Conference Agenda

Session

Roundtable

Time:

Friday, 10/Apr/2026:

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Location: 01-Fanny Hensel Saal (AW)

Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1 1030-Wien AW C EG 13

Presentations

Intercultural collaboration in school internships abroad: Advancing equitable participation and democratic encounter in music education

Chair(s): Steinmetz, Lauren (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Germany), Malmberg, Isolde (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien)

Presenter(s): Aigner, Wilfried (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien), Bons, Verena (Hochschule für Musik Freiburg), Chrysostomou, Smaragda (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Dimitrakoulakos, Demosthenes (International School of Luxembourg), Kreuzwieser, Stefanie (Hochschule für Musik Freiburg), Triantafyllaki, Angeliki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)

School internships are key sites of collaboration, where student teachers (STs), teacher educators (TEs), and mentor teachers (MTs) play vital roles. When such internships take place internationally—as in school internships abroad (SIAs)—collaboration gains an intercultural dimension, with added complexity from language issues and differing educational systems and practices (Vass, 2017). While the characteristics of quality mentoring have been discussed in domestic contexts (Ellis et al., 2020), there is limited evidence on what constitutes quality mentoring during SIAs. Feedback processes, support for ST self-reflection—vital for developing intercultural sensitivity (Malmberg et al., 2025)—and administrative structures are among the aspects shaped by this intercultural collaboration.

These issues raise key questions: How do such complexities shape SIAs? What constraints and opportunities emerge, and which, if any, are specific to music education? How can strong, equitable collaborations be fostered, ensuring all stakeholders’ voices are heard and that exchanges in music education remain productive and meaningful? These questions have guided the ERASMUS+ project TEAM (Teacher Education Academy for Music) for nearly three years. Within a design-based research framework (Bakker, 2018), TEAM has investigated SIAs and intercultural mentoring, developed practical tools for these contexts, and initiated TEAM-IN, a network designed to facilitate SIAs beyond the project’s duration.

This roundtable brings together perspectives from researchers, TEs, MTs, and STs who have engaged in SIAs as they share experiences of intercultural collaboration and discuss the possibilities and limitations of such placements. Emerging tools—such as materials for intercultural mentoring and for teaching in linguistically complex situations—will also be presented. Audience members are invited to contribute their perspectives, provide feedback on the tools, and connect with others to lay the groundwork for further collaboration.