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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.

The Role of Music in Language Revitalization in Juneau, Alaska

03-05-2024

With fewer than 15 fluent Lingít speakers left in the world, there is an urgent initiative to revitalize and sustain this language of the native Alaskan people in this area. In 2021, JAMM began to partner with elders in the Lingít community, and also with a number of organizations—Sealaska Corporation, Sealaska Heritage Institute, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, Douglas Indian Association, Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, and the University of Alaska Southeast—with the goal of integrating Lingít language, values, and culture into its established violin program.

El Sistema Toronto Youth Sing Their Truth

06-21-2023

El Sistema Toronto students teamed up with award-winning Indigenous hip hop artist Cody Coyote and Juno-nominated Toronto rapper Saukrates to write and record “WAY: We Are Young,” a song that captures both the hopefulness and vulnerability of young people who are coming of age in a rapidly changing world.

The Ambassadors’ Exchange: In Our Own Voices

06-07-2023

To complement the “Ambassador (Re)Introductions” published in April, the cohort recorded video introductions for the month of June. Listen to the Ambassadors as they say hello in their native languages, from every corner of the globe.

WolfBrown Report on NYO2

05-17-2023

Researchers from WolfBrown spent six years studying Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 orchestra, a free orchestral program engaging musicians from historically underrepresented communities in classical music. Their resulting report, “With Freedom of Soul to Do and Be: A Longitudinal Study of Young Musicians in Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 Orchestra,” offers an insider’s look into what makes a youth orchestra truly inclusive.

Jameel Arts & Health Lab Launches Four International Research Studies

05-17-2023

The Jameel Arts & Health Labthe brainchild of the World Health Organization (WHO), New York University’s Steinhardt School, the non-profit organization Culturunners, and philanthropic foundation Community Jameelwas launched earlier this year with an ambitious mission: to research how the arts can improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in some of the most challenging places around the world.

New Lewis Prize Report Examines Youth Music in Rural Areas

05-17-2023

How do youth-focused music projects differ in urban and rural areas, and where are their connecting points? The Lewis Prize for Music sought out five organizations serving rural communities across the U.S. to answer this question.

NAfME Report: Divisive Concepts Laws and Music Education

05-17-2023

Regressive lawmaking in the U.S. has led some music educators to feel unsafe talking about race, gender, or history in the classroom. In response, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) a published a must-read report earlier this year on Divisive Concepts Laws (DCL)legislative and executive orders that restrict teaching and learning activities related to race, gender, sexuality, and U.S. historyand their impact on music educators across the U.S.

VYC Kindred Sings Songs for Belonging

05-17-2023

As communities grow increasingly diverse in places like British Columbia, where 29% of the population identify as immigrants, programs like VYC Kindred, from the Vancouver Youth Choir, are offering music as a meeting place for the region’s past and future.

El Sistema USA Youth Ambassadors: The Start of Something New

05-03-2023

In the second week of March 2023, El Sistema USA, an organizational network of Sistema-inspired programs in the United States, held their first in-person national symposium since the pandemic began. Attendees converged to attend workshops, rekindle friendships, and share perspectives and questions about the field. They also encountered something unprecedented: a lively cohort of Youth Ambassadors, students from programs across the country, who often took the lead in key activities.  

The Ambassadors’ Exchange: May Happenings

05-03-2023

This month, the Ambassadors were asked to explore their daily lives in their programs. Our most recent entry explores ideas such as: 1) their daily routines outside of rehearsal; 2) what their rehearsal settings look and feel like; and 3) their relationships with their colleagues/instructors. We hope to share different slices of life from different corners of the world.

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