Highlights of the IWF Extraordinary General Assembly
Lyon – 23 July 2021
On 23 July 2021 an Extraordinary General Assembly for the International Willems® Federation was held in Lyon. Before the official minutes are written, here are the main points that were presented:
- The modification of the FIW statutes.
- The updating of the FIW Internal Rules.
- The setting up of new pedagogical training cycles.
Modification of the statutes: aims and means
The Assembly unanimously adopted the change of the title of the “Aims of the Federation” to which were added “the means”.
Here is the new paragraph in its entirety:
- Its aims:
To contribute to the promotion of an “informed*” musical pedagogy in the service of human development.
To contribute to the promotion of intercultural exchanges on a national and international scale.
*By “informed” we mean that the FIW broadens its field of reflection according to recent research in the fields of education, music and health, among others. - Its means:
a) To organise research and training based on the fundamentals of Edgar Willems’ pedagogical proposal developed by Jacques Chapuis.
b) To create the conditions for musicians, students or teachers to meet around projects with an artistic vocation. Examples: WIC (Willems® International Choir); WIO (Willems® International Orchestra); other events…
c) To create the conditions for specific and interdisciplinary meetings to clarify information, update data and stimulate debate. Examples: congresses, symposiums, seminars, etc.
d) To promote and respect the registered “Willems® ” label on the basis of the specifications annexed to the present statutes. In this respect, the International Willems® Federation is the only body authorised to issue diplomas corresponding to the various training courses organised by it or on its behalf.
This is an evolution of the Federation’s orientation: the dissemination of Edgar Willems’ work no longer appears as the main goal but as the main means to achieve broader goals.
Update of the Rules of Procedure: conditions of access to Training Courses
A preamble has been added to the FIW Internal Regulations in the chapter dealing with the organisation of training courses:
Students in training must be members of the FIW by paying the annual membership fee throughout their training and until their exams, whether the Training Centres are managed directly by the FIW or by Delegate Members.
Setting up new training cycles
At the end of a long reflection on the desirable evolution of the Training Courses proposed by the FIW, the Artistic and Pedagogical Committee (APC) submitted to the approval of the Extraordinary General Assembly a new orientation which was unanimously adopted.
This orientation consists in harmonising the Training Cycles into 2-year periods, more in line with the Bologna process underway in Europe. It also proposes a new training module dedicated to instrumentalists whose primary interest is not musical initiation.
The IWF is therefore setting up five 2-year training cycles:
- Yellow Cycle: – 1st year: Musical Initiation for Early Childhood
=> Certificate, without final exam, a kind of in-depth Sensibilisation
– 2nd year: Willems® Certificate of Musical Initiation => current lighter final exam - Blue Cycle: Willems® Pedagogical Diploma of Musical Education
-> Entry by application or examination attesting to a sufficient level of initial training
-> Programme equivalent to that of the current Willems® Diploma, focusing on 1st and 2nd level initiation for practical teaching - Green Cycle: Willems® Pedagogical Diploma for Musical and Instrumental Training
-> New training for instrumentalists wishing to integrate the Edgar Willems® proposal into their pedagogical practice.
-> New program focused on the 3rd and 4th degrees and the instrumental beginnings for practical pedagogy - Cycle Indigo: intended for Professional Musician Artists (PMA)
-> to be implemented in July 2020 - Violet Cycle: Willems® Professional Didactic Diploma
-> unchanged programme