In the collective imagination, orchestral music is open only to a select few and hardly to people with disabilities. The In-Armonia association wants to make orchestral music accessible to all, transforming it from exclusive to inclusive. The In-Armonia association was born in September 2019, collecting the inheritance of the Erasmus Plus In-Orchestra project thanks to which a three-year course of Orchestral Music Therapy (MTO) with the Esagramma Method was created, culminating in the public concert in 9 June 2019, at the Puccini Theater in Florence. Thus was born the idea of forming the Inclusive Regional Orchestra of Tuscany, an organism that embodies a way of thinking, as well as making music and which involves and supports an equal number of people with disabilities and professionals of the sector in a single musical organism. All the operators of In-Armonia are teachers trained with a specific master in Orchestral Music Therapy with the Esagramma method recognized by the MIUR and all come from the Fiesole Music School. With their work they are committed to creating that ideal society that the orchestra represents, because it unites everyone and unites singularities, not individualities, as the well-known pianist and conductor Ezio Bosso taught us. In fact, inclusiveness, passion and commitment are the values of the Association: those same values that its members and collaborators follow every day to change the way of conceiving music, especially the cultured one, making it a way to unite people and make them discover new potential. Thanks to the project that we have chosen to support, with individual lessons and musical workshops that involved 21 people including young people with disabilities from various parts of the Tuscan territory and elderly residents at the Cottolengo in Florence, Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza, it was possible to expand the catchment area of the beneficiaries who will enrich the orchestra with new elements. The project has a significant impact on the well-being and self-esteem of individual participants and thanks to the improvement of the technical and musical skills of each member, the Orchestra will have an increasingly complex and quality repertoire and will be the protagonist in national and international musical initiatives. Because music goes beyond all barriers. Details Location: Florence Association: In-Armonia Beneficiaries: up to 30 people with disabilities and elderly residents at the Cottolengo in Florence Total contributions: up to 12.000 euro Period: October 2021 – June 2022
