Involving Students in Inclusive Orchestras and Technologically Supported Radio Dramas to Develop Their Soft Skills

Abstract

Esagramma is a clinical, educational and research Institute in Milan. Since 1983 it creates and implements original methodologies to immediately involve people in symphonic orchestral work and in linguistic-prosodic activities. These methodologies allow people to achieve sophisticated soft skills that can be used in different life contexts: the enrichment of expressiveness, as base of the flexibility that everybody needs to "play" different roles and to communicate; the refinement of teamwork and leadership skills; the attainment of a high-level of self-awareness and identification; the elaboration of moments of crisis and discontinuity. Artistical activity, sometimes supported by innovative computer technologies, is structured by increasing complexity in terms of form and dialogue, in order to make the participants able to elaborate individual and group psycho-relational dynamics. This article briefly describes the methodological principles and the practise of Esagramma TryTheOrchestra (PLO), OrchestralTeamBuilding (TBO), AffectiveVocalEducation (EVA), offered to primary and secondary school children, but also to academic students and professionals. It also briefly describes the support offered by the use of innovative computer technologies for: the support for prosodic activity in EVA pathways and the analysis of proposals, moments of crisis and results in accordance with the protocols long adopted.