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Description
Singing is an inclusive and economical way of combating the disintegration of communities and providing well-being of individuals. It is an intrinsically social activity, involving processes of cooperation and social coordination, fundamental values to strengthen democratic culture and civic consciousness. Considering that Citizenship is not simply learned by rhetorical processes, but by living processes, the central objective of “Coro dos Pequenos Cidadãos” is the promotion of democratic culture and civic consciousness. The specific objectives are: the development of personal and social skills; the promotion of critical thinking; the development of active participation skills; the presentation to the community of an artistic piece. In weekly work sessions, the project aim is to develop a choral singing piece resulting in the presentation, in the context of the biennials Aveiro_Síntese and Reencontros de Música Contemporânea, of the work developed.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to make citizenship education a practical and dynamic process by exploring various fundamental themes for building civic and democratic awareness through musical expression, visual arts, storytelling, and symbolic play. The objective was to educate for citizenship by musical expression, visual arts, storytelling, and symbolic play. The ultimate goal was to create a unified work: an original performance for a children''s choir and electronics, based on a text reflecting the themes addressed, created by the children and then developed by a composer.
The project was implemented in three main phases.
In the first year, from late January to early March 2020, citizenship education and musical expression sessions were conducted in basic education classes.
In the second year, from October to December 2020, the project expanded to more classes. Citizenship education focused on themes such as diversity, family, social inequalities, rights and duties, environmental literacy, gender inequality, environment and animals, and volunteering. These topics were explored through debates, dynamics, and games. Emphasis was placed on diversity, considering the students'' socio-economic and family backgrounds, leading to the creation of texts for the first two songs. Musical expression sessions were exploratory, focusing on vocal and body expression, as well as listening skills.
From January to March 2021, due to a new lockdown, half of the sessions were conducted remotely. Citizenship education continued with the aforementioned themes, and the writing of song texts became more regular. Remote learning strategies included watching short films and using visual arts to explore themes. Musical expression involved learning songs composed by a composer from the students'' texts, using videos created by both the teacher and students.
From April, with the return to in-person classes, citizenship education and musical expression were developed more cohesively, sometimes simultaneously. This integration included combining classes for collective work in both choral and visual arts, such as creating sets and costumes.
In June, the first visit to the presentation space was conducted with the classes, followed by a rehearsal. The project culminated in a presentation to families and community representatives, featuring song performances, readings of song texts, and contributions from key project figures, including teachers and the promoter.
Key achievements included successfully adapting to remote learning, integrating various educational themes, creating original songs and performances, and engaging the community through a final presentation. The project fostered civic awareness and artistic expression among the students, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of pandemic challenges.
In quantitative terms, the following was achieved:
- 1 civic initiative led by supported NGOs;
- 55 people educated in civic rights;
- 1 partnerships between NGOs and schools promoting civic education;
- 86% share of target group showing civic concerns.
In terms of capacity building, the promoter had already developed an action plan based on a needs assessment conducted during a previous ACF project. Accordingly, 3 professionals received training in institutional communication.
All proposed targets were met and exceeded.