ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC AND BALLET PEDAGOGUES OF SERBIA

 was founded in 1954 and it has over 1000 members from music schools, faculties and music academies, primary schools, specialized secondary schools and grammar schools from the whole territory of Serbia. The main activity of the Association is organising the seminars, specialized trainings, competitions, festivals, concerts, etc. determined by the Curriculum which is formed every new school year. The Association also gives its support and its opinion for awarding the scholarship and for the education of young talented people in their own country and abroad; it also publishes the textbooks and reference books, and prints specialized informative magazines devoted to music and ballet educational work, thus affirming the activities of music and ballet pedagogues from their own country and from abroad. Each year its members are awarded the prizes for their successful educational results by the Association. The Association of Music and Ballet pedagogues of Serbia cooperates with the other associations from the ex Yugoslav republics as well as with the ones from the other countries. Also, it supports the full cooperation and coordination of its activities with the Ministries of Education and Culture, with the city and local authorities.

One of the most important manifestations of the Association is International Competition of Young Musicians “Petar Konjovic”, held fort the first time in 1991. The name of the Competition is connected to Petar Konjovic, one of the most important figures of Serbian culture. Since "Petar Konjovic", who was a composer, conductor, music writer, professor and rector of the Music Academy, was also one of the founders and directors of the Musicology Institute SANU, this very Gallery has become the traditional place for the opening of the Competition. The international character of the Competition gives the chance to the young talented musicians from all over the world to meet their peers and to compare their music talent to the other ones’. The international jury consisting of distinguished domestic and foreign pedagogues and eminent music professionals, awards the prizes and special recognitions by applying very strict criteria for each discipline and category. In this way, talented young musicians could realise and develop their music capacity; they could get self confidence for the performances and make a repertoire needed for going to the other international competitions. 

Since 1998, the Competition “Petar Konjovic” has been an part-time and since 2002 an ordinary member of European Union of Music Competitions for Youth, EMCY with its main office in Munich, which is very important for getting included in the modern tendencies of European music education. Successful cooperation with this very important international organisation is shown by the participation of the most successful competitors of the Competition “Petar Konjovic” at European concerts, seminars, music camps and international youth orchestras in Europe.