"Working in/with a school orchestra" is a project for the exchange of good practices and collaboration presented by the IES Princesa Galiana of Toledo (Spain) and Liceul de Artă,,Ștefan Luchian" Botoşani (Romania). These are two centers specialized in arts and located in two small historical towns.

The project focuses on the work around the school orchestra and the preparation and realization of various musical performances, an activity that for both centers has been an ideal space for teamwork in which a large part of the departments participate. and students of each center and that extends throughout each academic year. The joint effort culminates in one or several joint actions in both cities. We understand that it is a practical and effective way of learning about the complexity of orchestral work, and that it also fosters in the participants the values ​​of effort, self-improvement, responsibility and teamwork, in addition to favoring the continuation of higher musical studies. It is also a fundamental tool to promote knowledge of great works of culture.

The Liceu Stefan Luchian has been a model for the implementation at the IES Princesa Galiana of a branch of "semi-integrated" musical baccalaureate, in which some students can combine their artistic baccalaureate studies in the morning with music subjects at the conservatory . The Romanian center is an art school in which from an early age the "general" subjects and the specific ones of plastic arts and music are studied in parallel. It wants to advance its development by offering its students a European exchange project for the first time. The IES Princesa Galiana has just launched the baccalaureate studies in performing arts, music and dance, being so far the only center in the province that offers these courses. She has several national awards for her project "Galiana Presenta" and is finishing her first ERASMUS+ project on theater and this year she has eTwinning projects and another Erasmus+ project underway. He will contribute his (brief) experience as an ERASMUS+ coordinator and in return will receive a huge boost to the consolidation of the musical branch of the artistic baccalaureate.

With the exchange of experiences between our two centers we are going to greatly enrich our work around music, applying new methodologies and effective forms of organization (spaces, times, groups). We want to take advantage of the challenge that is presented to us to explore possibilities of communication with new audiences by working on works by authors (or folklore) from the two countries and performing in chamber groups and mixed orchestras. We also want our students to know the educational but also professional reality around the arts and music in both countries, which can undoubtedly help them define their own academic future. A parallel objective of this project is to strengthen ties between Romania and Spain and mutual knowledge, using the students and families of Romanian origin that we have in Toledo as intermediaries, valuing their roots and favoring both their family cohesion and their positive integration in our society.

The project will extend over two years. During the first year there will be a monthly coordination in which the bases of joint work will be laid in terms of works, groups, concert modalities, etc. If the COVID-19 pandemic allows it, there will be two short exchanges with groups of students and teachers who will learn about the work in the other center (workshops, rehearsals, etc.) and the cultural life of the neighboring country. In the second year, the final concerts will be held in which the two orchestras from the two centers in both partner cities will participate.

In total, each center is expected to mobilize 26 students and six teachers, although through the planned dissemination activities (eTwinning, websites, social networks, YouTube channel, media, talks and exhibitions) we hope that the repercussion will reach the entire the educational community (teachers, students, families).

The project will make sense if it generates a significant impact in each of the cities. In both cases we have the collaboration of various entities (town councils, orchestras, musical associations, etc.) to guarantee the participation of external agents (music professionals) and to facilitate the programming of concerts in representative spaces of each city.

The main long-term objective is the creation of a broader network of centers from different parts of Europe that participate in orchestral exchanges that help disseminate the enormous cultural heritage, that act as the cultural engine of their cities and, above all, that enrich through music, vital experience and thus offer the highest quality training to our boys and girls.