IN.TUNE - Sixteen New Educational Formats Selected for Development

Sixteen innovative interdisciplinary educational formats have been selected by the Work Package 3 Committee, responsible for developing a joint educational provision in the Alliance, following the open Call for Proposals issued in autumn 2024. Over the next two and a half years, these formats will be developed, tested, and implemented through deep transnational cooperation, providing students with flexible learning opportunities and alternative pathways to education. The selection includes eight joint online courses, four blended intensive programmes (BIPs), two joint modules, and two joint programmes.

Selection Process and Criteria

The Call for Proposals was designed to support IN.TUNE’s commitment to transnational cooperation in music and arts education. The initiative encouraged new perspectives and methodologies in teaching and learning, focusing on fostering collaboration among partner institutions. A broad range of topics was invited, covering music, media, performance, improvisation, composition, music education, conducting, musicology, music theory, music production, entrepreneurship, employability, musicians' health, and music mediation. Special consideration was given to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches integrating multiple fields and perspectives.

A total of sixty-four high-quality proposals were submitted from across the alliance. The selection process was guided by the Work Package 3 Committee, which comprised representatives from each partner institution. During their in-presence meeting in Paris on 23-24 January 2025, the Committee evaluated proposals based on their alignment with the call’s objectives, their potential for innovation, and their contribution to structural transnational cooperation. 

Geographical and thematic balance were also key considerations. Students played a crucial role, participating in teacher-student tandem submissions, advising on proposal development, and serving as equal members of the selection committee.

Development and Implementation

Each partner institution will lead at least one selected format while also participating in other projects. In future, these educational formats will be integrated into the institutions’ academic offerings, open for student enrolment across the alliance, and contribute to flexible and transnational learning pathways.

Prior to selection, a benchmarking exercise was conducted to assess existing joint educational formats across partner institutions. This process resulted in an Inventory of cooperation areas for new educational formats (D3.2) offering an overview of current initiatives, analyzing their features, institutional involvement, and funding sources. The findings provided valuable insights that helped define the criteria and objectives for the Call.

The selected proposals will be piloted as working models, requiring dedicated working groups to refine and align them with the objectives of WP3 and the broader Alliance. The testing and implementation phase is scheduled for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 academic years. The pilots will explore essential factors such as content, workload, semester structures, organizational aspects, assessment and grading systems, recognition mechanisms, and quality assurance measures. Insights gained from existing joint modules and programmes, as well as advancements in transnational curriculum frameworks, will further inform this process.

Selected Educational Formats

The selected educational formats (given here in an alphabetic order) cover a diverse range of topics and teaching methodologies. They include:

Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs)

• European Jazz Project, led by ESMUC Barcelona 
• Immersive Sound in Live Performance, led by Conservatoire de Paris 
• Shared Resources for Healthy and Optimal Performance, led by mdw Vienna 
• Socially Engaged Musicking (SEM) – BIP pilot for future Joint MA, led by mdw Vienna

Joint Online Courses

• Bridging Theory & Practice in Instrumental/Vocal Teaching through Innovative Online Modules, led by the Royal Conservatoire
• The Hague Creative Communication Skills for a Sustainable Music Career, led by mdw Vienna
• EchoLab: 19th-Century Performance in Practice, led by the Royal Conservatoire The Hague 
• Joint Online Course for Conference Practices, led by the Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo & Uniarts Helsinki 
• Methods of Artistic Research, led by the University of Arts in Belgrade
• Musicians' Health, led by Uniarts Helsinki
• Sacred Soundscapes: Exploring Europe’s Musical Heritage, led by the National University of Music Bucharest 
• Theory of Harmony Based on Examples by 19th-Century Women Composers, led by mdw Vienna

Joint Modules:

• IN.TUNE European Choir, led by Conservatoire de Paris 
• Joint Module Development in Electroacoustic Performance Practices, led by Uniarts Helsinki

Joint Programmes:

• The ECMAster Renewed, led by the Royal Conservatoire The Hague 
• The Music Master – A joint programme across performance, music theory, and music pedagogy, led by the Royal Conservatoire The Hague

These new formats represent a significant step forward in deepening cooperation among partner institutions while providing students with innovative, flexible, and transnational educational experiences. The pilot phase will serve as a foundation for future collaborative learning initiatives, setting a model for sustainable and scalable transnational education in music and the arts.