Twelve artists from four European countries will guide their students through innovative learning methods and the creation of new arrangements and compositions for all levels of artistic ability.
Children and youth at the “House of Good Tones” in Srebrenica have been participating for a year in the “Songs for Europe” project, through which they exchange knowledge, learn using the best music pedagogical practices, and are exclusively part of the global WIRTH METHOD platform. The platform was developed by Professor Gerald Wirth, president and artistic director of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, who designed the online WIRTH TEACHING METHOD system to measure student attention and singing performance, as well as teacher and student engagement.
The results of these measurements provide guidance for instructors and students to improve their performance.
“By working directly in Srebrenica, we participate in the implementation, evaluation, and development of a global project. Our students and educators have the exclusive opportunity to be among the first in the world to access these methods. This positions our organization as significant and relevant in the context of music education and youth education. Collaboration with international organizations – El Sistema, Superar, Wirth Music Academy, Vienna Boys’ Choir – and direct involvement in creating new methods is both a privilege and an honor,” said Ismar Porić, general manager of the House of Good Tones and project coordinator of the SfE platform.
Twelve artists from four European countries will guide their students through innovative learning methods and through creating new arrangements and compositions for any artistic level. The project also offers an online library so that all materials produced over two years – relevant repertoire and analyzed teaching sequences – will be available to the public, schools, and other educational institutions.
“This story is not just about us. All music educators in our country and region will benefit, and most importantly, children and youth. This is an excellent opportunity for them to improve, hear new things, learn about other cultures, and, most importantly, socialize, learn from one another, and support each other. This is exactly what is most needed in our current environment,” added Porić, thanking the Creative Europe Foundation and the Austrian Cultural Forum Sarajevo for supporting the project’s implementation.
Children and youth from Srebrenica and their music educators, together with partners from Slovakia, Greece, and Austria, are part of a global story. Their experience, knowledge gained, and applied skills are the foundation upon which this type of music education and practice will continue to develop in the future.
The mission of the House of Good Tones in Srebrenica is to improve the city and provide children and youth in Srebrenica, Bratunac, Potočari, and those living in remote rural areas with access to quality knowledge, skills, and cultural content. By participating in this project, they continue to tell the story of the better side of Srebrenica—the one shaped and desired by its youth.
Attached, listen to the composition “Due Pupile” (W.A. Mozart), prepared by the children of the House of Good Tones and their music educators Medina Turković and Kenan Glavnić.
