Erasmus+ Vienna “Music and Arts”

Monday

Our Erasmus+ project „Music and Arts“ with students from Lithuania and Denmark was a fun and unforgettable experience. We welcomed ten students from Mažeikių Merkelio Račkausko gimnazija (Lithuania) and ten students from Fjelso Friskole (Denmark). On Tuesday, 14 students from Istituto di Istruzione Secondaria Superiore in Procida, Italy, joined us as well.

The first day began at our school. We introduced our countries and traditions, played icebreaker games to get to know one another, and gave our guests a tour of the building. In the afternoon we went together to the Raimund Theater for a musical workshop. A particular highlight was a three‑hour “Phantom of the Opera” workshop led by Margarete Reichel‑Neuwirth, VBW. During the session we explored how music expresses emotion, worked in small groups on vocal and acting exercises, and practiced movement. Margarete explained the variety of jobs in theatre, coached us on singing techniques used by musical actors, and taught parts of the choreography for “Masquerade,” one of the musical’s most famous numbers.

Overall, the project helped us make new friends, strengthen our English communication skills, and experience firsthand how music can bring people from different cultures together. (Azra, 7e)

Tuesday

On Tuesday, May 5^th, 2026, we had the incredible opportunity to participate in the European Youth Parliament (EYP) at the district office for the 15^th district, Rudolfsheim‑Fünfhaus, located at Gasgasse 8–10. This non‑profit organization provides young people and students with a unique chance to experience democratic processes firsthand through mock parliamentary sittings, offering invaluable support from actual Members of Parliament and fostering connections between students and politicians.

Our day began with an introductory presentation on the European Youth Parliament (EYP) and its mission. The district mayor, Mr. Baurecht, then shared a powerful and inspiring speech about democracy and cooperation. Following this, all students from Denmark, Lithuania, Italy and Austria were divided into four committees, each moderated by EYP members, and assigned our objectives. The committees included FEMM, dedicated to Women’s Rights and Gender Equality; ENVI, focusing on the crucial issue of drug use prevention among teenagers; JURI, tackling cybercrime; and LIBE, which explored Civil Liberties and Justice with a specific emphasis on freedom of speech.

Within our committees, we collaboratively developed solutions to the presented clauses, prepared introductory and concluding speeches for our respective topics, and formulated questions for other committees. The day ended in a voting session where we cast our votes – for, against, or abstained – on the proposed solutions, giving us a clear insight into the democratic process. (Yuliyana, 7e)

Wednesday

On Wednesday, 6^th of May 2026, we split into two groups for a full day of activities in Vienna as part of our Erasmus+ project. In the morning, students from 6e and 7e met the Italian students in front of our school for a graffiti walk in the 15^th district. Milana opened with a presentation about Banksy and handed out flyers done by 6e, and during the walk we listened to several short talks, viewed numerous graffiti artworks and tried to identify them. We learned about graffiti culture, including free walls, different styles, the broken‑window theory and the artist Puber, which made the walk both informative and engaging.

Later we took the underground to Stephansplatz, where we joined the Danish and Lithuanian students. In mixed international groups we took part in a city rally, visiting famous sights and answering questions about concerts in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, musicals, artworks and Space Invaders. The rally was a fun way to explore the city and work as a team. After a short break we went to the Italian students’ hostel for a debate on whether graffiti is art or a crime, discussing various viewpoints in small groups and hearing many interesting arguments.

Meanwhile, another part of our group had visited the Raimund Theater in the morning with the Lithuanian and Danish students, where they were divided into two groups and given exclusive backstage tours that included the stage, dressing rooms and the theatre’s collection of costumes and wigs, along with a briefing on its history.

The perfect ending to the day was an evening performance of the world-famous musical “The Phantom of the Opera„ at the Raimund Theater. It was a wonderful and highly recommended show and an experience that none of us will forget anytime soon. (Milana, 6e / Jasmin, 7e)

Thursday

On Thursday morning the students from Denmark, Lithuania and 7e met at the University of Music and Art in Vienna and took part in a very interesting workshop with six trainee music teachers. We sang different songs, practiced various rhythms and musical patterns, and completed several interactive exercises that improved our sense of timing, coordination, and teamwork. The atmosphere was friendly and everyone participated actively.

After the workshop we had lunch in the university cafeteria, where we relaxed and discussed our morning experiences.

Later we were given a guided tour of the university. We visited practice rooms, recording studios and other important areas where students rehearse, record projects and create music. The tour provided excellent insight into student life and how professional musicians are trained.

On the fourth day of our Erasmus program, the “arts group” had a very full schedule. In the first lesson we met students from Italy and spent the whole day with them. We introduced them to our school and showed them our classrooms. They were especially curious about the Physics and Biology labs and about the teachers. In music class we learned how to play the European Anthem together; we were to perform the piece the next day at the district office. In our English lesson we design our own Euro coin on iPads.

The absolute highlight of the day was a graffiti workshop where we learned how to create paintings with spray paint and each of us had the opportunity to make our own piece. It was great fun. In the afternoon we made quizzes and slideshows about the Erasmus activities of the week. We were divided into international groups and each group prepared a presentation for one day of the program (Behar 7e/Viraj 6e)

Friday

On Friday morning our group met again at the District Office, in Vienna 15. The Head of the District, Mr D. Baurecht, gave an opening speech, followed by our headmaster, G. Ellmauer. We then watched the final presentations by our ERASMUS+ visitors and enjoyed traditional Lithuanian and Danish dances. After that, videos summarizing our time together in Vienna were shown and we played a Kahoot quiz. To celebrate the upcoming Erasmus Day, we all played the European Autumn together on our mobile phones.

Later, there was a small award ceremony for the Kahoot and for the city-centre quest we had done on Wednesday, and every participant received their ERASMUS+ certificates. To liven things up we danced to “Just Dance” and then went outside for our final group photo. In the afternoon we had a farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant with traditional Austrian Schnitzel.

After lunch, some Italian and Austrian students met up to play volleyball in school. After a few matches we had to leave and wished each other a heartfelt goodbye. The Erasmus week was a wonderful experience. We made new friends, learned about different cultures, and created unforgettable memories together. (Vasilisa 6e/Lina 7e)

 

 

Von der Europäischen Union finanziert. Die geäußerten Ansichten und Meinungen entsprechen jedoch ausschließlich denen des Autors bzw. der Autoren und spiegeln nicht zwingend die der Europäischen Union oder der OeAD-GmbH wider. Weder die Europäische Union noch die OeAD-GmbH können dafür verantwortlich gemacht werden.