Monday, 8th of April 2026. The Franz Liszt Saal at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (mdw), a large circle of chairs, and the hum of excited voices: this was the starting point of the Student Forum at the EAS Conference in Vienna. Seated in that circle were 27 students from 19 European countries, representing a wide range of music education programmes and experiences. After a warm welcome and icebreaker led by Prof. Branka Rotar Pance and Prof. Oliver Krämer, we immediately got to work. The goal for this week? To design a workshop for the main conference. The challenge? Many voices, a wealth of content, and the ambitious aim of giving everyone a platform and visibility. Challenge accepted!
The process began with a simple exchange: everyone brought a song from their home country and a favourite warm-up. To manage the limited time, we split into smaller groups to teach these to one another. The results were surprising. Instead of just learning the music and picking a few favourites, we began combining elements of different songs and merging warm-up ideas and so the repertoire became increasingly varied and creative, shaped by our collaboration.
Throughout the week, we received valuable input from mdw music pedagogy faculty. Christian Martensich led us through group improvisations where we sat with our backs to the center, humming together. Despite knowing each other for only twelve hours, there was a surprising sense of connection, perhaps even enhanced by the lack of eye contact. Beate Länger-Oelz taught us various methods of classroom singing and musical games, eventually transforming us into a real choir singing a beautiful piece of music in an Austrian dialect in the end. Later, things became rhythmic with Klaus Göhr, as we mastered a bucket-drumming choreography in just thirty minutes, which was a lot of fun. Every minute we spent together we became closer and I really had the feeling of increasing comfort and safe-space growing from time to time. As one participant noted: “A group that knows each other since a very short time can feel like we know us for years (by making music together).”
All these elements – input from the workshops and our own programme of warm-ups and folk songs or mash-ups – were woven into the workshop we presented on Thursday morning. When it was time to present at the conference, the energy was incredible. Every student grew through the experience, and the sense of mutual support was so strong that any nerves quickly vanished. This enthusiasm immediately reached the audience; the joy and willingness of the participants to join in and make music with us was visible on everyone’s faces. It was a successful and deeply moving conclusion to an intense week of international exchange, and a real pleasure to be part of it.
We leave Vienna with notebooks full of ideas, new methodological approaches, way too many catchy earworms and a valuable network of friends. The Student Forum was an inspiring experience that reinforced our belief in music education as a powerful tool for social cohesion. A heartfelt thank you goes to the EAS-Team for the organisation of these unforgettable days in Vienna!
Judith Wallis, HMT Rostock (Germany)
