Here you can read about his experience in his own words:

“Carmen Carreiras and Gloria Rodríguez arrived in the capital of Estonia on March 14.

Tallinn is a city slightly larger than Vigo, with a population of 435,000, and is the capital of Estonia, the smallest of the three Baltic countries.

In the 13th century, it was occupied by the Danes; later, the Germans arrived. In the 16th century, it was under Swedish protection against the Russian invasions of Ivan the Terrible, finally achieving independence in 1918 (which was short-lived, as it was invaded by the Soviets in the 1940s). It is clear that its strategic location and the wealth of its port area attracted colonizers.

The Erasmus team recommended that we take a guided tour of beautiful Tallinn, and so, led by a Spanish guy who had been living in Estonia for two years, we wandered the streets to soak up its fascinating culture, as if it were an open-air museum.

It’s so hard to convey to you the beauty of this city, how well-preserved it is, or the many and varied cultural experiences it offers. But we’d like to give you a few glimpses of this Baltic city that so skillfully blends the old and the new. We begin at Freedom Square, established in 1919 during the celebration of the first anniversary of Estonia’s independence and crowned by a glass cross. We walk through its 13th-century walls, considered among the best-preserved in Europe, stroll through the medieval old town—designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997— and we climb to the numerous viewpoints to take in a bird’s-eye view of the city’s different areas, such as the one featuring the 124-meter-tall St. Olaf’s Tower, crowned by a large bell that was struck by lightning 10 times, setting it ablaze on each occasion. Descending the hill of Toompea Castle, where the Estonian Parliament is located today, we reached the Town Hall Square, where we had to be careful not to get soaked by the enormous 18th-century gargoyles that drain water from the roof. This was curious, because apparently, when it rains heavily, the jets of water are quite intense, but the locals don’t complain; they simply go out of their way to avoid them, in the name of tradition.

We’d love to tell you much more about this city, but now we’re going to dive into a topic that’s sure to blow your mind: the Tallinn College of Music and Ballet (MUBA), housed in a modern building designed to provide everything needed for high-quality arts education.

The building was completed in 2022 and covers an area of 26,000 square meters, featuring 120 music classrooms, 30 general education classrooms, 4 concert halls, 2 auditoriums, 6 ballet studios, a recording studio, a heated swimming pool, a Pilates studio, and a residence hall for students from outside Tallinn. It is an integrated center (meaning it offers primary, secondary, and high school education, as well as elementary and professional training in music and dance), tuition-free, and provides instruction in classical music, modern music, and ballet. It has a total of 700 music students and 90 dance students, and approximately 300 teachers.

There, we toured these impressive facilities and also attended classes in music theory, piano, modern music choir, ballet, kantele (a traditional Estonian instrument), modern music ensemble, woodwind auditions, chamber music, organ concerts, voice and piano recitals, and more. Also very interesting were the meetings with the head of classical music studies, the Erasmus coordinator, the head of music business (organizer of courses, conferences, and masterclasses), and the head of events and communications, during which they explained in detail how the center operates, both academically and pedagogically.

In summary, we can conclude that it was a very enriching experience because we got to know a top-tier institution with impressive material and human resources, we received an excellent welcome from the faculty and students, and we are very grateful to have been able to enjoy these experiences offered by the Erasmus program implemented at our school.

Many thanks to the Erasmus team for their hard work and dedication.

Gloria and Carmen”

Tallin. City Hall Square
Orthodox Cathedral
MUBA inner courtyard
MUBA Entrance
Gloria and Carmen inside MUBA
MUBA Hall Stairs
Panoramic view of Tallinn

In the accounts they have provided of their journey, Carmen and Gloria recount the following:

Carmen Carreiras

“It was a very enriching experience to be at a cutting-edge school with outstanding resources—both in terms of facilities and staff—and excellent organisation. The welcome from the teaching staff and students was excellent.”I learnt a great deal, but it also made me realise that at my school, the CMUS Profesional in Vigo, we have a similar standard in terms of both students and staff, and we are very well organised despite facing issues with space and human resources, which are managed differently due to the recruitment system we have in our country.”

Gloria Rodríguez

“Everything I can say about this mobility scheme is positive:

  • The city of Tallinn is truly impressive; it perfectly blends the medieval with the modern, with a strong focus on a constant stream of cultural events.
  • People are punctual, polite and very hard-working—both staff and students—and they welcomed us with great professionalism.
  • The Erasmus team is dedicated exclusively to internationalisation, which means that information is clear and consistently provided from day one.
  • The students show great interest in the lessons and are actively involved in them. Their attitude during auditions is excellent, even among the youngest pupils.
  • I find the management to be impeccable and very well coordinated.
  • The non-teaching staff are attentive and always willing to help.
  • The resources they use are innovative”