North America

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

FROM THE EDITOR August 2019

08-01-2019

Dr. Bettina Love, the author and cultural philosopher whose riveting keynote speech kicked off last week’s YOLA National Symposium in Los Angeles, teaches her education students at the University of Georgia a course called “Black and Brown Excellence.”

Impressions from the YOLA National Festival

08-01-2019

The U.S. El Sistema movement came together in Los Angeles last week for the YOLA National Festival and Symposium. Two Festival ensembles of students chosen from Sistema programs across the country spent an intense week rehearsing and performing together, while the Symposium brought program leaders and teaching artists together for dialogue.

The Ambassadors’ Exchange, July 2019

07-02-2019

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed placerat condimentum blandit. Pellentesque eu metus varius, mattis dolor id, mattis neque. Aenean tempor erat eu consequat sagittis. Phasellus eu arcu gravida, ultricies purus ut, consequat enim. Sed suscipit eros consequat felis vehicula finibus. Cras ac lorem sagittis magna laoreet feugiat quis et sem. Aenean aliquet sem nec convallis placerat. Sed ut ultricies dolor. Duis quis odio rutrum, rhoncus enim id, iaculis nisl. Morbi in varius nibh. Donec ut enim massa. Etiam pulvinar felis ullamcorper felis mollis accumsan.

A Space of Our Own: The Atlanta Music Project’s New Headquarters

07-02-2019

Nine years ago, 19 elementary schoolchildren gathered at the Gilbert House, an old house in southwest Atlanta, to begin their journey towards becoming musical artists. Over the course of the following decade, these children were joined by hundreds of others; together, they all practiced, performed, and evolved into dedicated young artists. Some students played string instruments and wind instruments, while others sang. Across the city of Atlanta, Atlanta Music Project (AMP) students have performed at both small community centers and large venues like the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Changing Lives; Changing Interlochen

07-01-2019

I first discovered Interlochen as a young child. The campus is just seven miles from my grandparents’ summer cottage, and my love of classical music was inspired by Interlochen Public Radio.

Fostering Epic Parents

07-01-2019

EPIC Music, in St. Johnsbury, VT, was one of four El Sistema-inspired organizations recently invited to partner with a team of Duke University undergraduates to explore parent engagement in El Sistema USA member organizations. Parent engagement is an important goal for us; we have talked for more than a year about offering violin workshops for parents, so that they can understand our students’ challenges and learn how to help their children practice at home.

Editorial: July 2019

07-01-2019

I went last week to Side By Side By El Sistema Swe- den, an intensive international music camp spon- sored by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the city and El Sistema Sweden. Let’s start with the statistics.

Announcing the launch of Music In Action Journal: A Knowledge Hub for the Frontlines of Music-For-Social-Action

06-15-2019

When cultural historians reflect on the late 20th and early 21st centuries, one of the most significant paradigm shifts noted will be the explosion of music-for-social-action initiatives across the globe. Inspired by the work of pioneering figures including Jorge Peña Hen, José Antonio Abreu, Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria, Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg, Ricardo Castro, and others, largely in Latin America, the centuries-old platform of the symphony orchestra has found renewed purpose at the epicenter of grassroots transformations from inner-city Port-Au-Prince to rural Canada, from Scotland to Kenya, from Jamaica to Honduras.

Ten Years of Learning

06-01-2019

After 10 years of programming at Harmony Project’s YOLA EXPO site, what have we learned?

We have learned that 7 years old is generally too young to start the French horn; it’s better to wait until at least 10 years of age. We learned that it’s best to start classes a few weeks after school starts, and end them a few weeks before the school year ends.

FROM THE EDITOR, June 2019

06-01-2019

When a famous conductor finishes an artist residency at a storied Ivy League university, he should be given a proper sendoff, right?

The members of the El Sistema New Jersey Alliance, which includes all the Sistema-inspired programs in the state, thought so. So they brought in a 250-piece orchestra to do the job.

Share

© Copyright 2022 Ensemble News