The AEC–ECSA–EJN–JMI Mentorship Programme 2025-2027 is an EU-funded initiative designed to introduce emerging musicians to the professional sector while actively working to enhance gender equality and non-binary visibility in the music industry.
Over the course of six months, selected mentees will receive guidance and advice from experienced composers, songwriters, and performers across three genre areas:
- Contemporary classical music
- Folk, world, and traditional music
- Jazz and creative, improvised music
Mentees will participate in individual online sessions with their mentors, focusing on artistic development, career planning, and navigating the professional landscape. In addition, they will join international networking events where participants from different disciplines meet to exchange ideas and present their work, becoming part of a supportive community of peers and role models.
The Mentorship Programme is a joint initiative of four leading European networks: European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), Europe Jazz Network (EJN), and Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI). Together, they will appoint 9 mentors (3 from each genre area) and select 9 mentees from among students and alumni of AEC member institutions. In addition, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, along with Keychange, Play It Loud!, and EPASA, will contribute to the programme by providing expertise in mentorship design and supporting dissemination across Europe.
Timeline:
- 12 February 2026: Kick-off meeting, in the frame of the AEC Pop and Jazz Platform (PJP) in Helsinki.
- 1 April to 30 September 2026: Mentorship sessions, consisting of at least 3 individual online meetings mentor-mentee.
- March 2027 (date TBC): Dissemination event, organised in the frame of ECSA’s Creators Conference in Brussels.
Mentees will receive financial support: a maximum lump sum of 1,700 EUR per mentee, including travel (700 EUR), accommodation (720 EUR), and daily allowance (280 EUR) for the kick-off meeting in Helsinki and the dissemination event in Brussels.
