Teaching & Learning

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

Applications Open for Side by Side

12-11-2024

Side by Side is now accepting applications for their international music camp in Gothenburg, Sweden through January 28.

AMPLIFY Digital Music Project Launched in EU

12-11-2024

Fourteen organizational partners from eight European countries gathered last month for the launch of the EU-funded AMPLIFY project, bringing together artists, technologists, and researchers to elevate “phygital” (physical-digital) experiences with music.

Spotify and Youth Music Team Up to Protect At-Risk Music Spaces

12-11-2024

Fifteen youth music spaces across the UK are no longer at risk of closing thanks to critical support from Spotify and Youth Music.

In His Words: Ron Davis Alvarez, Founder/Director, The Dream Orchestra

12-11-2024

Ron Davis Alvarez, Director of The Dream Orchestra in Gothenburg, Sweden, was nominated as one of the five finalists in the 2024 CNN “Heroes” contest sponsored by the United States-based multinational Cable News Network (CNN). The contest features “inspiring people who have found unique ways to help others,” and aims to elevate awareness of inspirational work by people around the world.

The Ensemble Executive Editor Patrick Scafidi recently interviewed Ron via email.

The Baithak Foundation Works to Measure Impact

12-11-2024

As in many countries around the world, education has become a machine in India. This machine does a good job of building left-brain capabilities, but as Yale scholar Iain McGilchrist argues in his book The Master and His Emissary, our left brain is an exceptional servant but a very poor master. At the Baithak Foundation, this sentiment was more important than we ever realized. When we started working with traditional Indian music as a tool for holistic development of children, we were totally unaware that we were addressing the lack of stimuli and opportunities to develop the right brain in our educational system.

Rediscovering Joy at Superar Hungary

12-11-2024

When I was growing up in Budapest, Hungary, I had the privilege of learning to play music through the pedagogy of Zoltan Kodály, the famous 20th century Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music educator, linguist, and philosopher

Thanks to Kodály, our small country has a well-built school music system, which allows students to learn music theory from a young age and to experience active music-making.

Growing Arts Education in India, No ‘Artist’s Touch’ Required

11-06-2024

In a city like Mumbai, India’s financial capital, 300 out of the 400 public schools do not have a designated art teacher. Many schools rely on academic subject teachers to handle “art classes,” despite their lack of formal training or experience. While working in rural and remote regions, we realized that the situation worsened outside of Mumbai, reflecting a nationwide trend that affects over 250 million children in government and low-income private schools. Recognizing that hiring specialized art teachers was not feasible for many schools, we developed the “Art for Educator” (AFE) program to empower existing teachers as facilitators of visual arts and SEL.

Combining Music with Community Living: Keys of Change in Ghana

11-06-2024

There are many ensembles made up of family members. But have you ever encountered an entire orchestra where every musician feels like a sibling? The Accra Youth Sinfonietta, a youth music program in a small town near Accra, Ghana, is one such orchestra. What makes this ensemble especially familial is that the children not only make music together—they also live together at a children’s home called Kinder Paradise. Many of the children in residence have suffered abuse or neglect and have spent time in unhoused circumstances.

A New Zealand “Pōwhiri” for Teaching Artistry

11-06-2024

A good conference asks an important question; a great conference launches an answering process that reaches beyond its few days. In September, ITAC7, the Seventh International Teaching Artist Conference, brought hundreds of teaching artists from around the world to Auckland, New Zealand, to address the question of what the global field can learn from Indigenous wisdom about art and community.

Young Performing Artists Gather in the South Korean Mountains

10-02-2024

In August 2024, the Festival of Dreams brought together young artists from across South Korea to a camp held in the mountains of Pyeongchang province. The camp brought together members of the Youth Orchestra of Dreams and the Youth Dance Team of Dreams for the first time, and they united to form the Arts Group of Dreams. The three-day camp culminated in a joint performance that showcased their collective talents.

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