Music for Active Citizenship (MAC) is an Erasmus+ program, designed and implemented by El Sistema Greece and Sistema Cyprus, which leverages music education as a means of social inclusion for refugees and migrants, as well as a tool for promoting diversity acceptance and social change. The program includes a comprehensive educational handbook that covers the theoretical principles of community music and the El Sistema approach, along with practical music pedagogy activities.

During the MAC program, 30 young music educators from Greece and Cyprus received training through seminars and hands-on practice with children participating in the music programs of both countries. This training served as the pilot implementation of the educational handbook, which was later made available online for any interested educator.

El Sistema Greece’s workshop at the Conference aims to present and provide an experiential application of key elements of the MAC program. Initially, participants will engage in interactive music-pedagogical activities to experience firsthand the importance of music as a means of non-verbal communication, the role of play in group dynamics, and the inclusion of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Following this, through examples of pedagogical practice, participants will explore themes such as the significance of reflection in the educational process, the role of free musical exploration, the cultivation of respect for diversity, and the presence and impact of unconscious biases in teaching.

The workshop aims both to present MAC as a valuable tool for music educators and to foster a dialogue around the goals and principles of community music, which form the foundation not only of MAC but also of El Sistema Greece and related programs worldwide.

About El Sistema Greece: El Sistema Greece is an educational music program that provides high-quality, free music education to children and young people across Greece, fostering an inclusive community that embraces diversity. Inspired by the internationally renowned El Sistema in Venezuela, it organizes group music activities in diverse settings, including refugee shelters, centers for asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, creative learning centers, as well as its main location in the Kypseli neighborhood.

The program promotes community, social inclusion, and personal development through collective music education, making a positive impact on students, their families, and society as a whole.

• Social musical settings
• Inclusion, marginalization, bullying and exclusion
• Music education for social justice and equality
• Meaningful musical experiences
• Lifelong learning for music educators
• Music psychology and identities
• Music and communities

Panayiotis Tsirides, El Sistema Greece Pedagogical Advisor 

He was born in Limassol of Cyprus in 1967 and he has lived in Athens since 1974. He studied music and consulting psychology and he works as a music pedagogue in primary schools. He collaborated with Athens University as a collaborator specialized in intercultural education. As a lecturer, he participated in several conferences and seminars for teachers and educators and he wrote many articles about art and education. Panayiotis plans educational programs for cultural fields and he is the leader of the team “Logou Paignion”. Since 2017 he has been the pedagogical advisor of El Sistema Greece. He wrote plays for children and adults (Patakis and Psichogios publishers). 

Sevi Matsakidou, El Sistema Greece Educational, Research & Advocacy Manager 

Studied in the School of Drama of the Fine Arts department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, holds a Master’s Degree focused in Cultural Studies: Semiotics and Communication (University of Western Macedonia) and she also has editing and proofreading studies. After working for the theatre and education industry she started working on her biggest loves: writing and children. After a long journey full of adventure and learning, today she is proud to a member of El Sistema Greece. 

Stavroula Matrozou, El Sistema Greece Educational Coordinator & Research and Advocacy Assistant

Studied at the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with a specialty in Music Technology. For her thesis she conducted research at El Sistema Greece, combining community music and music technology. She is proudly a member of the El Sistema Greece team and wishes to continue her studies in Community Music and Music Therapy with the goal to create a percussion community music project.