Construcción Comunitaria

Sphinx LEAD is a two-year leadership program by the Sphinx Organization developing the next generation of U.S. Black and Latino executive arts leaders through mentorship, networking, and immersive leadership retreats.

Creative work makes a difference for all of us, but especially for immigrants.

The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is set to launch its 2027 global funding cycle, which aims to support artists, scholars, arts professionals, and organizations in advancing cultural exchange both between the U.S. and Asia and within Asia.

UNESCO is preparing a Post-2030 Youth Education and Learning Agenda as part of their Education Beyond 2030 initiative.

Berklee College of Music is offering ten free digital handbooks covering music theory, songwriting, music business, and more.

There are seasons in any movement. The beginning, that electric moment when a new idea catches fire, is unforgettable. So is the end, when a movement gains a permanent foothold in society. But the middle—the developing stage—is different. The middle is where the path is no longer clear, where the just cause and the strategies for seeing it through are both tested. It’s my impression that, in many places of the world, El Sistema-inspired programs find themselves in that adolescent stage.

These growing years are critical to our future as a movement—just as the adolescent years are critical to our students’ growth. Here are a few discoveries being made by U.S. programs I’m familiar with, shared with the hope that they resonate with programs around the world.

The contemporary classical music organization Donemus has a leading role in the Forbidden Music Regained project, which is “dedicated to rediscovering and reviving the musical works of composers whose voices were silenced during the Nazi regime.”

The Creative Economy Pathways Virtual Town Hall Series explores how Creative Youth Development is expanding career pathways for young people through arts-based experiences and youth leadership.

Like many organizations across Europe, El Sistema Greece draws part of its support from European Union programs. While our work has always focused on music and social change, we’ve recently partnered with organizations beyond the music sector to explore something broader: “artivism” across different art forms. This collaboration led to the launch of a new project, co-funded with the EU and dedicated to empowering young people, especially those with fewer opportunities.

Every other week this season, I wrote updates to my Los Angeles Philharmonic colleagues—a small, internal note meant to keep our broader institution abreast of what the Learning Department was up to. On the surface, it could be viewed as mundane: a calendar snapshot, a few highlights, the ever-important statistics everyone needs. But as I scrolled back through nine months of messages, I realized the depth they carry. These were not only stories about music lessons, concerts, and special events. They were testaments to the impact of connection built across programs, networks, and industries.