The three-year European research program Erasmus+ TEAM (Teacher Education Academy for Music, Future-Making, Mobility and Networking in Europe, 2023-2026) is a unique, large-scale, and particularly important project for Music Education, as it studies Music teacher education in Europe, with the aim of reforming both initial and in-service music teacher education and school music education in Europe (https://teacher-academy-music.eu/). One of the work packages (WP5) focuses on the study of international mobility actions for teaching practice (internships abroad) that take place within the framework of the curricula of future music teachers. International teaching practice (internship abroad) provides opportunities for future teachers to teach abroad, strengthening their intercultural skills and enriching the domestic academic curriculum (Marx & Moss, 2011). Research reports on the development of “work readiness” in global environments (Wrench, Neill & Diamond, 2022), the enhancement of language skills and the improvement of career prospects. From the perspective of the host institution, research discusses the benefits that arise from international cooperation for teaching placements (Aamaas, Nodeland & Duesund, 2020). Initial results emerging from the TEAM program report the need for specific tools to develop intercultural skills before and during the placement. 

The TEAM program foresees at least three implementation cycles with students from different institutions visiting schools in Luxembourg, Lithuania and Munich, among others. In this Pecha Kucha, we will present one of the cycles of the international internship implementation in Spring 2025 at the International School of Luxembourg (ISL), in which three undergraduate students of the Department of Music of NKUA carried out a two-month international internship. The students joined the school's daily program as student teachers and gained work experience in an international environment (teaching and related educational tasks) with children aged 12-18 (secondary education).

The methodological approach for collecting research data throughout the internship included: (a) group and individual qualitative interviews with the students, with university teacher educators and the ISL mentor-teacher (before and after the internship), (b) short recorded individual reflections of the students (3/week for 8 weeks), (c) informal discussions with the mentor-teacher (before and during the internship) and (d) rich audiovisual material that was shared during the placement at regular intervals.

In the presentation, the speakers, using mainly audiovisual material - images, photographs, videos, voice memos - will share their experiences from this action, focusing on the difficulties and challenges that arose, as well as the positive effects and benefits for each stakeholder. In the above context, special mention will be made of the inclusion of international mobility for teaching practice in undergraduate curricula that prepare future music teachers. In the last ten minutes of the presentation, the audience will be invited to participate in an open dialogue with the aim of exploring the inclusion of similar actions in curricula of Greek higher education institutions and the possibilities and procedures for the participation of students and teachers in similar educational actions of international mobility.

TITLES OF INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS

1. Shaping the next generation of music teachers. The importance of international teaching internships (Smaragda Chrysostomou)

2. Reflections on the organisation, realisation and impact on music teacher education of an international internship abroad (Angeliki Triantafyllaki)

3. Reflections and Lessons from a Mentor's Journey: Guiding Future Music Educators in an International Context (Demosthenes Dimitrakoulakos)

4. The learning experiences of undergraduate music students in a European International School (Ifinoi Drosou, Melpomeni Barka-Tsiligkaridou, Vasiliki Moraitou)

• Curricula and critical approaches

Angeliki Triantafyllaki is Assistant Professor of Music Education at the Department of Music Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She holds a PhD in Music Education and MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge. She has a strong teaching and research track record in Greek, Cypriot and UK HEIs and european research projects. She is currently part of the ERASMUS+ project TEAM, focusing on teacher education and school music in Europe. She is an active member of ISME, an Editorial Board member of the International Journal for Music Education and the EPoME book series (European Association of Music in Schools). Since 2024 she serves on the IVMT Commission of ISME. She also actively engages in the coordination of the ERASMUS+ work placement scheme at her university department. Homepage: http://scholar.uoa.gr/a_triant/ 

Smaragda Chrysostomou is Professor of Music Pedagogy and Didactics, at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She teaches postgraduate courses at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. She coordinates the ‘Arts and Culture’ team at the National project ‘Digital transformation and enrichment of educational context’. She served on the Board of the International Society for Music Education and its Executive Committee, as well as the MISTE Commission. She is the Director of the Music Education Lab and the postgraduate program (MA) "Music Education in formal and informal environments" in her Department.

Demosthenes Dimitrakoulakos (PhD) is the National Coordinator of Music Education for Luxembourg for the European Association of Music in Schools and is the Academic Leader of the Arts at the International School of Luxembourg, where he supervises pedagogy and curriculum design for music, visual arts, theatre, film, design technology and computer science. Demosthenes teaches the International Baccalaureate, covering a holistic approach to music education through theory, composition, research and performance. Demosthenes has been a consultant for the development of the IB Music Curriculum and is a former IB Music Diploma Examiner. In addition, Demosthenes is a music editor for Editions BIM and a member of the Advisory Boards for the International Society for Research and Promotion of Wind Music and Music Eyes. Before moving to Luxembourg, Demosthenes was a trombonist with the US Army Band in Germany, and he has guest-conducted ensembles in North America, Europe, and Asia. Demosthenes holds music education and performance degrees from the University of Luxembourg, Boston University, Indiana University, and the Oberlin Conservatory.

Ifinoi Drosou is an undergraduate student in the Department of Music Studies at NKUA. She has actively participated in music-related conferences, including the WAAE Summit Athens 2024, where she volunteered, attended, and presented on a panel, as well as the 7th Conference on Acoustic Ecology and the 21st Quinquennial Congress of the International Musicological Society (IMS 2022), both of which she supported as a volunteer. Holding a degree in harmony, she is a dedicated member of the Academia Athens Youth Choir. She also has an RSL Level 3 Certificate in Graded Examination in Music Performance Grade 8, specializing in vocals. Beyond her academic and choral commitments, she is passionate about songwriting and music production, continually exploring new ways to grow both personally and professionally in the ever-evolving music industry.

Melpomeni Barka-Tsiligkaridou is an undergraduate student in her fifth year of studies at the Department of Music Studies NKUA, specializing in the domain of Music Technology. She has been playing the drums since 2014, attended several drumming seminars, passed the LCM Grade 8 Drums Certificate with distinction and about a year ago she started teaching drums at a local conservatory. She is interested in pursuing a career mainly in music performance, music production, sound engineering and voice acting.

Vasiliki Moraitou is a musician and student at the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has taken piano lessons for 12 years and is currently at the pre-diploma level (Kodály Conservatory). In addition to the piano, she actively participates as a chorister in the Athens Youth Academic Choir under the direction of Professor Nikos Maliaras, with most recent appearances at the Herodion, the GNO, the Athens Concert Hall, the Athens Conservatory, etc. She has also participated in various cultural events as a singer, while also being active as a street musician. Personal goals for the future are to develop as an educator and music teacher, following her passion for teaching young children.