Living in a pluralistic and culturally diverse society offers manifold opportunities for cultural participation across different social and institutional contexts (List et al., 2017). Schools, concert halls, opera houses and theatres represent central sites of cultural encounter and learning (Petri-Preis, Voit, 2023). While the field of music mediation has produced a wide range of musical practices within the past 25 years, universities of music have received little scholarly attention so far as potential partners for cooperations, despite their significant role as concert promoters.

Focusing on the educational actors within these institutional frameworks, it becomes evident that the expectations placed upon prospective music educators are increasing not only in subject-specific domains, but also with regard to participatory competencies and networking (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schulmusik, 2025).

Against this background, the present research project aims at the collaborative design of concepts – drawing on concert promoters’ findings – that make music on the one hand accessible / experienceable to pupils and collaboration on the other hand implementable for music teachers. In this process, students act as partners in developing models of collaboration (Mercer-Mepstone et al., 2017).

The presentation will provide first insights into empirical findings of this study: In summer 2025, students at the University of Music Freiburg designed and implemented a first model of collaboration with the senior part of the Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium, Freiburg. This initial cycle was methodologically accompanied by group discussions with the participating students revealing key conditions for successful collaboration from an actor’s perspective and already indicate potential models for adaptation. By April 2026, the analyse of pupils’ voices will expand the dataset, thereby integrating the addressees’ point of view. The contextualisation of these findings within empirical research on concert education (Nenadic, 2023) is expected to generate further insights that will inform the continued development of this research project.

With its Zukunftslabor, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen has been setting new standards in Music Education since 2007. Over 17 years ago, this world-class orchestra moved into the premises of the Gesamtschule Bremen-Ost (GSO) and what began as an experiment has since become a successful model for many similar schemes stretching far beyond the borders of its German home. Musicians, schoolchildren, teachers, parents and the residents of the local high-rise community meet in the most diverse circumstances, projects and on all levels. These include not only everyday situations, concerts and rehearsals but also mentoring programmes between individual musicians and classes, the Melodie des Lebens series or in the Club 443hz where schoolchildren perform together with musicians from the orchestra. This all culminates in the now legendary ›Community Opera‹. Developed by the orchestra as a ›Participative Musical Theatre‹, this unique format has now established itself as a generic model. The community opera combines all aspects of a culture and brings together society in all its forms. Not only pupils and teachers of the Gesamtschule Bremen-Ost work alongside musicians from the orchestra, but also high-profile artists and performers, volunteers from enterprises and institutions across the community – from the police force to the local centre for women’s health – also get involved. One residential area comes together to create the opera. The presentation will include recorded examples of the latest edition.

How does this exceptional music education programme (see presentation 2) effect pupils? Can these effects be measured? Their educational work aims to ‘promote individual growth and self-confidence through music – in a disadvantaged neighbourhood with major social challenges. Accordingly, the study investigates potential effects on participating pupils focussing on their behavioural, emotional, and cognitive school engagement (SEM, Wang et al., 2011), musical sophistication (Gold-MSI, Müllensiefen et al., 2014) and activities as well as physical, psychological, and social well-being (KIDSCREEN-27, Ravens-Sieberer et al., 2014).

Based on these questionnaires an online survey was administered to pupils at the [name of the school] from grade 6 through 9 during school lessons via iPads following a (quasi-)longitudinal control group design with three repeated measurements: The pre-measurement took place in June 2025, before the ›Community Opera‹; the post-measurement is conducted in October 2025, shortly after performance; the follow-up-measurement is scheduled for March 2026.

So far, the analysis includes N=327 questionnaires, with 48.6% of the pupils participating in music projects presented. At the EAS 2026 further data will be presented, but even this initial analysis points to noteworthy findings: The pupils participating display significantly higher scores for musical sophistication (p<.001) and overall school engagement (p<.010). They even show a tendency towards higher scores for well-being (p<.100).

Thus, already at this early stage marked differences emerge depending on pupils' participation in the [name of the education programme]. Further analyses completed by spring of 2026 will focus on specific aspects, such as school belonging and compliance, appreciation of education and social support behavior, or personal significance of music. Are observed differences due to the particular emphasis placed on social participation processes? And can any lasting effects on pupils' music and school related engagement and well-being be found?