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From the Editor

Tricia Tunstall

10-01-2018

Do you think of yourself as a teaching artist? Many teachers in the global Sistema use that term to describe what they do. Sometimes, though, there can be a lack of clarity about what it means – and a lack of awareness that there is, in fact, a powerful and growing global movement for Teaching Artistry, just as there is for El Sistema.

Take A Stand Junior Strings

Jeffrey Grogan, Director of Orchestral Activities, Oklahoma City University, and Soo Han, Director of Orchestral Studies, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory

10-01-2018

The creation of the forty-member Junior String Ensemble for this year’s Take a Stand Festival was a new step for the TAS Festival – and its success was beyond all expectations. The student musicians came wonderfully prepared. Our curriculum for them went beyond learning the concert repertoire to include leadership skills, chamber music skills, and interaction with a living composer.

Meet the National Alliance for Audition Support

Johnia Stigall, Project Manager, National Alliance for Audition Support

10-01-2018

For El Sistema students with aspirations to pursue music as a career, the idea of becoming a professional orchestral musician can seem daunting. It can be a tough, competitive journey, and for Black and Latinx musicians, who currently represent less than 5% of musicians in American orchestras, the journey can present challenges not readily understood or acknowledged by others in the field. To address these challenges, three organizations are working together to support musicians of color in achieving success.

Massachusetts Cultural Council META Fellowship

09-30-2018

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) with The Klarman Family Foundation kick off the second cohort of the META Fellowship this month.  The term stands for Music Educators and Teaching Artists, and it is a two year professional development program for about 60 Fellows, including faculty from Sistema-inspired programs in the state.

What do students who live in poverty really need from their teachers?

09-10-2018

Here is an interview with Linda Cliatt-Wayman, who led one of the most dangerous high schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States).

The New YOLA Center

09-02-2018

The first building ever designed entirely for a Sistema-inspired program in the United States, the YOLA Center at Inglewood, is now under construction in Los Angeles.  The YOLA Center will be the fourth program site for the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and will also provide space for citywide YOLA rehearsals and events. 

Elevating the Holiday/Winter Concert

Nick Malinowski, Executive Director, Kidznotes, Durham, NC

09-01-2018

Every year, one of the highlights of the winter concert at Sistema Ravinia in Chicago is the moment when the young musicians whack their guests on the head. Let me be more specific: the real highlight is when one young musician almost whacks a guest on the head with a boomwhacker the size of a pool noodle.

From the Editor

Tricia Tunstall

09-01-2018

When does the percussion player in a symphony orchestra ever stand right by the principal clarinetist’s shoulder?

The answer: when the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra (SEYO) is rehearsing Danzon Number 2, by Arturo Marquez – which begins in a sensuous hush, with a solo clarinet melody over woodblock beats. “It’s just a few of you starting this beautiful piece, “ said Maestro Sascha Goetzel, who was leading the rehearsal. “So let’s put you physically together, so that you can play fully together.”

Working with Urban Youth

Adam Eccleston, Program Director, BRAVO Youth Orchestras in Portland, OR

09-01-2018

As a teacher, musician and administrator in an El Sistema-inspired program, I ask myself four principal questions every September. First, Who are our students? In my community, they are generally black and Hispanic, from low-income and/or single-parent households or dual language households. In choosing how to shape ensembles and repertoire, I rely heavily on my students’ backgrounds; I often make choices that help them learn from one another about their different languages, holidays, and cultures.

Attend ITAC4 for free!

08-12-2018

ITAC4, the Fourth International Teaching Artist Conference, will take place in New York City on 13-15 September (first time in the United States), and is completely sold out. 

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