For the first time, the EMU gathered in the Czech Republic. And for this first Czech General Assembly, AZUŠ ČR welcomed the European music school community to the Jan Deyl Conservatory of Music – a school where music, inclusion and humanity are not abstract ideas, but part of everyday life.
The opening ceremony took place in the school’s beautiful Music Hall of Jan Drtina, creating a warm and inspiring atmosphere from the very beginning. Representatives from EMU member associations across Europe came together to listen, to exchange and to learn — and to experience a place that shows, in a very concrete way, what inclusive music education can mean.
The Jan Deyl Conservatory was founded in 1910 and has long-standing expertise in educating students who are blind or visually impaired. Today, however, the school’s approach goes far beyond the idea of a specialised institution. What made the visit so powerful was a shift in perspective: not simply that a school opens its doors to students with special educational needs, but that a school with deep specialist knowledge also opens itself to students without such needs.
In this way, students with very different abilities, experiences and perspectives learn, create and grow together. Artistic excellence, individual support and respect for human diversity are not seen as separate aims, but as parts of the same educational culture.
This approach was presented with great clarity, warmth and sensitivity by one of the conservatory’s teachers, Kristýna Jiráková. Her presentation gave EMU members a vivid insight into the daily work of the school: the counselling and support centre, individual learning plans, cooperation with families and experts, mental health support, teacher development and a school climate based on trust, attention and respect.
What became very clear is that inclusion at the Jan Deyl Conservatory is not an additional programme. It is not something placed on top of the “regular” work of the school. It is part of how the school thinks, teaches, supports and listens.
The musical programme of the opening made this visible in a particularly moving way. Students from the second to the fifth year of the conservatory presented a diverse and impressive concert, beginning with Charpentier’s Prélude from Te Deum on trumpet. The audience then heard vocal music by Mozart and Dvořák, Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs on violin, a Debussy prelude for piano, and contemporary music for guitar duo.
The variety of the programme reflected the variety of the students themselves: different instruments, different voices, different artistic personalities. And throughout the concert, the school’s careful balance between support and independence could be felt. When a blind student was accompanied onto the stage, the support was present exactly where it was needed. But once the performer was there, the focus was entirely on the music, the artistic expression and the student’s own presence. It showed inclusion not as a concept to be explained, but as something that can be experienced: creating the conditions for each student to appear with confidence, dignity and artistic strength.
For the EMU, this opening was therefore much more than a ceremonial beginning. It was an invitation to listen more carefully and to broaden our perspective. It reminded us that inclusive music and arts education requires more than good intentions. It needs knowledge, resources, professional development and the willingness to rethink our own practices.
At the same time, the visit showed that inclusion does not mean lowering artistic expectations. On the contrary: the concert demonstrated that artistic excellence and individual support can strengthen each other when education is built around attention, accessibility and respect.
As the EMU gathered for the 51st time, the opening at the Jan Deyl Conservatory became a powerful symbol of the values at the heart of our European community: that every child and young person should have the chance to be heard, to belong and to contribute.
The EMU warmly thanks AZUŠ ČR, the Jan Deyl Conservatory, headmaster Stanislava Lustygová and everyone involved in hosting this memorable opening in Prague. The evening set a beautiful tone for the days that followed — reminding us that the strength of our network lies not only in what we know, but in what we share.
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