CONTEXT
Between the 17th and 21st of February 2020, the partner school Rīgas 22. vidusskola from the city of Rīga (Latvia) hosted the fourth short-term exchange of groups of pupils (C5) organised within the Erasmus+ project “Hand to Hand – Together in Europe” (reference number 2018-1-RO01-KA229-049337). This transnational learning/teaching/training activity had as topic becoming acquainted with the musical and cultural heritage from all the partner countries. Entitled “Cultivating assertive behavior through art”, the exchange visit was dedicated to the activity of the project club “It’s us! – songs and dances”.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH
The Latvian pupils and teachers, led by the school headmistress, Ms Irina Romanova and by the coordinator of the Latvian project team, Ms Marina Ružanska, prepared a warm welcome for all the guests, who were greeted with messages in their native tongues and attended a lovely welcoming ceremony featuring songs and dances performed by various Latvian pupils.
The participating students got to know each other better with the help of ice-breaking activities, while the coordinators and the other teachers took part in a meeting during which they analysed the project’s progress and also discussed details about the last short-term exchange of groups of pupils scheduled to take place in Romania in June 2020.
After having lunch in the school’s canteen, all the participants had the opportunity to admire the remarkable buildings from the historic centre of Rīga, which is included on UNESCO World Heritage List. They were mostly impressed by the Freedom Monument honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence, by the Cat House known for the two cat sculptures with arched backs and raised tails from its roof, by the Latvian Museum of Architecture, nicknamed “The Three Brothers” due to the different styles of its three composing buildings, by St. Peter’s Church with its spectacular steeple which is the tallest peak in Old Rīga, and also by Rīga Cathedral which is the oldest religious site in the city and one of the most recognizable landmarks of Latvia.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH
The second day of the mobility started with the chance to attend Music and English lessons at the hosting school, followed by a visit to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. After admiring the various collections on exhibit, all the participants took part in a very interesting workshop during which they decorated T-shirts using the screen printing technique, enjoying this wonderful opportunity to practise their creativity and artistic skills and also to be their own designers.
Back at school, the pupils from each team took turns presenting the materials on the topic of musical heritage and the folk performances prepared for the exchange visit. The presentations started with videos about the activities carried out at school level within the clubs “It’s us! – songs and dances” between November 2018 and February 2020. The pupils also gave interesting details about local and national cultural and tourist events promoting musical heritage, as well as about folk costumes from their country. The folk songs and dances performed by each team delighted the audience by an amazing display of tradition, authenticity, talent, beauty, vivacity and cheerfulness.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH
The third day of the exchange visit was dedicated to an educational trip to the nearby town of Cēsis. Both pupils and teachers had the amazing opportunity to travel back in time and experiment the lifestyle of Teutonic knights recreated in Cēsis Castle, by taking part in sport competitions and medieval ceremonies.
The participants also went on a tour of the town, known for its St. John the Baptist Lutheran Church and the Victory Monument from the Union Square, and enjoyed themselves in the beautiful park where the first signs of spring were already visible.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH
The fourth day of the exchange visit started with a visit to the Rīga Town Hall, where the participants had the opportunity to find more about this fascinating city and its history. On their way there, the pupils and teachers also noticed other stunning buildings from the historic centre of Rīga, such as the House of Blackheads, a reconstruction of a 14th-century edifice housing a guild for unmarried German merchants.
Back at school, all the participants took part in a wonderful music workshop during which they became acquainted with and had the chance to try various traditional musical instruments. They also had fun learning a very lively Latvian folk dance with the help of hosting pupils and teachers.
In the evening, the hosting school organised a show whose main attraction was the amazing transnational activity called “Music Box”. Starting from Monday, all participating pupils worked in transnational teams, coordinated by Latvian students, in order to prepare and rehearse wonderful performances to be presented during the show, which included a mixture of theatre, music and dance, inspired by the extracurricular activities organised annually by the hosting school and entitled “Creative Gatherings”. The show also featured various performances by Latvian pupils, and it ended with conferring the certificates of attendance.
The evening continued with a delicious dinner and a farewell party that further strengthened the bonds among the participants.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST
The final day of the physical mobility started with sporting activities and a workshop for decorating gingerbread organised at school, during which the pupils from all the partner countries had fun together for one last time.
The teachers found out more details about the Latvian educational system, about the hosting school and their special extracurricular activities named “Creative Gatherings”, presented by the school headmistress, Ms Irina Romanova.
After enjoying one more meal together, all the participants gathered in the school gym to say good-bye to their new friends and then each team headed home.
CONCLUSION
During the fourth short-term exchange of groups of pupils hosted by the partner school Rīgas 22. vidusskola from Rīga (Latvia), the participating pupils and teachers became acquainted with musical heritage from all the five partner countries, and also became aware of the importance of preserving and valorising cultural heritage.
During the preparation and the presentation of the materials and the artistic performances, the pupils developed many useful competences, such as their ICT abilities, teamwork skills, critical thinking, artistic abilities, as well as their English knowledge. All the common activities organised during the exchange visit gave pupils the opportunity to develop their communication skills and interpersonal abilities, to practise their practical skills, to become familiar with the Latvian culture, lifestyle and cuisine, as well as to connect with children their age from other European countries.
The transnational activity represented an extremely positive experience for all the participants, an exchange of good practices among the project teams and an opportunity to develop close friendships.