ECHOS: Inclusive European Youth Orchestras for Social Cohesion: Building Just and Resilient Music Ecosystems

About the project

The ECHOS project, implemented by Sistema Cyprus, seeks to contribute to the building of a more just and resilient music ecosystem after the pandemic, through the development of a methodology for the creation of inclusive youth orchestras in our increasingly diverse societies.

Through a social music education program, Sistema Cyprus provided children with opportunities for social integration. Building on its expertise, Sistema Cyprus developed and piloted a new holistic methodology for building inclusive youth orchestras, that is inspired and theoretically grounded from the epistemological areas of community music and informal music education and the best practices witnessed from the successes of the El Sistema methodology. This new methodology ultimately seeks to contribute to the capacity building for the sustainability of the music ecosystem in Europe by increasing diversity in youth orchestras.

Through this project, the new methodology was piloted in Cyprus, with 160 children participants of migratory background and Cypriot children from low-income families. The final results and the completed methodology was presented through capacity building activities to music operators, artistic directors, instrumental teachers and music professionals from at least 20 music organisations across Europe.

The project ECHOS is an action awarded by MusicAIRE (An Innovative Recovery for Europe), co-funded by the EU under Music Moves Europe, and managed by the INOVA+ and the European Music Council consortium.