Gather Together

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

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.

Global Collaboration Reimagines Classic Song with an Important Message

12-11-2024

What’s better than true international collaboration? Over 100 musicians, educators, and students from five countries—Ghana, Rwanda, Panama, Morocco, and the United States—have reimagined the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” with a new music video produced by non-profit Young Musicians Unite and the Playing for Change Foundation.

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.

The Gould Standard Podcast Interviews Dr. Ahmad Sarmast

11-06-2024

The Gould Standard, a podcast featuring stories from artistic heroes, just released their latest interview with Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM).

Vote Sweden’s Dream Orchestra Founder as ‘Hero of the Year’

11-06-2024

CNN is giving us a major opportunity to showcase our field on the global stage.

Apply for the Mekong Cultural Hub Curated Conference Fellowship

11-06-2024

Arts and cultural professionals from across Asia are invited to apply for the Mekong Cultural Hub’s Curated Conference Fellowship, part of their Meeting Point on Art & Social Action in Asia.

Apply for the Musical Care Grant

11-06-2024

The Musical Care International Network invites grant applications for projects and events that provide “everyday musical care” to others.

Sistema Scotland Performs for the King of England

11-06-2024

Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise ensembles had the honor of performing for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Scottish Parliament in September.

Learning through Teaching with the AIM Firebirds

10-02-2024

This past July, the warmth of the Portuguese summer and the backdrop of the Lisbon sea welcomed a diverse group of teachers and young musicians from social action music programs across more than ten countries. Amidst varied accents and curious glances, a shared energy became palpable—the excitement of face to face meetings among people who had been able to interact with one another only virtually during their four months of preparation. There was also the shared enthusiasm of people doing what they love most: teaching and making music together.

EDITORIAL
Universal Design for Learning: A Natural Fit for El Sistema-inspired Programs

10-02-2024

Imagine that you are walking up a staircase that leads to a school entrance, and you notice a sign that says, “ramp located at the back door.” Okay, so the sign and the ramp make the building technically accessible—but a person who can’t use stairs has to go all the way to the back of the building, locate the ramp, and hope that the door is open.

What if, instead of a staircase in front and a separate ramp in back, the architect had created a walkway that incorporates stairs and ramps all in one place?

This is the foundational metaphor of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL.

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