Every year, the Association promotes informative and educational activities for both children and adults, particularly focusing on the playful aspect of piano practice but also bearing in mind its technical foundations. These activities take place in different locations and are addressed at general education schools (pre-school, primary and secondary), music schools, conservatories, universities, and senior citizens.

Educational Programme

The Educational Programme of the Maria Canals Competition promotes musical education and cultural awareness from schools to the hospital setting. Through didactic auditions, hospital classes, seminars and master classes, this program encourages the active participation of music and general education students, creating spaces for learning and musical enjoyment for all.

Auditions in schools

This educational initiative jointly organized with the Taller de Músics offers a series of didactic recitals in the classrooms with several instruments aimed at boys and girls of primary schools. They receive introductory lessons from students at the Higher School of the Taller de Músics.

At the end of the school year, a great performance that brings together the schools and Taller de Músics takes place at Fabra i Coats, where children have the opportunity to listen to the students of Taller de Músics playing together after having seen them individually at school during the previous months.

Student jury

On the day of the grand final, the competition has a jury made up of twenty music students selected by music schools and conservatories in Barcelona and the surrounding area, who offer a special prize that is announced at the same time than the official prize awarded by the jury.

Music students at the competition rounds

The founder of the competition, Maria Canals, created the event with the intention of giving all her students the opportunity to hear the most talented young pianists from various pianistic schools around the world perform live. In this way, thanks to the competition, Barcelona became an open window to the world for local young pianists. Today, this vision persists, and Maria Canals invites all music students to attend the competition's rounds. Group attendance at the first round is free, and individual students and their families can receive a 50% discount for all rounds.

Classes at Hospital Vall d'Hebron

In addition to the grand piano located in the lobby of the Maternal and Child Building at Vall d'Hebron Hospital, available for anyone who wishes to play it, the Maria Canals Association, in collaboration with the professionals of the Hospital Classroom, promotes music classes for hospitalized children. This activity aims to reinforce musical education and create positive experiences through music for children with longer hospital stays.

A group of volunteers from the competition transport the keyboard from room to room each week to play, sing, read sheet music, and create rhythms with the hospitalized children. On special dates such as St. Cecilia's Day, Christmas, or St. George's Day, the teachers from the Hospital Classroom and the competition volunteers travel together around the center to fill all the spaces with music.

Music awareness seminars

The Maria Canals Association organizes various outreach activities aimed at the elderly and the university community, such as piano introduction seminars, guided listening sessions, private recitals by competition participants, musical discussions, and commentary recitals by local pianists. For many years, it has collaborated with the University Extension Classrooms of Sant Cugat and the UIC.

Masterclasses by contestants

During their stay in Barcelona, the competition contestants offer masterclasses at music centers for advanced piano students, with the aim of making their experience at Maria Canals as enriching as possible for everyone.

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