Student to Leader: A New EU-Funded Project for Young Musicians
Student to Leader (S2L) is a new project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, creating a structured pathway for young musicians to move from being participants to becoming young leaders and taking on active roles within the music communities in which they have grown and developed.
Running from September 2026 to August 2028 within the framework of Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Youth (KA220-YOU), Student to Leader is coordinated by Sistema Cyprus, in partnership with El Sistema Greece and Trillargento in Italy.
As part of the project, young musicians from Cyprus, Greece and Italy will receive training and, with the guidance of experienced educators, gradually take on specific roles and responsibilities. They will support rehearsals and music ensembles, lead smaller groups and sectionals, mentor younger participants, and contribute to the delivery of educational workshops.
S2L aims to make this experience a meaningful step in the participants’ personal and professional development. Through hands-on practice, mentoring and reflection, young musicians will develop skills such as communication, collaboration, initiative, responsibility, decision-making and group leadership. At the same time, they will gain supervised experience in teaching and facilitation, strengthening their preparation for future studies and professional pathways in music, education and the cultural sector.
The experience will also extend beyond the local level. As part of an international music event taking place in Athens in 2027, a Youth Leadership Laboratory will give participants the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice in an international environment, exchange experiences and practices, and collaborate with young musicians from different countries.
Through the implementation of S2L across the three partner countries, the organisations will jointly develop and test a Youth Leadership Framework, which will form the basis of the S2L Youth Leadership Toolkit. These resources will be openly accessible, enabling other organisations working in music education and youth across Europe to use and adapt the methodology and tools developed through the project.
For Sistema Cyprus, S2L reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for young people not only to develop musically, but also to grow in confidence, responsibility and leadership. Many of our young musicians grow within our programme over several years, and S2L will create a clearer pathway for them to take the next step: sharing their experience, supporting younger participants and becoming active contributors to the musical community that has supported their own development.
We are proud to coordinate this European partnership and look forward to working alongside our partners and young musicians over the next two years to explore how music can become a powerful space for young people to learn, lead and inspire others.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Foundation for the Management of Lifelong Learning Programmes. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
