1- When and how was the association born?
It is a young association, in fact it was formed on 18 March this year. However, it represents a long-lasting cultural movement that was born in Italy in the 1970s to represent a very strong “collective self” in those generations in response to an educational need in jazz, pop and rock music, which was absent at the time from the institutional paths in Italy.Today, this area of music is defined as “audio-tactile” to emphasise the reference to the theoretical and scientific paradigm that characterises pedagogical research in our schools. It is a model that places the subject, i.e. the individual, at the centre, the different cognitivities, learning modes, supports and methodologies underlying improvisation and all practices related to jazz and derived musics. In addition to being inclusive, our teaching above all generates skills that no longer leave the musician, making him or her autonomous, creative, open and professionally ready for the challenges of today’s music. The numbers speak for themselves. The University of Bologna, on behalf of the Italian Association of Music Schools, of which we are members, has precisely outlined the scope of music schools in Italy: 100,000 teachers and 1,000,000 students. Of these, around 180,000 are concerned with jazz and audio-acoustic music. This “movement” from below not only represents the main employment sector for musicians but also creates the preconditions for the full realisation of public institutional paths in music. After all, it is unthinkable that in only three to five years a young person could graduate in jazz or pop and rock if he or she did not already possess solid skills previously acquired in music schools and music courses.
2- What is the main activity carried out?
First and foremost, we want to enhance and disseminate the quality and cultural, social and pedagogical impact of this sector which, let us remember, thanks to the recent legislation on the third sector and the non-profit sector more generally, places associationist music schools on a coplanar level with the public sector. Linked to this is the system logic that we want to encourage and strengthen in Italy. ANSJ was in fact created to unite and multiply the collaborations already in place. Starting with those inaugurated a few decades ago with the entire school world, from infancy to secondary schools, and which accelerated precisely after the establishment of our association. The test-bed was Jazz Day 2023 of the Jazz Mood School network, which is one of the founding members of ANSJ, where we presented the workshops carried out by our association together with teachers and headmasters of over 70 comprehensive schools distributed in 16 regions with 7,500 students. These are lessons/concerts, choirs, instrumental ensembles, and courses for trainers. The training of trainers is a central aspect of jazz music didactics and for this reason we contributed to the realisation of the Master of jazz ensemble music at the University of Education Sciences Roma 3 at the CDpM in Bergamo.
3- Why is it important to join your association?
As I said earlier this important cultural and social resource represented by music schools and associations of the third sector has not yet adequate institutional recognition. Or rather, there are already regional models of law that recognize and support music schools in different regions of Italy that we are spreading throughout the national territory. There are also some practical advantages such as, for example, the agreement with SIAE for the concert activities of our schools, in addition to training and educational updating activities and conferences scheduled with some Italian universities: Palermo, Macerata and Rome.
4- What is your vision for the future of your business?
The perspective is certainly in European key according to the EQF criteria of the European Parliament on the evaluation and certification of qualifications for competences. However, institutional recognition needs to be improved, a central theme for ANSJ on which we have been working since day one. Soon there will be the European Music Festival for which the Ministry of Culture has involved music schools and associations in order to ensure the success of the initiative and crowd squares and theaters on the day of June 21. However, one cannot evoke Europe on that day alone by relying on the voluntary work and goodwill of so many of our workers. European EQF standards should be introduced to certify the international diplomas awarded by our schools together with institutions and charities from other countries, which are also founding members of ANSJ. For this reason we have written a letter to the minister Sangiuliano together with the Italian Association of Music Schools always by virtue of the numbers described by the University of Bologna (100,000 teachers, 1,000,000 enrolled) to urge this interministerial process. I would also like to mention the excellent Pilot Research Project on the International Trinity Music Certification in the Italian Public School, carried out by the MIM’s Committee for Practical Learning of Music.
5- What are your hopes and wishes for the future of live performance in Italy?
The pandemic has highlighted all the criticalities and weaknesses of live show workers. From here, however, there has been a new awareness, of which UNISCA is certainly the most important expression, on the need to make a synthesis between all the subjects that in various ways compose the supply chain of entertainment, including educational operators. We ourselves, as the National Association of Jazz and Audiotactile Music Schools, are an expression of synthesis in that we bring forward the demands of both teaching workers and users, both members of our schools and associations. In addition to the issues related to the professional recognition of the various categories, based on law 4/2013, it is clear that our work triggers several virtuous processes, including the creation and renewal of the audience of concerts and festivals. The experiences and numbers of this year’s jazz day also comfort us in terms of work created for more than one hundred Italian musicians through the resources of school calls and PON, plans of right to study, funds of parents’ associations and foundations. This also creates opportunities for various technicians, communication workers and other professionals. The Music Schools also play an important productive and organizational role.
6- What role will UNITE play?
I would say that the role of UNISCA is really central from several points of view but above all as an instrument for dialogue with institutions. The effort made by so many different parties to create this body is quite extraordinary; however, further efforts are needed through active participation in working groups with contributions and expertise. Personally I participated in several meetings of UNISCA – almost all -, as advisor of the past management of MIDJ, appreciating the competence and professionalism of its members and learning a lot about the reform of the work of the show. I found many points of contact and unity of views not only with respect to the goals of ANSJ but for all the entertainment sector. For this reason, we will contribute to the analysis and development of the various objectives of the working groups.
(Claudio Angeleri, president)
