First ERASMUS+ partners’ meeting at the Ikškilė Music and Art School
On October 15, the first partners’ meeting of the ERASMUS+ KA210-SCH project “Social Vibes & Biz: music, technologies and social entrepreneurship” (No. 2025-1-LT01-KA210-SCH-000352453) began at the Ikškilė Music and Art School. It was attended by Mindaugas Labanauskas, Director of Kaunas First Music School, Jurgita Bražinskienė, President of the Social Leadership Association, and Spodris Kačāns, Director of the Ikškilė Music and Art School.
The meeting opened with an unexpected musical moment by a young pianist from the Ikškilė Music School, who gave an excellent performance of Balys Dvarionas’s piece “Su rogutėmis nuo kalniuko” (“With a Sleigh Down the Hill”) from the cycle “Žiemos eskizai” (“Winter Sketches”). This especially delighted the Lithuanian delegation – it was a pleasant surprise to hear that works by Lithuanian composers are performed in neighbouring Latvia.
The partners elaborated the stages of the project activities and apportioned responsibilities among the institutions. Specific deadlines were agreed, with clear interim results and quality indicators. The date was also set for the stage “Presentation of the Creative Industries Sector to Teachers” – December 3, in Lithuania.
The project activities focus on developing music students’ social entrepreneurship competences, combining music education, the creative industries, and digital technologies. Priority is given to addressing social issues, with particular attention to people with disabilities and refugees. Planned activities include expert discussions, teacher training, and pilot workshops for students – these will provide teachers with practical tools and help students create initiatives that benefit the community and build sustainable business models, strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation. The benefits will extend to students, teachers, local communities, and the entire partner network – long-term impact is expected as social entrepreneurship education is integrated into the practice of music and art schools.
The first meeting was productive and open – the partners highlighted shared goals, a transparent division of responsibilities, and a realistic activity schedule. Participants unanimously identified the project’s strength as practical applicability: the planned workshops and training will be directly oriented toward students’ initiatives and their implementation in a real community context. As noted by Mindaugas Labanauskas, Director of Kaunas First Music School: “For our students, it is important not only to perform music masterfully, but also to understand how creativity can address real social problems.
I believe this project will equip children with the tools to create meaningful initiatives – from idea to implementation – and will help cultivate responsibility, leadership, and teamwork competences.” Spodris Kačāns, Director of the Ikškilė Music and Art School, also endorsed the new initiatives: “We are delighted to host our partners in Ikškilė. Music, digital technologies, and social initiatives are a combination that inspires young people to shape the future. We expect that cooperation with Lithuania will encourage long-term inter-institutional initiatives and open up new creative opportunities for our students.”
The first meeting cemented a shared vision and concrete steps that will guide the project’s trajectory. The partners focused on expanding students’ competences, inclusion, and sustainable social impact – points also emphasised by Deputy Directors for Education Agnė Sipavičienė and Monika Drevininkienė, who took part in the meeting: “Social entrepreneurship is a synthesis of empathy and creative problem-solving. The aim of this project should be to help teachers and students turn social ideas into action: to learn to identify community needs and build sustainable models.”
Prepared by: piano expert teacher Domantas Milius
Photos by: accordion expert teacher Janė Macevičienė
WP4 Strategic Discussion on Social Entrepreneurship in Music Schools
A4.3.2 First partner meeting in Latvia
