MUS-E: promoting social inclusion through the arts

The MUS-E initiative is based on a concept of music education developed by the Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist and teacher Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967), who believed that music should be part of daily education and accessible to all. Yehudi Menuhin broadened this concept to include all creative arts spanning all cultures.

MUS-E is targeted at primary schools, mainly in Europe, that are facing the challenge of educating a growing multicultural group of children, many of whom come from migrant or disadvantaged families and are at risk of social exclusion or other societal problems.

MUS-E involves professional artists who come to schools to introduce and share various forms of art, such as singing, dance, music, movement, drama and visual and multimedia arts. Thanks to this collective work, the MUS-E programme encourages dialogue and togetherness, while awakening children’s sense of creativity, empathy and resilience.

The programme is currently run in 12 countries. The foundation aims to promote and share best practices and common tools and facilitate international exchanges between participating schools and artists.