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The Ensemble seeks to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change.
 
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Arts Communities Drive Manchester Forward

Sam Davies, Founder, The Untold Orchestra; Alumnus, Global Leaders Institute

12-03-2025

“We do things differently.” That’s the motto of Manchester, England—and if you’re walking through the city, it doesn’t take long to see that it prides itself on its innovation and creativity. I’ve been fortunate to spend my 20s here, learning from the legacies of changemakers both past and present. So many of the city’s most impactful figures have been—and still are—artists working directly with communities.

Inspired by the people, creatives, and communities around me, I spent the second half of my 13 years in Manchester founding The Untold Orchestra, a “non-classical” collaborative orchestra that centers community engagement. But this piece isn’t about Untold. It’s about an Art City—that is, a place where arts interventions are prioritized and supported by the people who live there, and then rewarded with community, creativity, and positive social change.

From an Empty Airport to Downtown Berlin, a Music Program Still Soars

Tricia Tunstall, Co-founder and Advisory Editor, The Ensemble

12-03-2025

In a white-walled, sunlit room with arched ceilings, an El Sistema-inspired youth orchestra plays Gustav Mahler’s well-known “Bruder Martin” (“Frère Jacques”) theme—the third movement of his Symphony No. 1—under the direction of teaching artist/conductor Leila Weber. The two double bass players are six feet tall, around sixteen years old; the youngest cellist might be seven, and this is the second time she’s held a cello. Embedded among the second violins is a guest teaching artist from an orchestra based 500 miles away.

New Report: “Why Making Music Matters Now”

12-03-2025

A recent report from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and WolfBrown proves that making music creates a number of positive outcomes, especially in early childhood.

Healing Arts Singapore

12-03-2025

From December 8–12, the first country-wide healing arts program will take place in Asia.

EDITORIAL
Young People Are Speaking To Us. Are We Close Enough to Hear Them?

Dalouge Smith, Founder and Executive Director, The Creating Abundance Collaborative; Co-founder and CEO, The Lewis Prize, 2018–2024

12-03-2025

I’d been missing the presence and perspective of young people in these gatherings dedicated to arts education, young people’s wellbeing, and community health through the arts. When young people were present, it was most often as performers, and occasionally as panelists alongside adults.

Throughout these events, I had been wondering, “How is it that we continue to position young people as objects of conversation, and not the subject?”

New International Research Study on Arts and Cultural Engagement

12-03-2025

The Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London was recently awarded a £3.5m Wellcome Discovery Award for a seven-year research study on the impact of arts and cultural engagement (ACEng) on health outcomes.

Students Across Continents Sing Their Way to Climate Action

Natalie Osby, Student, Loyola Marymount University; Volunteer and Be Cool! Connections Coordinator, The ClimateMusic Project

12-03-2025

Climate change is a complex, often overwhelming issue, causing many to turn away or disengage from conversations about it. That’s where music comes in. Just as we share this planet, we share the language of music. And when we speak it, we have the power to restore our planet’s health and build a thriving network of changemakers.

Suggested Listening: Power, People & Planet Podcast with Kumi Naidoo

12-03-2025

The effort required to create systemic change can be daunting, and it can help to hear from others who are doing the work.

Nominate a Changemaker for the Creativity for Social Change Award

12-03-2025

The Creativity for Social Change Award invites nominations for individuals and art collectives using creative means to respond to local and global challenges.

Submit Your Work to Perspectives on Arts in Health

12-03-2025

Perspectives on Arts in Health (PAH) invites submissions from students, academics, and practitioners involved in arts in health initiatives around the world.

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