The Accreditation working group

Within the AEC project "Accreditation in European Professional Music Training", important work has been done to develop a European approach to external quality assurance and accreditation in the music sector. As a result, a set of common European standards and procedures for external quality assurance and accreditation in higher music education were developed, test visits were undertaken to European higher music education institutions and a register of experts for review panels was established.

The "Polifonia" accreditation working group continues the successful work of the above mentioned project and is developing further the implementation of a European-level approach to institutional and programme evaluation in the field of higher music education. Programme review visits to European higher music education institutions are taking place and the developed criteria and procedures are being updated according to the feedback from these visits.

The members of the Polifonia Accreditation working group are:

• Christopher Caine (Chair - Trinity College of Music, London)
• Claus Finderup (Rhythmic Music Conservatory, København)
• Stefan Gies (Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber, Dresden)    
• Grzegorz Kurzynski (K. Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Wroclaw)
• Pau Monterde (Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya, Barcelona) 

The expected outcomes of the working group's work will be:

• An updated version of the Framework document "Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Music Education: Characteristics, Criteria and Procedures", which contains suggestions, criteria and guidelines to support quality assurance and accreditation procedures in higher music education
• The organisation of peer-review visits to higher music education institutions to review the institution or one or several programme(s).