The city of Macerata recently hosted an exciting international training event as part of the MELODY project—Music Education for Learning Opportunities and Development of Youngsters—co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme. The goal? To equip teachers and educators with an innovative methodology that uses music as a tool for civic education and active citizenship.
Over two intensive days, 13 participants from Italy, Germany, and Romania took part in this unique training experience, held on 24th and 25th January 2025. The sessions focused on the MELODY Toolkit, a practical resource designed for primary and lower secondary school teachers. It features 16 creative, music-based classroom activities aimed at helping children engage with democratic values, European citizenship, and their local communitie.
The training combined introductory discussions with hands-on simulations, allowing educators to test out the activities directly. This experiential format made it possible to immediately apply what they learned and share feedback on the approach.
The Toolkit itself is the result of a collaborative effort involving all MELODY partners: the Municipality of Macerata (lead partner), Roter Baum Berlin, and Curba de Cultura, with essential input from the artistic and educational experts at ASLICO, who contributed by sharing best practices from their Opera Domani program.
Next, the participants will begin testing the methodology and Toolkit in their own classrooms during the second half of the school year. This phase will provide valuable feedback and suggestions to help fine-tune the materials for even broader use.
Music is already playing a key role in shaping a new, more engaging way of learning—stay tuned as MELODY continues to grow!
