This report focuses on the Erasmus+ mobility program, specifically the observation placement undertaken by Óscar Davila Mariño and Ramón Cabezas, professors at the Vigo Professional Conservatory of Music, at the “Marina Campo” Algarve Regional Conservatory (Portugal) as the host institution.
This exchange took place from March 25 to 27, 2026, and involved observing classes in flute, saxophone, trumpet, piano accompaniment, and music appreciation for 6-year-old students.
Photo: Entrance to the “Marina Campo” Algarve Regional Conservatory, along with the administrative staff.
We had the opportunity to visit the Francisco Rosado Music Conservatory in Loulé, where the director of the center and members of the administrative and management teams gave us a very thorough tour of the facilities.
Image: Entrance to the “Fernando Rosado” Music Conservatory in Loulé
Our first activity in Faro took place on the morning of Wednesday, March 25, together with Javier González Lamas (Head of Studies) and the Erasmus students from our Conservatory who were also visiting. This fun activity consisted of a boat tour of the Ría de Formosa with a very friendly pilot who played pranks on us, such as letting the boat drift on its own while he gave us information about our visit to Barreta Island in the Ría de Formosa Natural Park.
Photo: On Barreta Island with Óscar Davila, Ramón Cabezas, and Javier González
I would like to highlight the trumpet class taught by Professor Albano Neto for his effective teaching methods. He uses an Austrian trumpet method called Easy Steps by Jaap Kastelein. The course includes a CD with backing tracks for the various exercises.
It should be noted that for the concerts, the programs could be downloaded via a QR code posted on a sign at the entrance to the auditorium.
On Friday, March 27, 2026, we attended the presentation of the “Musa” platform, a key feature of which is that students can reserve classrooms for their studies when they register online.
That same day, we attended an improvisation and accompaniment class with Professor Pedro Calquinho, where we were struck by his improvisation lesson for a student pianist.
The professor had the student play an easy exercise in C major, appropriate for the student’s level. He then asked the student to transpose the piece into keys suitable for transposing instruments, such as the B-flat clarinet.
Image. Exercise for the 5 fingers
The second activity involves improvising with accompaniment patterns. Professor Pedro plays exercises 13 and 14 from the book with his right hand and asks the student to accompany him by imitating a pattern that the professor plays as an example.
This time, the teacher gives the student a slightly more challenging piece—a short work by a Russian composer for four hands, featuring non-traditional chord progressions. The teacher plays Piano Part I, the melody, while the student must transpose Piano Part II, or the accompaniment, to various intervals.
Image. Russian four-hand piano score
The teacher chooses J. S. Bach’s four-part chorale No. 234: “Gott lebet doch.” The student begins to play the chorale sight-reading on the piano. At one point, the teacher takes the book away, and the student must continue improvising in the same style as J. S. Bach.
This training allowed us to develop the following skills:
Strengthening key competencies and cross-curricular competencies, such as language skills (Portuguese).
- Develop teaching skills by designing effective teaching strategies.
- Familiarity with new repertoire, such as an Austrian trumpet method suitable for the elementary level.
- New tools for working on improvisation and memory (class taught by Pedro Calquinho)
We would like to highlight the following comments by Ramón Cabezas and Óscar Davila regarding their stay:
“The Erasmus mobility experience was very positive. I would like to highlight the preparation, information, follow-up, and communication provided during the mobility by the members of the CMUS Vigo Erasmus+ Team, which allowed me to undertake this activity with a solid foundation and confidence. Similarly, I want to highlight the kindness and willingness of the Center’s faculty to showcase their work, as well as the staff in the administrative office and the custodial department. The exchange of information and teaching experiences with the faculty will allow us to incorporate new teaching activities into our classes. I would like to highlight the visit to the Loulé Conservatory, which was unscheduled, for their warm welcome, kindness, and willingness to interrupt their activities to accommodate our visit”
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