Second Erasmus+ lesson: “Music between business and social impact”
As part of the ongoing activities of the ERASMUS+ KA210-SCH project Social Vibes & Biz: music, technologies and social entrepreneurship, the second open lesson, entitled Music between Business and Social Impact, took place at Kaunas 1st Music School on 5 March 2026. The lesson was delivered by solfeggio teacher Monika Drevininkienė, music history teacher Jūratė Karalevičienė, and flute teachers Agnė Sipavičienė and Jurgita Mickaitė. This lesson was organised within WP2, Teachers’ training, under activity A2.2, Development of methodological materials on the development of social entrepreneurship for students.
During the lesson, students were invited to view the flute not only as a musical instrument, but also as a means of creating both economic and social value. Discussions focused on the contexts in which the flute “earns money” today: individual lessons, orchestra or ensemble performance, concerts, events, and various ceremonial occasions. In this way, students began to understand more clearly that musical activity is linked not only to artistic expression, but also to practical decision-making, audience needs, and responsibility for the value being created.
An important part of the lesson was devoted to the concept of social entrepreneurship.
Through concrete examples, students analysed flute lessons for children from socially vulnerable families, the work of community flute ensembles, and concerts whose proceeds could be allocated to purchasing instruments or supporting music education. By discussing different cases, they learned to distinguish commercial activity from social entrepreneurship and to understand that, within a social impact model, the key element is not profit alone, but its reinvestment into a meaningful mission.
Considerable attention was also given to the practical adaptation of musical interpretation to different contexts. Through a series of tasks, students were asked to imagine the same musical fragment in two contrasting situations: as an elegant background element at a luxury dinner and as a sensitive, calming musical connection in a children’s hospital or care home for the elderly. This encouraged them to recognise that sound, tempo, articulation, emotional tone, and the very manner of performance may change depending on the intended impact on the listener. These activities developed students’ analytical thinking, social empathy, and ability to justify their artistic decisions.
At the end of the lesson, students completed a social entrepreneurship modelling task. They were asked to find a solution to a situation in which children in an urban neighbourhood are unable to attend music lessons because of a lack of financial resources. They developed the idea of a charity concert whose profit would be used to purchase a flute for a child, and prepared a short musical “announcement” inviting people to support the initiative. This activity helped students not only to think creatively, but also to understand how music can become a genuine tool for social change. It directly reflects the broader aims of the project: to develop students’ social entrepreneurship competences, to connect music education with social responsibility and innovation, and to encourage the practical creation of value.
Photos: expert accordion teacher Janė Macevičienė
Prepared by: expert piano teacher Dr. Domantas Milius
ERASMUS+ KA210-SCH project „Social Vibes & Biz: music, technologies and social entrepreneurship“.
WP2 Teachers’ training.
A2.2. Development of methodological materials on the development of social entrepreneurship for students
