Report
Prior to departure, responses from the Conservatoire and NGO ERART allowed us todelegate logistical aspects related to transportation and activity schedules, smoothing the way
for us on arrival.
We conducted workshops in two schools (República de Brasil et Fe y Alegría 33),
presenting our instruments and giving participative rhythm and soundpainting workshops. 25
attended the workshop in the first school, 30 in the second. 70 participants attended ourpresentation at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP University) on music
pedagogy in Europe, initiating children to music, “soundpainting”, generative improvisation,and rhythmic games; a “pedagogical concert” was held at Ricardo Palma Cultural Centre inMiraflores.
At the Conservatoire, our activities included individual instrumental lessons, leading
rehearsals for saxophone ensemble, giving pedagogical feedback to teachers, and participatingin panel discussions on saxophone techniques, repertoire analysis, and contemporary creation.
Ten saxophone players participated actively and twenty observed.
The NGO ERART integrated our activities into its overall schedule :AcercArte/EducArte/RealizArte. This Spanish play on words means “Approaching Art”
(school workshops), “Learning through Art” (University activities), and “Flourishing thanks
to Art,” (pedagogical concert).
In all, 3 “participative” concerts took place with ERART and 3 concerts at the Lima
Conservatoire. The teaching team consisted in myself, Marie Ythier, Rodrigo Vila and Yuko
Mizutani.
On the positive side, all the participants in the project – be they teachers, audiences(ERART) or students (Lima Conservatoire) – were truly engaged. The Peruvian saxophonists
are now planning to organize concerts in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The directors of
ERART – who attended the final concerts given by the saxophonists at the Lima
Conservatoire, indicated a desire to include our newly created joint saxophone ensemble in
the program of the International Contemporary Music Festival, scheduled at the same time as
our next session.
A 24-hour travel delay for Marie and me proved more problematic. Further, ERART
chose to organize only one day in each school – I will need to insist on the importance ofrepeat visits. Undoubtedly to compensate, they organized the workshop at the university andthe didactic concert at the Cultural Centre. Rodrigo Vila was only able to be present 6 daysout of 10 – however he brought the professor Yuko Mizutani, a precious addition to ourpedagogical team. Lastly, the extra seat required for the cello – mentioned in the financial
report – proved problematic as well.
Based on this experience, I’d like to adapt the project slightly. Firstly, the audiences inthe schools could be enlarged by a change in calendar. In the Southern Hemisphere February
is the beginning of the school year, so schools had a hard time organizing our activities
beforehand. We’d also like to adjust the schedule to give one Sunday off, so everyone can rest.
The relative slowness with which Peruvians plan and interact with us is a cultural difference
to which we need to be more sensitive so as to plan accordingly.

To conclude, this first seminar was both intense and formative, allowing me to learn
about and experience coaching, organization and management an intercultural project on aninternational scale in a third-world country. New initiatives were born out of this firstexperience, one which has allowed me to grow significantly both personally and musically.
Seminar 2 : October 29 – November 8, 2014, with a day off on Sunday, November 2.