Music schools and music socioeducational and community projects. educational models, challenges and contexts

Abstract

Music education taught at music schools should aim to have a positive impact on the social well-being of the imbricated communities. The design and development of socio-educational and community projects in music training centres are tasks which, in using music as a tool towards mediation, can contribute to alleviate social dysfunctions in the nearby surroundings as well as to create social cohesion and feelings of community belonging and identity. Nevertheless, there is some inertia in the way things are done and a perpetuation of traditional models of education in music where there is no room for innovative projects with authentic social engagement. This paper will analyse the challenges and contexts that music schools face in the 21st Century at a social and community level, and how to address them with new educational models. The social commitment and engagement of music training institutions should spark a change in the design of activities through innovation as well as opening new avenues for collaboration with other social and institutional community actors. To illustrate these synergies as well as the design process of a socio-educational project, a proposal design of a socio-educational workshop will be put forth as a practical guide in the development of these programmes.