Student Voice & Leadership

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

Regions

Africa

Asia/Oceania

Europe

Latin America

North America

Topics

Teaching & Learning

Program Design

Student Voice & Leadership

Community Building

Collaborations

Funding & Support

Perspectives & Collective Action

News & Resources

EDITORIAL
Teaching Artistry: West Meets East in Potential

Eric Booth, Co-founder, The Ensemble; Co-founder, ITAC; Senior Faculty, Academy for Impact through Music

04-02-2025

Teaching artistry is the sleeping giant of social change. 

And that giant is waking up. At least that’s what I claim, in my relentless advocacy for the global field. 

No Matter the Medium, Ensemble Learning Makes Leaders of Us All

Saurabh Sainani, Program Lead, Enabling Leadership

04-02-2025

For many organizations outside of our shared community, leadership is viewed as a title or formal role—something to aspire to professionally. When it comes to youth empowerment, though, it means a bit more. We see it in the everyday actions, habits, and mindsets that empower individuals to make a difference. Leadership, for us, is about inspiring others simply by living your values.

At Enabling Leadership (EL), we strive to support young people as they find their way toward those actions and values.

JMI Calls on Young Musicians for European Emerging Bands Contest

04-02-2025

If you’re a young artist or band in Europe using music to raise awareness about social issues, you may have a shot at performing at the upcoming European Youth Event (June 13–14) in Strasbourg, France.

A New International Center for Reconciliation through the Arts

Ismar Porić, Artistic Director of House of Good Tones, as told to editors at The Ensemble

04-02-2025

Few would disagree that imagining and constructing something good for humanity, in a place where vast harm has been done, is a creative act. Therefore, the completion of The Ensemble House in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina can be seen as one of the world’s great creative triumphs in recent years.

Weaving Maori Principles into an El Sistema–Inspired Program in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Sam Winterton, Cofounder and Outreach Coordinator at Sistema Whangarei–Toi Akorangi, New Zealand

04-02-2025

The world enjoys Maori culture through its vivid kapa haka (performances of song, dance, and chant) and the famous haka displayed at All Blacks rugby games. There are no piupiu, poi, or taiaha (traditional garments, food, or weapons) at Sistema Whangarei–Toi Akorangi, in New Zealand’s far north, and yet Maori principles are quietly, seamlessly woven through the fabric of our program. They create the foundations for endless possibility.

Using Circles to Build Community and Connection in CYD Spaces

John Weiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Lori Roddy, Executive Director, Neutral Zone

03-05-2025

It’s 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon at the Neutral Zone, a creative arts and leadership center for teenagers in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Twenty-four young people and six staff gather in a circle of chairs in the B-Side Venue (a multi-purpose program space that also serves as a 400-person concert venue). As a disco ball glimmers overhead, Ash, a teen participant and high school sophomore, volunteers with an opening question: “What did you like to do at recess when you were a kid in school?”

Trombone Shorty Builds Musical Ties between U.S. and Cuba

03-05-2025

Musicians wield powerful tools for strengthening diplomatic relations: their instruments.

Powered by Youth: More Than a Catchphrase

Gergely Bándi, Project Manager, Instrumental Program Leader, and music teacher, Superar Hungary

03-05-2025

When I received the news that, through an exchange program, I could spend four months at Zumix (a creative youth development program in Boston, Massachusetts, USA), I checked their website. I read the phrase “Powered by Youth” and thought, “Sure, it sounds good, but it’s probably just a catchy motto.”

But when I arrived in Boston and attended my first Zumix event, a Sunday evening concert at a local park, I realized those words were true.

ESUSA Regional Gatherings

03-05-2025

El Sistema USA is hosting two regional gatherings this year, bringing together program leaders, teaching artists, and students from across the country for community-building and professional development.

Transforming Young Lives Through Music: Lessons from Five Years of Impact in Creative Youth Development

Alexis Jackson, Data Analysis Officer, The Lewis Prize for Music

03-05-2025

Music has the power to transform lives, strengthen communities, and challenge the systems that shape them—but what does that transformative process actually look like? For the past five years, The Lewis Prize for Music (TLPM) has been addressing this question by supporting organizations that harness music’s power to uplift and empower young people. 

Share

ABOUT US MASTHEAD THE AMBASSADORS THE ARCHIVES SUBSCRIBE CONTACT
© Copyright 2022 Ensemble News