Chords of Community, Johannesburg, South-Africa

Chords of Community will work towards two overarching and related aims.

First, it aims to strengthen the quality of higher music education (HME) in South Africa and Norway through international cooperation between academic and non-academic partners, student and staff mobility, and through development of research-based and research-integrated educational programmes.

Second, the project aims to strengthen the relevance of HME programmes by dealing better with societal challenges of diversity, inclusion and interculturality, and educate music practitioners who are able to plan and facilitate inclusive, sustainable and high-quality music education for young people and the communities involved.

In order to reach these aims, the partners have defined four project-specific goals.

1. The first is to increase intercultural competence on inclusive music education through student and staff mobility. Around 100 students and several staff will take part in short and long-term mobility and in academic and practicebased learning in South Africa and Norway.
2. The second goal is to develop course modules on inclusive music education and intercultural competence, resulting in a joint digital, international course module, continuing education for music practitioners and revised BA and MA programmes with a stronger focus on inclusion and intercultural issues.
3. A third goal is to conduct collaborative and integrated research (both international senior researcher collaboration and student-staff collaboration), resulting in a deeper understanding of inclusive music education practices and the competences needed to create them.
4. The fourth goal is to develop arenas for sharing knowledge and experience between academic and non-academic partners, including online seminars and a new International Week at NMH in Oslo.

The Norwegian Academy of Music (project owner), The University of Witwatersrand (ZA), the Field Band Foundation (ZA) and the Norwegian Band Federation (NO).