Guidelines and Handbooks for Free Download

The Guidelines and Handbooks below have been developped mostly in the frame of different EU-funded projects since 2015, in cooperation with numerous partners throughout Europe.

Feel free to download and use those documents, we hope they will be an inspiration to your work!

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Safe(r) Spaces in Collective Singing Organisations

At the European Choral Association we are committed to making all our activities a safe space for everyone and combatting discrimination on any basis, including age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or other statuses. On this issue, we have developed the following resources in the framework of the IGNITE project:

WEBINARS

SAFE(R) SPACES IN COLLECTIVE SINGING. PRACTICAL APPROACHES with Henrike Schauerte, Minnakaisa Kuivalainen, Sophie Dowden | 16 October 2024
Watch here this essential discussion to make collective singing spaces safer for everyone!

SINGING WITH DISABILITIES with Micha Stafford | 18 May 2022
The webinar retraces a study carried out over four years to analyse how people with autism can benefit from choral singing. By watching the webinar, you have the opportunity to see research videos (never before shown publicly) to understand how techniques of the choirmaster can support work with people with autism.
Find it here!

These webinars took place in the frame of IGNITE project co-funded by EU.

WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY

In the framework of the EU-funded project IGNITE, we designed guidelines for website accessibility to empower content creators and all stakeholders of the European Choral Association and its members involved in the web development process with the knowledge and tools necessary to make the first steps towards accessible and inclusive websites. By producing these guidelines, we aim to contribute to a more inclusive digital landscape where everyone, regardless of their background or abilities, can navigate, interact, and engage with content seamlessly.

Check out the guideline here: Guideline for website accessibility

RESOURCES DEVELOPED IN THE FRAME OF SWAN

The SWAN project (Singing with Additional Needs), co-funded by the EU, draws on best practices from different European countries to include people with additional needs in collective singing. These additional needs may arise due to disabilities and/or physical or psychological health issues.

In the framework of the project, the following resources were developed and are now available for free:
Digital tools for visually impaired singers implemented by Norsk Sangerforum
Guideline for professionals who want to start a choir specifically intended for people confronted with cancer implemented by Kanker in Beeld

SING ME IN – COLLECTIVE SINGING AS A TOOL FOR INTEGRATION

The Sing Me In project explored possibilities of how to use collective singing as a tool to help the integration of people from different cultures and backgrounds.

More information on the project and translations of the Handbooks in ten more languages (ar, ca, de, es, et, fi, fr, nl, no, tr) can be found on www.SingMeIn.eu. A translation into your own language is not yet available and you would like to help us making it happen? Please contact us!

The first edition of the Sing Me In project happened in 2015-2018. Since then, the immigration map of Europe has changed significantly.

In the framework of the IGNITE project, the Youth Committee 2022-2024 updated the Repertoire Guide of the Sing Me In project with songs from the “new” countries on this map. In total, 25 new songs were added.

Download the revisited Repertoire Guide Sing Me in

OTHER RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
  • Environmental Strategy and Policies of the European Choral Association – In March 2023, the European Choral Association published its first environmental sustainability and strategy which is based on the guidelines developed in the frame of the SHIFT Project (2019-2022), coordinated by the European Music Council and co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme. The European Choral Association was a partner in this project where the process for the SHIFT Eco Certificate for European cultural networks was started. www.shift-culture.eu

Guidelines developed in the frame of the IGNITE project co-funded by the EU

 

Document developed in the frame of the project “Upgrade – Connect – Reach Out: Raising Awareness for Collective Singing in Europe”

 

 

Youth Involvement in cultural organisations

Youth Involvement in cultural organisations

Supporting new generations of decision-makers

As a result of several questionnaires launched, as well as hosting a Zoom Café together with the members of the European Choral Association and beyond, the Youth Committee wished to investigate the ways in which young people were or are involved as decision-makers in the choral community, and in which ways young people are involved in an organisation.

Together with the experience and the knowledge collected by the youth committee, all the contributions received were bundled into a handbook on youth involvement, which explains in detail, as well as provide tools for convincing young people to get involved in decision-making and giving young people such an opportunity. With this handbook, we wish for increased ease of associations and any other organisations to easily involve young people in their processes in the future.

Download the Handbook | Print Version

Download the Handbook | Online Version


OTHER RESOURCES DEVELOPED BY THE YOUTH COMMITTEE

 

Singing Europe

Final report of the pilot research project “Singing Europe” published in 2015 in the frame of the VOICE project, coordinated by the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat and co-funded by the European Union Culture2000 programme.
Based on two years of exploration of data sources, and through innovative surveys, the report shows that 4,5% of the European population actively participates in collective singing activities. This represents 37 Million collective singers on the European continent, gathered in about 1 million choirs or ensembles.

In 2024, nine years after the original Singing Europe report the European Choral Association has now published “Singing Europe Revisited”, an
addendum to the original report developed during the IGNITE project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe programme.

www.SingingEurope.org

 

 

EP:IC - Data Analysis

The EPIC project, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the EU, provided emerging musicians with skills and professional experience to complement their formal training and help them boost their career at the international level.

During the project, so far, we have been planning four webinars for developing the skills and knowledge of young choral professionals.
Learn more about it here.

A core part of the EPIC project was a data collection intended to map the career paths of former members of auditioned youth music ensembles, both choirs and orchestras, on an international and national/regional level. A survey was sent out in late 2020 and early 2021 to alumni of the World Youth Choir, the EuroChoir, and a network of managers of national and regional youth choirs and orchestras. The data was analysed by Alfred Jürgens (European Choral Association Project Manager) and Inês Moreira (World Youth Choir Manager) to create a resource to show the results and conclusions that can be drawn from the nearly 500 responses received.

Download the Data Analysis Report here!

The project is coordinated by the European Choral Association in partnership with:

 

STAMP - material for managers, management training

STAMP | Shared Training Activities for Music Professionals

Toolbox and guidelines for (young) managers and Handbook for potential organisers of a training programme for (young) managers.

www.stamp-music.org

 

 

SHIFT - Material for Cultural Leaders

 

The European Choral Association – Europa Cantat is a partner in the project SHIFT – Shared Initiatives for Training, coordinated by the European Music Council and co-funded by the European Union Erasmus+ Programme.

Climate change, gender equality and inclusion of minorities are key challenges for our rapidly changing world. Arts and culture have a recognised role in shaping societies and have the potential to significantly contribute to a better and more sustainable future for all as recognised in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project SHIFT will provided training initiatives for cultural leaders, working together and creating paths to face such global challenges.

The partners will produced online manuals and guidelines between December 2019 and January 2022 on the following themes:

www.shift-culture.eu

Some of the resources on Inclusion and Gender and Power-Relations were translated into French and Italian.
The translations are available on this page.

 

Fair Pay Reccomendations for International events

The European Choral Association is a member of the European and International Music Council (IMC) and subscribes to the Five Music Rights developed by them.The 5th right is the right for all musical artists “to obtain just recognition and fair remuneration for their work”. This right has often not fully been respected in the choral sector in the past.

The European Choral Association therefore decided to research what could be “fair pay” for choral conductors and vocal leaders working at international events, as conductors of auditioned international ensembles, as workshop leaders, masterclass leaders or lecturers, as well as for composers who are commissioned a choral work.

These recommendations are the result of this work and were partly applied for the first time at the event Leading Voices in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Check it out here: Fair Pay Recommendations for International Events

Watch the webinar we held on this topic:
“Are you paid fairly? Recommendations on fair pay at international choral events” | 7 May 2024
with Martine Spanjers (NL), Njoerd Feitsma (NL), Côme Ferrand Cooper (FR)

Resources from Choral TIES

This document outlines the guidelines for organizing International Study Tours to different countries or to choral events, an initiative of the European Choral Association. The goal is to provide a clear framework that ensures high-quality, consistent experiences for participants, while allowing flexibility to adapt to the unique situation of different countries: Guidelines for Organizing International Study Tours

Low Budget events

Guidelines on how to organise a low-budget choral festival – Based on our experience with the festival YOUTH CHOIRS IN MOVEMENT 2019.

Guidelines developped in the frame of the project “Upgrade – Connect – Reach Out: Raising Awareness for Collective Singing in Europe”