News and Resources

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

Free Resources from Harvard’s Initiative for Learning and Teaching Conference

01-05-2021

Video recordings are still available from Harvard’s annual Initiative for Learning and Teaching Conference, covering the themes of equitable instruction and inclusive classrooms. Speakers cover an array of difficult questions ranging from facilitating “difficult or charged” conversations to “adaptive pedagogies” during challenging times. These concepts can easily be applied to music classrooms as programs seek to embed more equitable practices into their curricula and program designs. Also offered is a comprehensive list of resources for educators for reference during the presentations. View the recordings here.

New Reports from LEGO Foundation Champion Acts of Play in Young Learning

01-05-2021

The LEGO Foundation is publishing a series of reports that gather a broad spectrum of viewpoints on creativity in learning. Their most recent report is “Creating Creators.” The LEGO Foundation describes its goal: “to build a future in which learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners.” These goals encounter arguments that are familiar to teachers in the arts—that the arts are “nice but not necessary.” LEGO takes a holistic view that highlights the ways in which children’s physical, social, cognitive, creative, and emotional skills complement and interact with one another through play. Read the full report here.

NJ Symphony Offers ‘Let’s Play’ Instructional Videos for Young Musicians

01-05-2021

The New Jersey Symphony has a set of useful instructional videos that offer “pro tips” for the young, budding musician. Share this with your teaching artists and students for extra practice fun during the holiday break!

Young Musicians Rally Around Rock Music to Build Bridges—premiere Dec. 19

12-16-2020

Music Connects is premiering a new documentary on music’s role as a universal language. It shares the story of young people who seek to heal ethnic divides in regions still plagued by the Yugoslav Wars. The uniting force? Rock music, which serves as the soundtrack to this story of bridging cultural differences.

Looking Out Foundation Offers Grants to Serve and Amplify Organizations in Need—deadline Feb. 1

12-16-2020

The Looking Out Foundation seeks to amplify the impact of music by empowering those without a voice, funding causes and organizations that often go unnoticed. Grants range between $1,000 and $5,000, and application deadlines are February 1 and August 1. Additional information about the Foundation is here and the application guidelines are here. Starting in 2008, multiple GRAMMY-winning artists Brandi Carlile and Tim and Phil Hanseroth banded together with fans, nonprofits, and corporations “to translate voices of song to voices of action”—$1 from every concert ticket sold goes directly into this fund.

El Sistema Sweden Presses Forward with Open Call for Side by Side Orchestra and Choir Camp—deadline Feb. 7

12-16-2020

This past year, El Sistema Sweden and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra demonstrated how effective virtual programming could be in hosting an all-digital Side by Side International Youth Orchestra and Choir Camp. Normally a summer hub for over a thousand young musicians from all over the world, the online camp still provided an intense week of youth empowerment and ensemble playing.

Musicians Without Borders Schedules Musical Leadership Training for Early Spring 2021

12-16-2020

Looking for practical tools to keep pace in the ever-evolving climate of the music classroom? Musicians Without Borders is offering a professional development series in music leadership that seeks to prepare its participants to comfortably manage conflict, to provide them with exercises for regulating socio-emotional behaviors, and to create inclusive classrooms that transcend language or cultural barriers. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and training will be held February 21–24 in Ede, The Netherlands. There is a cost associated with the training. For more information or general inquiries, contact Meagan Hughes at: meagan@mwb.ngo.

Now Available: A Digital Library of Learning Modules from Expert Teaching Artists

12-16-2020

Teaching artists anywhere now have access to a clearinghouse of new tools and resources from the International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC). The U.S. organization Creative Generation (CG) has received an ITAC grant for their “Knowledge Sharing and Digital Learning Project,” which creates digital learning modules out of ITAC’s monthly Think Tanks. These modules go deeper into strong practices shared by teaching artists who are experts in a particular subject area, disseminating that expertise throughout the field of teaching artistry. CG has already begun to publish these expanded learning modules—the first five feature teaching artists from Ghana, Czech Republic, Scotland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea—and will continue to publish more. CG will also publish research and resources from sessions presented at ITAC4 (Carnegie Hall, 2012) and ITAC5 (Seoul, South Korea, 2020).

Lewis Prize for Music Announces Accelerator Awards Finalists

12-16-2020

The Lewis Prize for Music seeks out, honors, and supports programs they consider to be “catalysts” in the U.S. field for community-driven, high-quality music learning opportunities. The goal is to target and amplify programs that spark positive change in society. Listed among this year’s finalists is Atlanta Music Project, under the direction of Dantes Rameau and Aisha Moody; last year’s three grant recipients included Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI.

Rwanda Youth Music Brings Back the Rhythm in December Concert

12-16-2020

The Rwanda Youth Music program shared a performance video to celebrate the lifting of certain COVID restrictions and the renewal of in-person rehearsals and concerts. On Sunday, December 13, three “energy-boosting bands,” Unit, Legend, and Fire Voice, performed for this online concert. Check out the replay of this celebratory event on their Facebook page.

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