KNOWLEDGE PORTAL

IMTF acts as an international clearinghouse on music vis-a-vis donors and social investors. Through its online knowledge portal, which is being continually expanded, IMTF:

• offers an overview of its knowledge-building events which are designed to engage donors and create up-to-date knowledge on some of the music sector’s most timely and critical issues; 
• provides an introduction to some of the most intriguing areas of possible donor involvment via its Music Map;
• provides access to relevant information resources, including links to online publications, music organisations, and music libraries and archives. 

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15 December 2009: Brochure on Higher Music Education: The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), the ‘Polifonia’ Network' and the project ‘Tuning Education Structures in Europe’ have published a brochure with a set of reference points for the design and delivery of degree programmes in music. Click here for the downloadable brochure and further background information on the Bologna Declaration and Music.

6 November 2009: UNESCO has presented a new report entitled Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. It outlines and analyses interrelated challenges and opportunities related to cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, and the way in which strong homogenising forces are matched by persistent diversifying trends.

1 October 2009: The first October is celebrated as "International Music Day" - a day initiated in 1975 by Lord Yehudi Menuhin, then President of the International Music Council,  in order to encourage the promotion of our musical art among all sections of society and to promote the application of the UNESCO ideals of peace and friendship between peoples, of the evolution of their cultures, of the exchange of experience and of the mutual appreciation of their aesthetic values.

 9 August 2009: 'Music entrepreneurship' helps young musicians chart careers in a crowded market - article by Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

29 July 2009: The Maasai people of Kenya have enlisted the United Nations to help turn their songs, dances and stories into copyrighted assets - Reuters.

 2 July 2009: National Geographic re-launches its online music site which includes a directory "Music A-Z" of artists, musical genres and regions across the world. The directory provides information, listening examples and photos.

 25 June 2009: Oldest Musical Instrument, A 35,000-Year-Old Flute, Found In Germany - New York Times 06/25/09  

22 June 2009: Across the world, the 21st of June marks the International Music Day - the Fête de la musique. This year again saw thousands of concerts and activities taking place. Read more (in French only).

Example of a poster in San Jose, Costa Rica, advertising the 2009 event.

 20 June 2009: Columbian charity music to kid's ears. By Leila Cobo. "On the roofless patio of a tiny house in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Cali, Colombia, a small miracle takes place every afternoon between 2 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.More than 100 children, ages 6-17, come to study music at a small conservatory named Proyecto Desepaz after the housing project of tiny brick homes. The children come from some of Cali's humblest families, who have rarely, if ever, set foot in a theater or heard of Bach or Beethoven." Read more...