The goal of the session “European Landscape of Music Theory Pedagogies” is to map and analyse pedagogical practices in music theory through the project "HarMA HUB" funded by the Erasmus Programme Cooporation Partnerships, led by the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles since 2020. It will allow to identify convergences, divergences, and potential paths toward harmonisation. This project has been developed in response to the lack of a centralised European network for music theory faculties in Higher Music Educations Institutions.

We gathered contributions from five Higher Music Education institutions, Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk (Poland), Conservatorio Superior de Música “Joaquín Rodrigo” de València (Spain), Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Tallinn (Estonia), Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest (Hungary), and Association Européenne des Conservatoires, AEC, Bruxelles (Belgium)—representing different national contexts and pedagogical traditions. Using a standardised questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with faculties responsible for these courses, we collected data on (a) curriculum structure: content, duration, placement within the programme; (b) pedagogical methods: traditional approaches vs. integrated models combining harmony/aural skills/analysis; (c) the resources used (bibliography, audio material, notation, practical exercises); (d) multilingual glossary of basic music theory terms, musically illustrated; (e) an online collection of analytical case studies (ACS) and a new PeerJournal for pedagogical purpose (f).

Initial results reveal great diversity in the organisation of music theory courses across institutions: some HMEIs separate harmony, aural skills, and analysis into traditional, distinct courses, while others adopt an integrated approach combining these disciplines. However, certain practices stand out—such as the frequent use of practical harmonic and formal analysis exercises from the first year onward, or the progressive integration of digital technologies (listening platforms, analysis software). Despite national differences, we identified shared core competencies aimed for across institutions: harmonic understanding, formal analysis, score reading, and active listening.

This overview highlights the need for a common European framework (curriculum, terminology, pedagogical resources) to facilitate student and faculties mobility, the exchange of good practices, and the overall improvement of music theory education. The results directly support the usefulness of the HarMA HUB project outputs—particularly the exchange platform, the dynamic European bibliography, and the multilingual terminological dictionary—as structuring tools for the future of music theory teaching in Europe.

References (examples)
[1] HarMA HUB Consortium. HarMA HUB – Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership Project Overview. harmahub.eu.
[2] HarMA+ About Us. harmaplus.eu.
[3] European Seminar HarMA. harma.eu.com