Project Effectiveness / Future Plans

5. Project Effectiveness

Many students rate this Outreach project very highly in terms of effectiveness and intellectual stimulation in their general assessment of their class evaluation, although they sometimes say that it is too demanding or difficult.

This project urged some enthusiastic students to learn more about how their instruments were developed or constructed, making for an excellent program. Some groups created original instruments made by paper to make the most of the waiting time during instrumental events. Some became extremely good at speaking in public. Others expanded their social viewpoints after confronting various social and educational issues, such as the declining birth rate and aging population of the region.

Some students got jobs at cultural halls in Mie, Shiga, or Kyoto prefectures so as to continue similar activities in different regions even after graduating from the College. Extracurricular activities such as mini concerts, in which students invite graduates or those who do not take the course to participate, are increasing in number these days. The effects of this project are truly expanding beyond its immediate participants.

This project has also been welcomed by local residents. The audience for children’s concerts is increasing every year. There are several schools which ask us to visit almost every year.

6. Future Plans

These opportunities for subjective social learning combine formal education with non-academic venues, and have made possible a wide range of artistic education. The merging of the two helps students mature and leads them to make genuine social contributions. At the same time, it develops their abilities in various ways, while also nurturing their career goals after graduation.

However, there is much more work to do: we have to upgrade the quality of the outreach project, flexibly react to requests from hospitals, and expand this project to graduates.