DEI Workshop – 21 May
On 21 May, some members of the AEC DEI Panel of Experts facilitated a four-hour workshop for staff and students of HKU Conservatorium Utrecht, as part of the Panel’s programme of institutional workshops for the 2025–2028 term. Facilitated by Panel members Jennie Henley, Monica Vejgaard, Martha Lomeli Rodriguez and Alessandra Callegari, the session invited participants to explore fundamental questions about representation, power and belonging in their institution and in the wider conservatoire world.
Using a World Café methodology, participants worked through three interconnected lenses — Who is here? Who holds power? Who is succeeding? — moving from an honest mapping of challenges to a vision of what change could look like, and finally to concrete actions each participant committed to taking forward. The workshop drew on AEC publications and resources developed through the ARTEMIS project’s Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality (DIGE) Working Group, as well as the PRIhME project on power relations in Higher Music Education.
The session closed with participants placing their individual commitments on a shared action board, a tangible reminder that DEI work begins with each of us.
SEN Workshop – 22 May
On 22 May, the first workshop of its kind on Special Education Needs (SEN) was delivered to the staff and students of HKU Conservatorium Utrecht and ArtEZ Zwolle.
The four-hour workshop was facilitated by members of the AEC SEN Working Group. Drawing on the Erasmus+ IncluMusic project (2022–2025), the workshop focused on supporting artists with SEN and disadvantaged backgrounds in Higher Music Education (HME). The four-hour workshop was facilitated by members of the AEC SEN Working Group. Drawing on the Erasmus+ IncluMusic project (2022–2025), the workshop focused on supporting artists with Special Education Needs within Higher Music Education (HME).
Participants of the workshop gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by SEN students and explored practical approaches to improving access, participation, and inclusion within HME institutions.
The methodology combined several interactive and reflective formats, including testimonial videos, role-based world café discussions, mindfulness activities, and a singing workshop. The session also introduced the IncluMusic online training course and highlighted tools for monitoring and promoting inclusive practices within higher music education institutions.
More broadly, the workshop aimed to strengthen the competencies of cultural professionals working in HME, support the development of more inclusive institutional practices, and contribute to the creation of a network of institutions committed to social inclusion. By fostering collaboration and the exchange of good practices, the initiative represented an important step towards enhancing cultural participation and accessibility for artists with SEN across the higher music education sector.
Two days, one commitment
Together, the two workshops brought around 25 staff, students and institutional leaders into dialogue on two distinct but deeply connected agendas – and in doing so, reflected the AEC’s sustained commitment to embedding DEI across all dimensions of Higher Music Education. The AEC extends its warm thanks to HKU Conservatorium Utrecht and ArtEZ Zwolle for their openness, engagement and hospitality.
The AEC DEI Panel of Experts and SEN Working Group are available to bring these workshops to other member institutions.
A new call for workshops will be launched in the early Autumn. Please contact Communication Manager Alessandra Callegari at alessandracallegari@aec-music.eu to receive more information.
