The music-pedagogical group "Players of the Tower" is a student group aiming at its members’ creative, artistic and musical expression, and producing interactive projects for children and adults. Members’ responsibilities mainly include the preparation and presentation of music-pedagogical and musical theatre performances for children, and musical concerts for adults. The group was founded in 2014 by instructors and students of the Faculty of Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Any member of the Faculty of Education community can participate in the group. There are no prerequisite criteria for music knowledge. Several group members had no prior music knowledge and learned to play music and sing within the group. Members can undertake a variety of roles, such as musicians in the orchestra, singers, actors, presenters, animators/facilitators, directors, choreographers, or a combination of roles. They participate voluntarily in the group’s weekly meetings and, at the beginning of each academic year, they accept, by co-formulating, a basic group operating framework in the form of informal by-laws.

The group follows principles such as the equal participation of all members in the preparation, formation, and implementation of its activities, the fostering of a sense of belonging, the reinforcement of equality and cooperation among members, and the adaptation of group objectives to the needs of its members -principles that are also encountered in community music groups (Veblen et al., 2013; Higgins, 2012). Finally, informal music teaching and learning practices are used to train and facilitate its members (Green, 2008). 

The purpose of the poster is to briefly introduce the group and to research and identify those traits of the group which, according to its participants' beliefs, have influenced and are still influencing their personal, musical, and professional development, and have contributed to the maintenance of the group's coherence and continuity to date. The research is ongoing and is conducted through a questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions, which was sent to all members who have participated in the group from its creation to this day. Data will be analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistical analysis and qualitatively using content analysis.

• Social musical settings
• Music education for social justice and equality
• Music and communities

Polyxeni Salonidi is a postgraduate student of the MSc "Music and Society", specializing in Music Education and Community Music. She is a graduate of the Department of Primary Education (AUTH) and studied at the Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg through Erasmus+. She attended Greek-German European schools in Berlin and the Music School of Kavala. She is a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Kavala and the music pedagogical group "Music Players of the Tower" of the Faculty of Education of the AUTH. She has volunteered as an assistant teacher at the AUTH, at festivals, in shelters for unaccompanied children, etc.

Dimitra Koniari (PhD) serves as Laboratory Teaching Personnel (Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia). She is a graduate of the Department of Music Studies (AUTh), holds a DEA in Cognitive Sciences (Free University of Brussels), and a PhD from the Department of Education and Social Policy (University of Macedonia). She is a member of EAS (European Association for Music in Schools), of GSME (Greek Society for Music Education), and head of the editorial board of the journal of GSME, Music Education. Her research interests lie in the field of music psychology, music education and music neurodidactics.

Polyvios Androutsos (Ph.D.) is a Music Education Specialist/Researcher. He has published papers in Greek and international journals, two books, and has co-authored the 8th and 9th grade music textbooks. He taught in special, primary, secondary schools, at the Department of Music Science and Art (Macedonia University), and the Department of Early Childhood Education (Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki). Currently serves as Special Teaching Staff at the School of Primary Education (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). He is a founding member of the Greek Society for Music Education (served as president, vice-president, and since 2007, Honorary President). Also served as member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) and was Chair of its 30th World Conference.