mentor’s specialisations are presented on the ECA homepage,

allowing conductors and music teachers needing help to select the

Setúbal or Seixal, districts situated close to either Lisbon or Porto

which experience severe social problems. Involving the inhabitants of

these areas in cultural and art activities is one of the crucial factors in

the process of their region’s development.

There are plans to introduce Sound Told Fairy Tales in other

countries, with each country presenting stories with accompanying

music by their own authors and musicians. The project’s pedagogical

aspects are also worth mentioning, and from experience it

has become evident that it has the capacity to reinforce

the bond between children and adults (their families

and teachers). On the one hand the project has a

strong and beneficial impact on children’s creative

development but on the other, adults also benefit

from the Sound Told Fairy Tales performances.

Thanks to the project’s unusual context they learn

to appreciate and open themselves up to new

musical forms, which in other circumstances they

would have perceived as “too demanding”, and to re-

learn how to approach children through storytelling. The

latter is also beneficial for music authors as it helps them to

develop their work by approaching new audiences.

As music has an enormous ability to influence and shape our

customs, Miso Music Portugal believes that it is high time to concentrate

more effectively on how it can help in terms of development. “If from

the one point of view contemporary art seems useless, from the

other it constitutes one of the most profound human features, not

only establishing the identity of immediate circumstances, but also

forming collective history. Consequently, the possibilities, which an

artist possesses to assert his or her individuality are by definition a

political act”, says Miguel Azguime, composer, poet and one of the

co-founders of Miso Music Portugal.1

The cultural sector represents a strong potential for social

and economic innovation, therefore in times of economic

instability, artistic creation has a special role to play. In the

musical sense, development is a process by which musical

materials are altered and elaborated.

Therefore music, on both a micro and macro level, is always about

moving forward, changing and developing past structures. What is so

specific about music that qualifies it as an important vehicle

of development? How can contemporary art be more

effectively integrated into local, national and regional

development programmes?

The Cultural Association Miso Music

Portugal initiates projects which play a key

role in fostering cultural environments and in

creating equal opportunities. Sound Told Fairy

Tales – Electroacoustic Theatre for Children is one

such project.

Designed for children between four and 12 years old

and their families, the Sound Told Fairy Tales project is based

around the tradition of storytelling, and includes both Portuguese

and foreign tales, original pieces written especially for the project, as

well as modern stories by contemporary authors. The novel character

of Sound Told Fairy Tales is the interaction between the written texts

and the music specially composed for each fairy tale. The original

pieces of music not only complement the meaning of the words but

also stimulate the children’s imagination.

Through the project, the youngest are introduced to new music

opening their minds to a world of sound phenomena created by means

of modern technology whilst referring to various exemplary works for

children by composers such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Sergei Prokofiev

or Maurice Ravel. The project’s objectives focus on education through

sound, which is especially significant as children are particularly

receptive to novelty. By presenting new music to children all around

Portugal whose exposure to contemporary works is limited, Miso Music

Portugal intends to expand their taste and knowledge of the modern

world. Young people shape their individual receptivity, creativity

and social awareness through direct contact with contemporary art,

subsequently leading them to become conscious and independent

citizens, which benefits the country’s overall development.

Sound Told Fairy Tales has involved young audiences from less

privileged areas such as Amadora, Aveiro, Monte Abraão, Montijo,

Capitals of Culture or the Council of the European Union’s adoption

of its conclusions supporting the contribution of culture to local and

regional development, there is still a lot to be done. A change of mind-

set is needed at all levels – starting from the individual person. As

stage director Galin Stoev said in an EFA session: “I cannot change

the society, but I can reach out to a person!”

The arts – including music – can provoke this change of mind-

set which will lead to the building of our societies!

Festivals are in a privileged position to provide the means for

everyone to experience culture. They ensure a real encounter between

arts/life, artists and audience. They open doors to new artistic forms,

new performers, new audiences, unusual venues, unknown cultures,

new points of view. They inspire citizens through the arts, challenge

and offer them occasions to broaden their horizons, bringing people

together through inventive and participatory initiatives.

In 2010, EFA initiated the Open the Door project. It aims to

increase awareness of the power of arts and culture in the process of

social transformation and to foster involvement of cultural actors in

societal issues through festivals.

20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall that led to the

integration process we are witnessing today, it seems that

Europe is still far away from its citizens.

Many do not yet share the belief of a citizens’ Europe – because

they are not involved in the process of shaping it. An institutional

Europe has therefore to become a citizens’ Europe, which is by

definition a cultural Europe.

Music, theatre, dance, literature, visual arts, architecture, film

etc. may belong to a specific country or region. However, they are

all rooted in a mosaic of shared interconnected experiences. Without

culture, citizens will not develop an ‘emotional’ link to this Europe.

Culture has been introduced as a factor in EU regional

development policies recently. Despite very valuable efforts such as the

creation of the informal EP Intergroup A Soul for Europe (established

at the initiative of a group of Members of the European Parliament

in 2008) that urges to include culture as a means for sustainable

regional development in Europe, the initiation of the European

and European cultural organisations and further development of an

independent, artistically driven exchange.

Other examples of music festival projects are MusMA,

Music Masters on Air: European Broadcasting Festival,

which is a long-term international collaboration of

some 10 major European festivals; or Singing Poland!,

initiated by International Festival Wratislavia Cantans,

which hopes to develop into a European initiative

Singing Europe. There are many more examples that

EFA – in its mission – brings to the attention of

political decision-makers at European level.

The European Festivals Association urges actors at all

levels and from all sectors to recognise the power of arts and

culture! Let’s make use of this force of festivals to bring together

individuals and to shape a sense of responsibility in a cultural Europe,

a Europe of citizens!

In a newly launched format entitled EFA Meets Its Regions, EFA

brings together festivals sharing common interests according to their

regional context: the international work starts with your next-door

neighbour. A meeting in June 2010 in Zagreb that took place in the

frame of Open the Door resulted in the launch of a project, that without

doubt is a best practice example for feeding into regional development

through music:

The Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS) dedicated its 2010 season

to Festivals: Open this door NOW! The major project in this respect is

the launch of the NO BORDERS ORCHESTRA, an orchestra

that brings together excellent musicians from all former

Yugoslav republics; it will start operating in 2011.

Besides having an artistic importance, the project

has a strong educational and social significance. The

overall goal is to emphasise the necessity of cultural

involvement in all aspects of social and political

life. It aims to suppress a brain drain of young

professionals from the region; to balance cultural

consequences of transitional period(s) across the region;

to activate the civil sector through cultural activity; and

to point out the importance of an active citizenship. Also,

the project involves a message to politicians: culture and arts are

fundamental factors of cooperation, better quality of life for everyone

and regional development as a whole.

To reach out to political decision-makers is a second aim of Open

the Door.

Two ‘commitments’ were signed in order to raise awareness at

political level, to define responsibilities and to involve politicians in

the process: one in Zagreb that aims at opening doors to politics, to

civic debate and to Europe in particular in the South-Eastern European

region; and one in Shanghai that calls for collaboration between Asian

The Institute for Modern Music focuses on disciplines which are

not offered by the basic Czech music curriculum but which it sees

as being necessary for the future development of the sector. Foreign

specialists, whose knowledge is highly valued, are invited to become

mentors and tutors.

Disciplines such as music management, mobility and publication/

distribution training are seen as essential to this process, and receive

particular attention in specially organised seminars and workshops

providing new and already active musicians with knowledge needed

to help them grow and develop in their professional lives. Hosting

meetings of professionals and specialists from different countries in the

Czech Republic, will encourage new possibilities for networking and

artistic collaboration to emerge, and therefore improve opportunities

for Czech artists both at home and abroad. The institute’s aim is not

to occupy itself with administration, but to instead focus on the real

experience of making music and on active artistic exchange in order

to restore the strong Czech music tradition, enriched and updated

with the current trends, and strengthen Czechs’ identity with their

music and boost Czech artists’ confidence at international level. Music

represents a significant connecting link between all artistic disciplines

and affects present social needs. It impacts general awareness, reflects

daily culture, social standards, economical and emotional growth not

only in local terms but world-wide. It is today that the Institute for

Modern Music tries to shape the music sector of tomorrow.

The idea of an Institute for Modern Music was born as

a reaction to the present state of Czech modern and

alternative independent music scene which is isolated from

international audiences 20 years after the political changes

which swept the country, the Czech Republic has not been

able to generate artists who would then follow in the formally

strong tradition of Czech music and succeed abroad.

Why? The Czech music scene suffers as a result of a long lasting

and profound negative synergy between the effects of the extreme

censorship of the Communist regime and general cultural decline

which occurred during the period of normalisation in the 70s (after

1968), where the strive to democracy repressed artistic potential and

social progress. A further significant influence on the state of Czech

music is the focus placed by the mass media on the commercial

viability of artists in the music sector.

Where does this incompetence originate from? Over the years,

key areas of the creative process, such as composition, arrangement

and sound formation, were downgraded in the curriculum with music

schools instead prioritising only two areas: music theory and musical

skills. As a result of this specifically Czech approach to teaching

music, which prevails throughout the country, graduate students

struggle to find their ground in the modern music world, particularly

when competing with their foreign counterparts who have been

exposed to a multi-faceted approach to music teaching as well as to

new technology. The Czech musician cannot survive, as confirmed

by the performances of notable Czech music groups abroad which

unfortunately experienced poor interest from the foreign audience.

The lack of supportive institutional structures, sufficient

education, philanthropists, patrons, legal procurement, tax reductions

and global industry interest leads to a deterioration of stimulation

for the Czech artist on his journey towards originality, quality and

professionalism.

How can we help? The Institute for Modern Music aims to

improve the above mentioned conditions in mutual collaboration with

other legal entities. Searching for positive and constructive solutions

away from the current troubled situation of music in the Czech

Republic, the Institute for Modern Music has proposed a concept

focusing on four basic, inter-linked categories that it assumes will

vitalise the modern Czech music scene: specialised training , music

management and production, mobility and music export, and audio-

visual publishing.

Central to this concept and forming its initial phase is specialised

training. A professional position in the artistic field requires good

qualifications in management as well as technical skills, and not just

musical talent.

million YouTube views for the 50+ video entries by artists from 15

different countries; 1 000 fans on the Fair Play Anti-Corruption Youth

Voices Facebook page; and performances by the three winning bands

Mafilika (Malawi), I-VOICE (Lebanon) and Katya Emmanuel (DR

Congo) in Brussels at the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Forum and

as part of the Brussels Jazz Festival (Brussels Jazz Marathon).

Now in its second year, the aims to go further in raising awareness

and connecting youth globally that are concerned about this issue, and

ultimately – to empower them to make a change.

Fair Play Anti-Corruption Youth Voices music video competition is

open 10 Jan – 20 March 2011. More: www.anticorruptionmusic.org

The abuse of power for private gain is an issue in virtually

every country worldwide.

Corruption, whether petty, bureaucratic or political, impacts

the lives of millions globally and hinders the economic, political, and

social development of our communities.

To eradicate corruption and move beyond the cycles of poverty

and inequality it perpetuates will demand a multi-sectoral approach

engaging public institutions, government, private sector, media and

civil society in joint dialogue and action.

With the aim of probing the role the music sector can play in

fighting corruption, the JMI Foundation in partnership with the

Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network and the World Bank Institute

initiated Fair Play Anti-Corruption Youth Voices in 2010, a global

competition for music videos by young artists/bands (18–35) on the

theme of anti-corruption.

In its first year, the programme resulted in 10 000 YouTube views

for videos by Fair Play ambassadors African Destiny (Zimbabwe),

Ajob (Bangladesh), Blessed Sons (Sierra Leone), Fareeq el Atrash

(Lebanon), Lesen Udar (Macedonia), Profetas (Colombia), The Ryan

Cayabyab Singers (Philippines) and Steven Sogo (Burundi); three

scholarly work on music and history of the area. An exhibit and a

monograph dedicated to the famous independent French label Vogue,

which was based in Seine-Saint-Denis, are also being prepared.

Furthermore, the recently produced film 93, la belle rebelle,

directed by Jean-Pierre Thorn and broadcast on Arte, is the outcome

of a proposal made by Zebrock two years ago. Taking the form of a

documentary, the film not only presents some of the suburb’s most

creative and relevant artists today, but more significantly,

through eight musical portraits, underlines the constant

restless character of the residents, who have found

it hard to fit into the area in which they were

forced to reside. This rebellion causes tension,

which can lead to rioting, result in a significant

political phenomenon such as creation of the

‘red suburb’ or lead to increased levels of union

membership. However, most of the time it also

gives birth to remarkable creativity, particularly in

the musical field. The artists filmed and interviewed

in this outstanding film give accounts of this reality.

They express their deep attachment to the area and

deliver a truly comforting message of hope. Mixages is thus

contributing to the development of Seine-Saint-Denis by enlightening

its creativity, the strength of its diversity, and the opportunities it

conceals.

What does popular music tell us about the times in which

we live? How does it travel throughout a territory, and what

does it tell us about the people who live there? How does

studying it play a part in discovering a common history?

These are questions raised by Mixages, a project initiated in the most

notorious suburb (banlieue) of Paris – Seine-Saint-Denis – by Zebrock,

an association devoted to broadcasting and transmitting popular

music, mostly in schools. The suburb, which incorporates 40

cities with a total population of 1 560 000 inhabitants, is

predominantly made up of working-class households

and migrant communities. As in many French

suburbs, unemployment in Seine-Saint-Denis is

high, affecting approx. 40–50 % of the youth

living there. The lack of perspectives, increasing

ghettoisation, marginalisation by French society,

and a negative image in the media, leaves young

people frustrated and angry, and leads to social

unrest. For many, music is their only escape from

this depressing reality.

The Mixages project invites the inhabitants of Seine-

Saint-Denis to share with each other their musical passions.

Based around municipal archives and work with musicians and music

professionals, the project calls on history and sociology scholars to help

rebuild the territory’s musical history of the past fifty years. It aims at

understanding how different musics found in the suburb have affected

behaviour and how they influence the present. Listening to music is

the most common and easily accessible form of musical practice there

is. In Seine-Saint-Denis it shapes different behaviour, opening new

doors and opportunities for young people who choose a completely

different life to what society expects of them. A diversity of genres can

be found, from rap to rock’n’roll, from pop to all its variations. All are

witnesses of technological mutations; they represent what upsets the

society; they are responsible for the evolution of customs; expressions

of hope and expectations.

Music in the suburb therefore becomes a political tool, a part of

the social hubbub, of the cultural effervescence: It provides us with a

soundtrack of society.

The Mixages project is made up of different elements. Musical

workshops bring young people into contact with the older generations,

from which they acquire knowledge, enhancing their creativity. The

cafés musique initiative led to a series of public meetings in many cities,

where presentations of archive footage, testimonies and debates (which

were all recorded) cast a light on a common culture and experiences

shared by the residents of Seine-Saint-Denis. Such a revelation will

inevitably strengthen social bonds and mutual understanding amongst

residents. An interactive website is currently being developed linking

a collection of the locals’ testimonies, memories and comments to

who came from nearly 30 countries across Europe and beyond, were

encouraged to reflect on how musical diversity had developed (or not)

over the past decade in their own countries, and how they and their

organisations could help shape the future.

In his welcome, Timo Klemettinen, the chairman of the EMC,

urged delegates to question their role as NGOs when it comes to

‘developing culturally democratic and open societies with real respect

towards different cultures.’ The opening keynote speech, from Simron

Jit Singh of the Institute of Social Ecology in Austria, gave a very

enlightening presentation on how work and economy has an impact

on culture, with particular reference to the communities of South

East Asia who were affected by the tsunami in 2004. He commented

on how the inhabitants of the region had much less time to enjoy

and develop their culture since the disaster because of new ways

in which the markets and economy were being run to suit a more

‘Western’ model. Eva Nowotny (President of the Austrian UNESCO

Commission) and Yvonne Gimpel (Austrian National UNESCO

Commission) then discussed how perspectives of cultural diversity

The European Forum on Music, held in cooperation by

the European Music Council (EMC), the Austrian Music

Council and the University of Music and Performing Arts

in Vienna, from 15 – 18 April 2010 in Vienna, was an event

that will surely linger in the participants’ minds for a long

time to come.

There was, of course, the plume of volcanic ash that was making

its way across Europe, closing most of the continent’s airspace and

hampering travel plans, but for the people who made it to Vienna

(and most people did as the conference started just before the travel

chaos began), the discussions, connections, ideas and conclusions that

came about in Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts will

be remembered and have repercussions for much longer.

As people queued to register for the three day conference, they

could peruse the photo exhibition that had been set up especially by

mica – music Austria, entitled ‘15 Years of Austrian Music: 1994 -

2009’, and that would form part of the theme of the forum, itself

entitled Musical Diversity: Looking back, Looking forward. The delegates,

in line with the five musical rights of the International Music Council

(IMC), the combination of the right to access culture and the right of

artists to receive a fair remuneration might cause conflicting interests

in the digital context.

The following morning, Harald Huber (Austrian Music Council)

and Lisa Leitich (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna),

gave a very detailed insight into Austria’s present musical diversity,

also detailing some plans for the future, and how Austria intends to

redress the balance between different musical forms.

The panel discussion on the EU 2020 Strategy saw some changes.

Representatives from both the EU Commission and the EU Parliament

were unable to beat the volcanic ash, as by now almost all of Europe’s

airspace was closed. Ivor Davies (Culture Action Europe) chaired

the session with Yvonne Gimpel (Austrian Ministry of Education,

Arts and Culture), who took the cancellations in their stride, with

Mr Davies ensuring a lively debate, collecting examples of national

advocacy activities that could serve as models for other NGOs that

were represented at the forum.

Before the closing sessions of the conference, some member

organisations of the EMC were given the chance to give an introduction

to particular projects that they had been undertaking over the past year

to the audience, and the presentations from Franz Patay (International

Music and Media Centre); Ariane Hannus (German Music Council);

Franz Niermann and Isolde Malmberg (European Association for

Music in Schools); Frank Stahmer (European Composers’ Forum);

Gábor Móczár (Europa Cantat); Edgar Garcia and Hélène Pons

(Chroma/Zebrock) and Lenka Dohnalová (Czech Music Council),

really demonstrated music diversity in action.

Alongside the forum, the EMC Annual Meeting took place

and elections for the EMC Board 2010 – 2012 were held. The new

board consists of Timo Klemettinen (Finland), Christian Höppner

(Germany), Stef Coninx (Belgium) – all of whom will reprise their

roles as chairman, vice-chairman and treasurer respectively – Erling

Aksdal (Norway), Helena Maffli-Nissinen (Switzerland/Finland),

Frank Stahmer (Austria) and Kaie Tanner (Estonia), as well as a co-

opted member of Claire Goddard (United Kingdom/Germany), who

is the chairperson of the EMC’s Working Group Youth.

Apart from the discussions and presentations, the Austrian Music

Council and the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna,

gave delegates the opportunity to experience Vienna’s musical diversity

first hand with performances from the university’s students, a concert

of new Viennese music at the legendary Porgy and Bess Jazz Club

and a stunning performance by the Wiener Symphoniker at the world

famous Musikverein.

In their extremely observant and concise summaries of the

conference, Sonja Greiner (Europa Cantat) and Peter Rantasa

(International Music Council)

urged delegates to really take

time to think about what they

had heard and discussed over the

past couple of days, and ensure

that the conclusions and concrete

recommendations that they had

come to be acted upon in their

respective organisations and

countries. With many people now

stranded in Vienna, it was the

perfect time to reflect and really

‘take some time to think’.

had changed through the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and

Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and how they would

continue to do so over the coming years.

These presentations allowed debate and discussion to develop over

the rest of the conference. In terms of musical diversity in Europe’s

urban areas and cities, there was a presentation from Ursula Hemetek

(International Council for Traditional Music, Vienna), who showed

what influence Turkish migrants, in particular, have had on Viennese

musical life, and the different situations in which music making has

flourished and where it still has some way to go. Katrien Laporte

and Wim Wabbes (UNESCO City of Music Ghent), gave a vibrant

introduction to the city of Ghent and why it has been singled out

by UNESCO as worthy enough to be included in its Creative Cities

Network. Peko Baxant (City of Vienna) showed how Vienna has

progressed in terms of musical diversity and that whilst it is very proud

of its rich musical heritage, it is also trying to look to the future and

foster its burgeoning contemporary scene. Unfortunately, Madis Kolk

(European Capital of Culture: Tallinn 2011), was unable to join the

panel because of the, by now widespread, travel problems, but a short

speech was read out on his behalf by Silja Fischer (Secretary General,

International Music Council), which stated how Tallinn intends to

share the benefits that will come with being Capital of Culture 2011

with all its inhabitants, and promote long standing and sustainable

projects that will reach people far beyond 2011. Whereas musical

diversity seems to be an important factor for the promotion of cities,

the participants also requested that musical diversity should have more

relevance when it comes to formulating cultural policies and designing

funding opportunities.

Parallel interactive sessions discussed the past, present and future

of ‘Musical Diversity and Education’ and ‘Musical Diversity in the

Digital Environment’. The invited experts on education, Michael

Wimmer (educult), Rineke Smilde (Professor of Lifelong Learning

in Music & the Arts – Prince Claus and Royal conservatoires, the

Netherlands) and Franz Niermann (European Association for Music in

Schools) all agreed with the delegates attending that music education

varied quite widely across Europe, and that whilst some countries

seem to have ‘got it right’ or are heading in the right direction, others

need much more pushing and persuasion to give music education the

recognition it deserves as a key part of a person’s holistic education.

The discussions that followed between the delegates expanded on this,

giving examples from their own countries about the present situation

and what is planned for the future. The other session, with Patrick

Rackow of the European Composers and Songwriter Alliance and

Graham Dixon of BBC Radio 3, chaired by Stef Coninx (International

Association of Music Information Centres) showed the dichotomy that

we face when talking about cultural diversity in a digital environment:

from the European Youth Forum and Kate Declerck from Jeunesses

Musicales International. The first day was rounded off by a concert

presented by hosts Feniarco, the Italian Choral Association, at the

Conservatoire Giuseppe Verdi. This featured local young musicians as

well as guest Jennifer Port, harpist and singer from Live Music Now

Scotland. Another musical highlight was provided by the local youth

choir Coro G in a performance during the guided city tour they gave

participants on Saturday.

A wide range of workshops were offered to participants on the

second day covering themes such as cultural policy, music education,

arts management, branding and digital strategies, and music and

social change. Practical examples were given and developed with the

musical results of some of the workshops presented that evening at

the European Music Café. This was a chance for all participants and

speakers to get to know each other and further discuss issues raised

in the forum, whilst enjoying a varied musical programme and the

beautiful setting of a palazzo!

The last morning of the forum was dedicated to the European

Agenda for Youth and Music with participants presenting the results of

the workshops and addressing the issues which are important for young

people involved in music today in further small group discussions.

These included employment, training, funding, access to and sharing

of information, and music as a social tool. This formed the basis of a

first draft of the Agenda which was produced by a working group over

several meetings in Bonn, Germany.

A wider consultation was then launched, featuring an online

forum, and the WGY worked hard to get feedback from as many

young people, organisations and institutions from across the continent

as possible. The result is a comprehensive document which will be

broadly disseminated, together with practical advice and assistance

to facilitate its implementation. It is, after all, young people who are

the future of the European musical sector. Through its Access! project,

the WGY is ensuring that it will no longer be a dream that policy

makers, institutions and organisations listen to what young people

have to say!

More information about the Access! project, the European Agenda

for Youth and Music, and the WGY can be found at www.wgy-emc.

org.

The WGY’s dream of bringing together like-minded young

people from all over Europe to promote and facilitate a

higher level of youth participation in European music life

became reality in October 2010 in Turin, Italy.

This European Youth Forum on Music was part of a wider project

called Access! which is focused around the creation of a European

Agenda for Youth and Music.

The motto for the weekend forum was ‘create, learn, network’

and over 60 participants, mostly under the age of 30, did just that.

It was opened by two inspiring young keynote speakers: cellist and

pioneer of contemporary music Peter Gregson (23, from the United

Kingdom) and Zuhal Sultan music activist and founder of the National

Youth Orchestra of Iraq (19, from Iraq). Next up was an introduction

to European youth policy and music given by Antoine Mertzeisen

Eurochoir 2011

5 – 14 August, Trentino, Italy

60 singers (18 – 30 years old) selected and inscribed by member

organisations of the European Choral Association

Contact: European Choral Association, Weberstraße 59a

53113 Bonn, Germany, T: +49 228 912 56 63

F: +49 228 912 56 58, info@EuropeanChoralAssociation.org

www.europeanchoralassociation.org

6th International Competition for Young Choral Conductors

14 – 18 September 2011, Budapest, Hungary

Young conductors under 35 years of age – 18 conductors will be

selected

Contact: European Choral Association, Weberstraße 59a

53113 Bonn, Germany, T: +49 228 912 56 63

F: +49 228 912 56 58, info@EuropeanChoralAssociation.org

www.europeanchoralassociation.org

Choral Crossroads 2011

22 – 29 September, Limassol, Cyprus

Euro-Mediterranean Choral Fair Choral Crossroads 2011 is a

4-day project aiming to bring together 10 top-level youth choirs

from European and Arab countries.

Contact: Jeunesses Musicales Cyprus, 35 Dervenion Street

3052 Limassol, Cyprus, T: +357 995 897 74, F: +357 255 842 50

mail@jmcyprus.org, www.jmcyprus.org

2011 World Accordion Championships

2 – 6 October, Shanghai, China

Contact: Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes

(CIA), Kyrösselänkatu 3, FIN-39500 Ikaalinen, Finland

T: +358 3 440 02 21, F: +358 3 458 90 71

secretariat_cia@harmonikkaliitto.net, www.coupemondiale.org

Artmusfair 2011

28 April – 1 May, Weimar, Germany

New Audiences for New Music – Artmusfair in 2011 focuses on

contemporary music education.

Contact: European Composers’ Forum, c/o European House

for Culture, Place Flagey 18, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

T: +43 196 615 45, F: +43 196 615 45 12

info@composersforum.eu, www.composersforum.eu

www.artmusfair.eu

The 13th Athur Rubenstein International Piano Master

Competition

10 – 26 May, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Contact: The Athur Rubenstein International Music Society,

12 Huberman Street, 64075 Tel Aviv, Israel, T: +972 3 685 66

84 competition@arims.org.il, www.arims.org.il

46th International Choral Days

4 – 10 July, Barcelona, Spain

Singing week with three workshops: Mediterranean music, old

melodies and new rhythms.

Contact: Federació Catalana d‘Entitats Corals (FCEC)

Via Laietana 54, 2n despatx 213, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

T: +34 932 680 668, F: +34 933 197 436, fcec@fcec.cat

www.fcec.cat

8th International Summer Choir Academy on Orchestra

Conducting for Choral conductors and Choir Ateliers for Singer

14 – 24 July, Pomáz, Hungary

Contact: European Choral Association, Weberstraße 59a

53113 Bonn, Germany, T: +49 228 912 56 63

F: +49 228 912 56 58, info@EuropeanChoralAssociation.org

www.europeanchoralassociation.org

European String Teachers Association International Conference

1 – 5 June, Falun, Sweden

Contact: European String Teachers Association (ESTA)

Per Helders, Musikkonservatoriet Falun, Daljunkaregatan 11

791 37 Falun, T: +46 70 535 41 26, info@falun2011.com

World Copyright Summit

Creating value in the digital economy

7 – 8 June, The Square, Brussels, Belgium

The World Copyright Summit is an international and cross-

industry event addressing the future of the creative community

and the entertainment business in the digital economy. The

summit will be a forum to exchange views on the value of

creative works, the future of authors’ rights, the role of creators

and their collective management organisations.

www.copyrightsummit.com

21st Annual IASJ Jazz Meeting

2 – 8 July, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Contact: IASJ International Association of Schools of Jazz from

Brazil, Rua José Maria Lisboa, 745, Jardins, São Paulo

SP - 01423-001, Brazil, T: +55 11 388 491 49

F: +55 11 388 476 11

cristiane@souzalima.com.br, www.souzalima.com.br/iasj

IFCM General Assembly

August 2011, Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Contact: International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM)

info@ifcm.net, www.ifcm.net

World Symposium on Choral Music

3 – 10 August, Puerto Madryn, Patagonia Argentina

Contact: International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM)

info@ifcm.net, www.wscm9.com

European Culture Congress

8 – 11 September, Wrocław, Poland

Contact: National Audiovisual Institute,

Wałbrzyska 3/5, 02-739 Warsaw, Poland

T: +48 22 380 49 00, F: +48 22 380 49 01

sekretariat@nina.gov.pl, www.culturecongress.eu

Europe Jazz Network General Assembly

23 – 25 September, Tallinn, Estonia

Contact: Europe Jazz Network (EJN), 9, rue Gabrielle Josserand

93500 Pantin, France, info@europejazz.net, www.europejazz.net

4th IMC World Forum on Music

26 September – 2 October, Tallinn, Estonia

Contact: International Music Council, 1 rue Miollis

75732 Paris cedex 15, France

T: +33 1 45 68 48 50, F: +33 1 45 68 48 66

info@imc-cim.org, www.imc-cim.org

Music Fair Frankfurt

6 – 9 April, Frankfurt, Germany

Contact: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1, 60327 Frankfurt a. M., Germany

T: +49 69 75 75 0, F: +49 69 75 75 65 41

info@messefrankfurt.com, http://musik.messefrankfurt.com

European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM)

9 – 10 April, Belgrade, Serbia

Sounds, Searchings, Sharings:Towards a Common Platform

for the Development and Dissimination of Artistic Research in

Music

Contact: European Association of Conservatoires (AEC)

Ganzenmarkt 6, NL-3512 GD Utrecht, The Netherlands

T: + 31 30 236 12 42, F: + 31 30 236 12 90,

aecinfo@aecinfo.org, www.aecinfo.org

Arts and Education: Creative ways into languages

6 – 8 May, Athens, Greece

Contact: European Association for Music in Schools

Tervuursesteenweg 84, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium

T: +32 15 34 66 58, www.eas-music.net, ww.primarymusic.gr

From Seoul to Bonn: Translating the Goals for the Development

of Arts Education for Music in Europe

16 May, Bonn, Germany

The EMC’s seminar on Music Education will focus on how

to adapt the UNESCO Seoul Agenda to the field of music

education in Europe

Contact: European Music Council (EMC), Weberstr. 59a

53113 Bonn, Germany, T: +49 228 96 69 96 64

F: +49 228 96 69 96 65, info@emc-imc.org, www.emc-imc.org

EAS conference

18 – 21 May, Gdansk, Poland

The next EAS conference will be held in partnership with ISME

as their European regional conference. The conference will also

host the EAS Student Forum for music teacher training students

Contact: European Association for Music in Schools

Tervuursesteenweg 84, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium

T: +32 15 34 66 58, info@eas-music.org, www.eas-music.net

World Youth Choir Summer Session

13 July – 10 August, Argentina and Uruguay

Contact: International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM)

info@ifcm.net, www.ifcm.net

38th Festivals Cultures du Monde

21 – 31 July, Gannat, France

Contact: Association Nationale Cultures et Traditions (ANCT)

BP58 03800 Gannat, France, T: +33 4 709 012 67

F: +33 4 709 066 36, www.cultures-traditions.org

Music Crossroads 2011

1 September, Maputo, Mozambique

Contact: Music Crossroads International, Roger de Llúria 85

ppal 1ª, 08009 Barcelona, Spain

T: :+34 93 3118204, F: +34 93 4875155

info@music-crossroads.net, www.music-crossroads.net

International Gaudeamus Music Week

5 – 12 September 2011, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Contact: Music Center the Netherlands, Rokin 111

1012 KN Amsterdam, The Netherlands

T: +31 20 344 60 00, F: +31 20 673 35 88

info@mcn.nl, www.muziekcentrumnederland.nl

5th Young Cultural Policy Researchers Forum

11 – 12 October, Helsinki, Finland

Contact: ENCATC , Place Flagey 18, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

T: +32 2 201 29 12, info@encatc.org, www.encatc.org

19th ENCATC Annual Conference

and General Assembly

12 – 14 October, Helsinki, Finland

Contact: ENCATC, Place Flagey 18, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

T: +32 2 201 29 12, info@encatc.org, www.encatc.org

European Culture Forum

20 – 21 October, Brussles, Belgium

WOMEX

26 – 30 October, Copenhagen, Denmark

The World Music Expo

Contact: Piranha WOMEX, Bergmannstr. 102, 10961 Berlin

Germany, T: +49 30 318 614 30, F: +49 30 318 614 10

womex@womex.com, www.womex.com

European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) Annual Congress

11 – 12 November, Valencia, Spain

Contact: AEC, PO Box 805, 3500 AV Utrecht, The Netherlands

T: +31 30 2361242, F: +31 30 2361290, info@aecinfo.org

www.aecinfo.org

ISCM World New Music Days 2011

7 – 17 April, Zagreb, Croatia

Contact: International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM)

c/o Muziek Centrum Nederland, ROKIN 111

1012 KN Amsterdam, The Netherlands

T: +31 20 344 60 60, info@iscm.org, www.iscm.org

Xth International Festival of University Choirs

UNIVERSITAS CANTAT 2011

22 – 25 June, Poznań, Poland

Contact: International Festival of University Choirs,

Niepodległości 26, 61-714 Poznań, Poland

T: + 48 608 30 70 30

festiwal@amu.edu.pl, www.cantat.amu.edu.pl

ICV-Choir-Festival at the Unesco World Heritage Site

23 – 26 June 2011, Koblenz/Bad Ems, Germany

Contact: International Conductors Association

http://icv-ica.com

On 16 May 2011, the EMC will host a seminar entitled From

Seoul to Bonn - Translating the Goals for the Development

of Arts Education for Music in Europe.

The UNESCO Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts

Education, developed in the framework of the UNESCO World

Conference on Arts Education in Seoul in 2010 will serve as a basis

for the seminar. The Seoul Agenda formulates three goals, on ‘quality’,

‘access’ and ‘social and cultural challenges’. Hosted in cooperation

with the German UNESCO Commission, the seminar will examine

formal, non-formal and informal music education strategies and

how they can reflect the Seoul Agenda in a European environment.

“via nova - Thuringia”, the Weimar Spring Festival of

Contemporary Music & the European Composers’ Forum

present:

artmusfair.EDUCATION, from 28 April until 1 May 2011.

The 4th edition of ARTMUSFAIR will focus on the important

field of music education and audience development in the area of

contemporary music of the 21st century. It will concentrate on how to

teach the latest in contemporary music to children & youth, students

& young professionals, adults & amateurs by bringing together the

creative and the educative minds - the composers and the teachers.

The programme includes:

The outcome of the seminar will be recommendations on how to

implement the Seoul Agenda for music education in Europe. All EMC

members and interested organisations in the field of music education

are warmly invited to become involved as active participants.

Register now! www.emc-imc-org

1. Conference & Round Tables – Knowledge Transfer

2. Concerts & Best Practice – from Contemporary Music

Education Europe-wide

3. Workshops & Project Stages – Building Ideas and Networks

artmusfair.EDUCATION invites composers, teachers, students,

school classes, representatives from music schools, institutions

of education and training, musicians and experts in audience

development from Germany and all over Europe.

Join us in mid-Spring in the middle of Germany. See you in

Weimar! Register Now! www.artmusfair.eu/education