Project brings recitals and music lessons to potential students and the general public

Photo: Courtesy of ESMU

By Otávio Gomes*

The “Vitrine ESMU” outreach project, organized by the School of Music at the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG), brings musical performances and master classes to communities in Minas Gerais. This initiative by the Minas Gerais university was the subject of an article published in issue No. 19 of Guará Magazine.

The performances consist of recitals (a repertoire played or sung by more than one musician, but smaller than a symphony orchestra) organized by ESMU faculty members at the University’s facilities and those of other partner institutions, such as the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ) and the conservatory of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). 

“The Vitrine ESMU Project functions almost like an advertisement. The school showcases itself through the project, and people get to know the faculty and the type of work they do in greater depth,” says Rodrigo Miranda, project coordinator and professor in the Department of Music at UEMG. 

According to Rodrigo, faculty participation is essential for attracting prospective students, as music students tend to take the artistic quality of the faculty into account when choosing a program. “We have records of students who attended a recital and told us that the experience provided by the project’s events was a deciding factor in their choice of our university,” explains Rodrigo.

ESMU students are also included in the project, since attendance at the presentations counts as a required activity in the undergraduate curriculum.

The recitals take various forms and are performed by one or more groups of faculty members. The project also features popular music concerts and master classes in instrumental and vocal performance, taught by the faculty members participating in the recitals for the general public.

There is also the distribution of free teaching materials and explanatory notes on musical numbers prepared by a scholarship recipient, who is also responsible, under the supervision of the coordinator, for issuing semiannual calls to faculty members to form music groups that will submit repertoire proposals for performances. The student is also responsible for checking the availability of venues, the faculty members’ schedules, securing travel funds (with support from the Office of the Dean of Extension), and drafting press releases to publicize the project’s activities.

The project, which was funded by the University’s Extension Support Program (PAEx), also organized open rehearsals. In 2022 — the year covered by the article — the project entered its fifth year and featured a total of nine performances, four master classes, and two open rehearsals. Twenty-six teachers participated in the initiative, representing about 30% of the School’s faculty.

*Intern under the supervision of Paola Primo