The students who this year enjoyed the mobility to Kokkola, within the Erasmus+ Project KA121 24-25, share these words with the whole school community about their experience in the Finnish city.

“The mobility took place in Kokkola, a small town of 30,000 inhabitants located on the Finnish coast, about 4 hours north of Helsinki by train. When we were there, there had been very low temperatures during the previous week, so we were lucky to see everything snowed in. Our first impressions were quite positive, especially as none of us were used to seeing snow and ice on the streets.

The conservatory also surprised us very much as it was very large for the number of inhabitants of the city and the number of students attending it. All the classrooms were very well equipped. For example, they have small keyboards in the harmony classrooms for each student and they also have an almost professional recording studio and a classroom with an organ.  However, what struck us most was the auditorium because of its size and because there were some surprising instruments for us, such as a harpsichord.

The education system is quite different, especially in the way the courses are structured, as there are only two years of university preparatory courses, which can be taken from the age of 16. The earlier years work more like an unofficial music school in Spain.

The classes were more interesting than others, especially because the conservatory offers different branches such as pop/jazz and folk. The folk classes were especially the most interesting as we didn’t even know some of the instruments used in these classes and they also gave us the opportunity to get to know traditional music from the region. We also learned new concepts in the pop/jazz theory class and in composition, where it was explained to us that each student has a project to record an album by the end of the course.

The methodology used is not very different from the one we are taught in instrument classes, although it does change in the theory classes, which have a more practical focus and also seemed less demanding in general. The joint rehearsals (chamber, orchestra) involve the students a bit more with the choice of works and level of participation, although we had the feeling that the works are not worked on as carefully and with less attention to detail and interpretation.

Our free time during the mobility was basically spent walking and sightseeing around the city. The historical area of Kokkola was especially beautiful, being made up of typical Finnish houses made of wood and of different colours. On the other hand, the Kokkola municipal library was another of our favourite places. The space was very open, bright and full of natural light, which is also the case in the library we visited in Helsinki. Another activity we did was to go on night walks to Kokkola harbour to see the Northern Lights, however we were not very successful in this mission as we did not see any auroras as such, but we were able to see some green flashes in the sky, which was more than enough for us.

We also did other activities outside Kokkola. One of these was a visit to Pietarsaari and the Arctic Museum. The town of Pietarsaari is very similar to Kokkola, especially in its historical area as it is governed by the same type of architecture, although respecting even more the tradition as some houses are more than 200 years old.  However, the Arctic museum really caught our attention as the museum itself is a village of wooden houses in the middle of a forest that was built by an Arctic expeditionist and other collaborators who volunteered to help him. The last activity that needs to be mentioned is a Finnish tradition of alternating between being in the sauna and taking a bath in freezing cold water which although at first seemed a bit extreme, after doing it we all found it fun and, some more than others, would be happy to do it again.

The last day of the mobility trip was spent in Helsinki, which being the capital was by far the place where we visited the most places, although as we only had one day we were not able to do it in great detail. In the morning we took a walk to the central square, where the city’s cathedral was located. From there we took a free tour around the city centre to the Oodi library, which surprised us by being much more than a library, as it had 3D printers and even recording studios that can be used with a library card. In the afternoon we went to the harbour area, where the red church was and visited the city museum.

In short, Finland is a country with traditions, landscapes and culture very different from ours, which we found very enriching and curious in equal parts. In terms of music and culture in general, Finland is a country that invests heavily in music, which can be seen in the conservatories, libraries and even in the people, who although at first may seem closed-minded or not very talkative, most of them are people from whom you can learn a lot of things.”

Here are some of the students’ most outstanding impressions of the impact that mobility has had on their musical learning:

Inés: ‘On a personal level, this has been my first experience in a foreign conservatory, which has allowed me to grow a lot. Getting by in English, adapting to an unfamiliar environment and culture have been challenges that have helped me gain confidence and autonomy. Observing the importance of silence and respect for personal space in Finland was also a great cultural lesson.’ 

Irene: ‘This training has helped me to get to know new ways of working with music and it has helped me to decide that I don’t want to give up music this year, so I will try to continue my musical training next year, once I finish the professional conservatory. It has also been very interesting to get to know the Finnish education that is so much talked about and to see that it really is as good as they say it is. I have been able to see different ways of teaching and different perspectives of music and I have been able to share them with my colleagues. It is undoubtedly an unforgettable experience that has provided me with different tools for my professional future, both inside and outside the field of music. My personal evaluation is very positive, I have felt very motivated during the whole experience and I have learnt many things that I consider important for my professional future.’

Clara: ‘This ERASMUS+ mobility was a very good experience, both for me and my colleagues. This activity gave us an opportunity not only to develop as musicians but also to get to know each other. Thanks to Erasmus I made friendships with colleagues that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.’

Andrés: ‘On a personal level I found it a very enriching experience because of things like having connected more with people from the conservatory that I didn’t know, being able to experience Finnish culture, being able to experience what life is like studying music in a new place, something that many of us will surely do in the near future. We were all very comfortable with everyone and also with Ángel, who helped us, and with whom we also had a great time.’

Xián: ‘I found the experience very enriching and full of learning. What stands out the most is having met so many people, not only teachers and students from Kokkola, but also my colleagues from the conservatory with whom I went. I also loved getting to know Finland, as I had never been to a Nordic country before, and I really enjoyed being in a country with a very different culture and climate. All the places I went to were very beautiful, especially with the snow as a backdrop.’

Diego: ‘All in all, participating in this Erasmus in Finland was a tremendously enriching experience, both academically and personally. It really is an opportunity that I hope many more people can enjoy. I was very happy these ten days, and I have fond memories of it.’