STTEPping in the right direction? Western classical music in an orchestral programme for disadvantaged African youth.

No abstract

Background MECI network, coordinated by the Department of Music of the University of Jyväskylä (JyU), has its roots in North-South Higher Education programme (which existed between 2004-2007, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Finland)) with University of Pretoria (UP) as the only partner institution then. However, the first seeds of collaboration between JyU and UP in music education dates back to 1998, when the ISME World Conference was held in South Africa. Initially, prior to North-South-South (up to 2007), means of collaboration existed only between the universities of Pretoria and Jyväskylä. 1 From the very beginning the collaboration has included staff and student exchanges, and some joint intensive periods. During the first years of collaboration staff members and students from JyU did participate in outreach projects in which also the UP Music Dept people were involved. Such activities included, among others, Arts & Culture teacher training in rural areas of Mpumalanga province. Furthermore, the UP Music Dept's involvement with projects such as teacher training in the Sekhukhune district (in Limpopo province) and the former STTEP (State Theater Educational Project) orchestral outreach project for children living in various township areas of Pretoria. Since autumn 2007 the overall title for collaboration projects has been North-South-South Higher Education Institution Network Programme (furthermore funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and administrated by CIMO-Centre of International Mobility). In order to bring more focus to South-South axis, JyU invited University of Pretoria (UP) together with the following new partner institutions to join the new phase of the project: