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In Brazil, the Joyful Noise of a Hundred Teachers Learning Together

Susan Siman, International Consultant in Music Education

04-05-2023

There are not many cities—even world capitals—that have a government-supported program to develop children’s orchestras and choirs in public schools. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one city that does have such a program: IBME, Instituto Brasileiro de Música e Educação, which helps to support youth and children’s ensembles in over fifty schools throughout the city.

‘Hosts in Their Own Home’: True Interculturalism at Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy

Eugene Rodriguez, Founder, Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy

03-01-2023

As I began my career teaching Mexican music to children, the advent of multiculturalism promised increased representation but actually delivered narrow spaces that forced us into stereotypes, akin to Taco Tuesday at the cultural center. So I began to practice interculturalism, within which we took control of our own self-definition and expression. We studied our traditions from within and created bridges to people of various cultures directly.

Sinfonía por el Perú, an Experience of Social Innovation

César Oré Rocca, Executive Board Member, Sinfonía por el Perú

03-01-2023

Right away, during the program’s first year, positive effects were obvious. In fact, the music’s potential seemed to go beyond the ability to learn a new skill or develop cognitively; it seemed like a means to tackle all sorts of issues—self-esteem, tolerance, cooperation, communication, dialogue, self-care, self-determination, and so much more.

An Unusual Orchestra Creates a Transformational Work of Art

As told to Tricia Tunstall, Cofounder and Contributing Editor, The Ensemble, by Omar Zambrano, Artistic Director, Latin Vox Machine

01-05-2022

On November 5, 2021, an audience of three thousand packed the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the premiere of a work that would have been deemed extraordinary under any circumstances: a brand new part-symphonic, part-operatic, part-pop musical theater show based on a child-centered fable written by a French aviator during the Second World War.

The Life of Jorge Peña Hen, Part IV: An Enduring Legacy

Lautaro Rojas Flores, Faculty (Retired), Escuela Experimental de Música Jorge Peña Hen, Universidad de La Serena

12-01-2021

Maestro Peña’s music school concept was truly revolutionary in its academic structure. It represented a total curriculum change—different methodologies, new motivations, and participation across several orchestras and bands of different levels. However, the budget allocated by the University only supported a violin studio, a piano studio, and a singing studio. It would require a lot of resources to finance a music curriculum that featured teachers who specialized in all instruments, the purchase of those instruments, and reliable infrastructure.

The El Sistema World Conference, September 2021

Patricia Abdelnour, Executive Director, El Sistema Luxembourg; Head of Cultural Programming, Mir wëllen iech Ons Heemecht weisen

12-01-2021

I was happily surprised by the fresh air and vibrant energy the Caracas conference organizers were able to summon—even online. For three days, we were virtually sitting at the same table with our peers on faraway continents, listening to each other despite extreme time differences, learning, laughing, and growing. It was an instance when virtual technology allowed us to do something we had never actually done before.

More than Blind Hope: Measuring Social Impact through Music at the Batuta Seminar

Juan Luis Restrepo, Colombia-based musician and architect

11-03-2021

Over Batuta’s three decades of existence, though, one question has proven difficult to answer: How do we measure the impact of music in social contexts and avoid wishful declarations that “music itself will do the job?” And so, in celebration of its 30th anniversary, Batuta held an open international forum that sought to tackle this very question, hosting an International Seminar on Music and Social Transformation from September 28 – October 1.

The Life of Jorge Peña Hen, Part III: A New Calling

Lautaro Rojas Flores, Faculty (Retired), Escuela Experimental de Música Jorge Peña Hen, Universidad de La Serena

10-06-2021

Maestro Peña Hen knew he wanted to provide accessible ensemble music education to the city’s youth. But none of us had any experience with this kind of project. As we began envisioning ways to realize the maestro’s vision, we faced a real challenge: we had no students, no teachers, no instruments, and no resources.

The Life of Jorge Peña Hen, Part II: A Different Kind of Human Being

Lautaro Rojas Flores, Faculty (Retired), Escuela Experimental de Música Jorge Peña Hen, Universidad de La Serena

09-01-2021

A young man of only 17, Jorge Peña Hen was already reflecting on serious issues in 1945. In particular, the Composition and Orchestral Conducting student at the National Conservatory of Music in Santiago (Chile) had been influenced by radical new ideas about decolonizing education, and he was taking his new vision to the provinces.

Grants Aid Marginalized Populations in the U.S., East Africa, and Central America

08-18-2021

Jewish Helping Hands’ Tikkun Olam Grant Program helps vulnerable populations across the world by supporting projects focused on economic development and social empowerment, with a particular emphasis on those demographics that have been overlooked or marginalized. Projects in the United States, East Africa, and Central America, as well as regions worldwide with impoverished Jewish populations, are given priority. Grants range up to $10,000 for projects in the U.S. and up to $5,000 for projects in other countries. Initial inquiry forms must be submitted by September 14, 2021; invited full applications will be due December 14, 2021. Visit the Jewish Helping Hands website to learn more.

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