Current Projects

PRIhME (2020 – 2023) – Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership

PRIhME is a strategic partnership of 9 institutions who will examine the issue of power relations in the higher music education (HME) sector, funded by the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme.

About PRIhME

PRIhME is a strategic partnership of 9 European institutions examining the issue of power relations in the higher music education (HME) sector. It was funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme. Delegates from these institutions formed The PRIhME Stakeholder Assembly and ensured the project’s organisation through the Assembly Working Group, the Editorial Board, and the Steering Committee. PRIhME’s principal activities involved focused discussions held during 4 in-person stakeholder assemblies which were in turn supported by 4 online meetings. These took place between the spring of 2021 and the autumn of 2023.

PRIhME Aims and Objectives

Systemic inequalities in power relations are embedded in most higher music education institutions (HMEIs). Power relations in the musical context are nuanced and complex because they have pedagogical relevance and can affect [mental] health during studies and in the workplace.

PRIhME aims to strengthen organisational cooperation and networking around the issues of power relations to promote healthier and more sustainable careers for both the HME stakeholders and their alumni. More broadly, the project will raise awareness of power imbalances in HME, encouraging HE organisations at large to reflect on these issues within their institutions by providing information, tools, and policy recommendations.

A key result of PRIhME will be to help HMEIs understand how the traditions and norms we perpetuate create power inequities. The longer-term result will be a more diverse and socially integrated HME sector with increased levels of confidence and satisfaction among stakeholders, offering the world more creative and socially engaged performing artists trained in healthy and sustainable communities of learning.

PRIhME Partners

All PRIhME activities included representatives from these partner institutions.

Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ireland
European Association o f Conservatoires (AEC), Belgium
Popakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Germany
Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz (KUG), Austria
Musikene Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Goi Mailako Musika Ikastegia, Spain
Saint Louis Music Center Srl, Italy
Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Akademia Muzyczna im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, Poland
Malmö Academy of Music, Lunds Universitet, Sweden

PRIhME also collaborated with an associate partner:
Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Ukraine

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board was responsible for developing a comprehensive brief for each stakeholder assembly. This included an expert paper designed to provide a broad introduction to the assembly topic, written by one or two experts from the field. Additionally, the brief contained excerpts from relevant academic articles, institutional or governmental reports, policy documents and videos.

At the conclusion of PRIhME, the Editorial Board will deliver an academic publication that includes a theoretical framework for each of the four assemblies (expert papers), important keywords related to the assemblies, and additional material on each theme. This intellectual output will constitute a far-ranging critical reflection on aspects of power relations in the field of Higher Music Education.

Members of the Editorial Board:

David Emil Wickström, Principal Editor (Mannheim)
Christa Brüstle (Graz)
Mojca Piškor (Zagreb)
Itziar Larrinaga (San Sebastián)
Lucia Di Cecca (Rome)
Eva Sæther (Malmö)

Assembly Working Group

The Assembly Working Group moderated and facilitated the stakeholder assemblies and the assembly process, designing programmes, moderating discussions, and supporting the Assembly Chair. They guided the assembly according to the assembly principles, helped to draft resolutions, and coordinated their work on Slack, PRIhME’s online communications tool.

The Assembly’s collected work can be found on this site according to the different themes. This includes recommendations and resolutions made by Assembly members as well as practical aids that can help institutions work towards adoption of these resolutions.

Specifically, this includes:

4-6 Resolutions for the AEC Congress
‘Standards’ for good practice in HME
Policies and procedures, as well as exercises used during the assemblies

Members of the Assembly Working Group:

Esther Nass, Chair (AEC)
Ana Čorić (Zagreb)
Jesús Echeverría (San Sebastián)
Karolina Jarosz (Krakow)
Lars Härstedt Salmonson (Malmö)
Constanze Wimmer (Graz)

Former member:

Megan O’Neill (Dublin)

Steering Committee and Evaluator

Leaders from the 9 partner institutions formed the Steering Committee. They met twice a year to monitor progress and dealed with administrative issues; further, they are responsible for ensuring project follow-up within their own institutions.