MUSSI is the name of a she-cat from an imaginary story invented and told by children from two elementary schools through different performing modalities. It is also the name of a pilot project of Applied Ethnomusicology funded by a major Portuguese Company, SONAE Sierra, through the local Loures Shopping Centre, which paid for the musical instruments and the work of the performance professionals at schools. This pilot project is part of a larger post-doctoral research project, developed at the Institute of Ethnomusicology of the New University of Lisbon, under the auspices of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. The four essential aims of this project are: (1) To support academic discussion, bridging university and elementary school, and connecting research and teaching activities at different levels: from developing a research problem and exploring communication skills to developing innovative pedagogical strategies and designing a teacher training programme; (2) To promote intra- and inter-school connections, as well as links between the school and the social environment through the shared construction of multifaceted processes and products requiring written and performance skills, in some cases completely new to the school communities; (3) To link public education and performing arts production, promoting the collaboration between teachers and artists at school, for the education of future creative and collaborative citizens, eventually artists or simply learned public audiences; and (4) To develop international partnerships among elementary schools and research centres and individuals through participation on international conferences and proposal of international related projects. (Contains 1 note.)