Iberacademy Medellin, Colombia

Many of the world's socially-oriented music programs lack the opportunity for particularly gifted students – to take the ´final´ step towards a professional career.

Iberacademy not only offers guidance in achieving these next steps in education, but it also develops concepts for the creation of new professional opportunities where graduates have the chance to make a living based on their skills and education, while contributing to the development of socially disadvantaged young people through music.

Objectives

  • Providing academic music education and career opportunities for the sector of Music for Social Change

  • Promotion of cooperation among music projects in South America

Project description

Iberacademy started in 2011 in Medellin with the aim of providing academic music education to particularly talented young people from the local social music program `La Red´. In addition to this, the Academy also teaches students international standards in music through master classes and guest performances. Some of the most talented students find their way to an international master's program in Europe and the USA which forms the basis for a professional musical career. Since 2015, Iberacademy has been working beyond Colombia with various programs in Latin America, helping to support them in the training and further education of their teaching staff as well as nurturing talented young musicians. A third strand of the program is the creation of professional perspectives for the graduates. As teachers, they run music schools in the wider region around Medellin which are initiated by Iberacademy and the local municipalities. In doing so, the Academy gives children and young people in remote areas access to music.

Impact

Since it was founded in 2011, Iberacademy has opened the way to academic music education for around 300 students. As of 2019, 150 students have completed their education with a bachelor’s degree, and a further 60 have gained a master’s degree. Approximately one-third of the graduates work full-time as musicians, including in music schools in the Medellin region, which instruct about 2,500 children.

Partner organization

www.iberacademy.org

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