Music Institute projects

School has been developed with the help of project money, by purchasing instruments, up-to-date equipment, organising short courses for students and training teachers.

In summer 2022, the Finnish National Board of Education granted funding (€14 557) for the Baroque Pearls project. The Finnish National Board of Education granted the project an extension until June 2024.

A new lightweight harpsichord has been ordered from instrument maker Jukka Ollikka. The idea of the project is to enable the students of the Music School to gain a high level of baroque knowledge and to play together in ensembles and orchestras. The partners are the Rovaniemi Music and Dance College, the Collegium ry, which specialises in early music, and harpsichordist Petteri Pitko. The final concert of the Baroque Pearls project will take place on Saturday 23 March 204, at 15.00 in the Cultural Centre.

The Arts Promotion Centre (TAIKE) awarded a special grant for cultural activities in sparsely populated areas. Funding was requested for the purchase of a Flyygel and the organisation of a piano event for the Salla branch. The grant from Taike amounted to € 20 000.

The Flygel was purchased in late 2022 and 4 separate piano events and concerts were organised in the spring. Antti Hotti, lecturer in piano at the Sibelius Academy, held a master class for pianists. Katri Säkö-Arias organised a composition workshop entitled “Stinking from nothing”. The “Pianists as Pears” concert featured piano teachers Hanna Jokinen, Laura Heikkilä and Maria Kluen. The composition for 8 hands was commissioned from Maiju Roinee. The accompanying concert “What’s up with the hands” for multihanded piano culminated the spring semester at the end of May. Maiju’s composition was premiered at the concert. The events were organised in collaboration with the Sibelius Academy and the Lapland Music and Dance Academy.

The events brought together piano students from music schools in Kemijärvi, Savukoski, Pelkosenniemi and Rovaniemi.

A teaching visit organised by the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts to the North-Eastern Lapland Music College in Kemijärvi took place on 25-26 August 2023.The aim of the teaching visits between the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts and Finnish music schools is to build cooperation between different actors and educational levels. The starting point for the provincial visits is to support young music enthusiasts across Finland and to do long-term work to increase enthusiasm and opportunities throughout the country.

The instructors were Kalle Kataja (Juvenalia Music College) for the basic studies and Ville Komppa (Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts) for the advanced studies, and students from the Music and Dance College of Lapland in Rovaniemi participated in the training.

Music appreciation weekends allow students to leave their pens and rubbers at home as they explore music appreciation skills through playing, singing and a variety of activities. The aim is to holistically develop students’ music appreciation skills, provide ideas and tools for in-house teaching and motivate teachers and students. The training weekend ended with a concert.

In summer 2023, the OPH granted funding (€7 308) to the Music School for the project “Moo Creatively”, which develops the teaching of music appreciation through collaborative music-making and music technology. Four computers, four ukuleles and Cajon drums have been purchased for the music theory classroom.

The aim has been to renew the pedagogical approach to theory teaching through creative music-making and collaborative music-making. The project will also increase functionality, suitability for practical music making and instrumental learning for pupils, diversify the integration of music technology in music education with up-to-date equipment and enable pupils to make their own music.