On Saturday, 16 November 2013, the Research Group for Arts and Cultural Education and Aslan Music Centre will present Music Lessons Are Different, a publication on integrated music education for primary schools. Music educators and researchers Jos Herfs and Ellen Hoek conducted monitoring and evaluation research under the guidance of Professor Folkert Haanstra, focusing on the continuous learning pathway of the Music Talent Express (MTE), which was introduced by Aslan in sixteen primary schools in Amsterdam in 2010.

The full research report is published in the book Muziekles is anders (Music Lessons Are Different).

The Music Talent Express is based on the principles of active music education and intercultural teaching. Over 3,000 students from Amsterdam’s West and Nieuw-West districts received weekly music lessons from educators who followed Aslan's systematic and structured curriculum, designed for all primary school levels. Aslan aims to create an inspiring and vibrant musical environment for children from early childhood onwards, promoting not only musical but also social, cultural, and cognitive development.

According to Professor Haanstra, the motivation behind this research is "the justifiable desire for a more structured and qualitatively better approach to arts education." As part of the Cultural Education with Quality initiative, extensive work on learning pathways and curriculum innovation is underway in more than fifty locations across the Netherlands, including Amsterdam. Music has been at the forefront of these efforts and has received special policy attention and funding in recent years, both nationally and from the City of Amsterdam. Aslan Music Centre has fully seized these opportunities.

In Music Lessons Are Different, Herfs and Van Hoek conclude that Aslan’s approach has proven to be successful in practice. The approach ensures high-quality music education that takes into account the specific needs and social environment of each school. Activities were regularly adjusted based on interim reports. According to the researchers, the key role in the project was assigned to the musician/music educator, who serves as a role model and source of inspiration. Leven Aslan, Director of Aslan Music Centre, expressed satisfaction that schools are positive about Aslan's offerings and that students evidently benefit from this approach. He emphasizes that continuing and further developing the Music Talent Express remains a core activity. "We are proud to have expanded MTE to 22 schools this year and hope that our experience will benefit the entire sector," Aslan said.