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

07-07-2020

In an open letter to its community, Price Hill Will/MYCincinnati recognizes that “everything about an organization’s practices, beliefs, culture, structure, and programs either contributes to racial equity or opposes it.” They present a detailed overview of their equity statements, programs and initiatives, hiring and compensation practices, trainings, fundraising, and more, inviting feedback. Also, their annual Price Hill Creative Community Festival (July 20–25) has announced the festival’s transition to online along with the three Artists-in-Residence. Learn more here.

YOLA National at Home, 2020

07-07-2020

YOLA National at Home, this year’s online version of the annual YOLA National Festival and Symposium, offers keynotes (Thomas Wilkins and Gustavo Dudamel), community and artist conversations, teaching tools, and project-based learning opportunities for youth and adults. Students, educators, and artists are invited into these interactive experiences, held 3–4 times per week over Zoom and YouTube Live from July 10–31. Register for updates here. YOLA is also partnering with Project 440 to provide musicians of the YOLA National Festival Orchestras with a six-week virtual program on using art as a vehicle for positive change and how to prepare for college or conservatory.

Recordings and Overview from Arts Equity Summit 2020

06-02-2020

Arts Connect International held its Arts Equity Summit 2020 virtually, during three days in late April. Its mission: serving arts and culture leaders who are committed to collectively building equity, access, and inclusion. Over a thousand people attended the Summit in some way, and now ACI has posted recordings of all the sessions. Here is an overview of the Summit, and here are recordings of keynotes, sessions, and performances. Click here to find out more about ACI.

Explore Smithsonian Open Access

06-02-2020

Go exploring inside Smithsonian Open Access, where you can download, share, use, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—right now, for free, without asking. For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has created platforms and tools to provide easy access to nearly 3 million high resolution 2-D and 3-D digital items from their 19 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo. This huge data dump is just the beginning; throughout the rest of 2020, the Smithsonian will roll out another 200,000 images, with more to come as the Institution continues to digitize its collection of 155 million items and counting. The Smithsonian collection includes hundreds of items pertaining to music.

Resources to Engage Aging Populations

06-02-2020

Could your Sistema program partner with older people? Lifetime Arts (the nation’s leading organization in training educators to work with aging populations) offers Creative Aging 101, a training mini-course that details how best to engage older adults (55+) in “participatory, professionally run arts programs with a focus on social engagement and skills mastery.” Like many of their resources, the mini-course is free during the pandemic; learn more here.

Article from Global Youth About the Social Value of Art

06-02-2020

As young people age and move further away from their primary relationships (parents, teachers, schoolmates), they feel less optimistic about their personal futures. Art becomes a point of contact, an urgent communication, and a hope, according to this article with a multinational view in The Conversation: “After Coronavirus: Global youth reveal that the social value of art has never mattered more.”

Four Different Reopening Plans for Schools, Fall 2020

06-02-2020

With all El Sistema programs considering options for fall activities, given uncertain health regulations, this article from EdSurge may be helpful. It details the four most prominent reopening plans that schools are currently considering.

Virtual Symposium for High School Music Students

06-02-2020

Atlanta Music Project held a new first for the El Sistema field in May—a Virtual Symposium for high school music students focused on “The College Years.” Over two days, and with panels of authoritative speakers, the sessions addressed a broad range of issues that music students wonder about. Recordings of the sessions are now available on AMP’s Facebook page (scroll down), and soon all will be available on AMP’s YouTube channel.

Tools to Support Virtual Music Instruction

06-02-2020

The Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program in Boston offers three new ways for students to take charge of their own music-making at home. One page helps them tune their own string instruments; another, Music Tech, introduces tools and apps designed to stoke creativity and inspire musicianship; and one directly supports special needs learners. Also, check out their JQOP Creative Camp, which offers a variety of daily online classes this spring. Registration for summer classes is open now. (See the column in this issue by JQOP’s Executive Director.)

Nominate an Extraordinary Teaching Artist by June 5

06-02-2020

Do you know an extraordinary teaching artist, or someone who works with TAs? Nominate them for the Annual ATA Awards through the Association of Teaching Artists. Nominations are accepted through Friday, June 5, in three categories: Innovation in Teaching Artistry, Teaching Artist Ally, or Distinguished Service to the Field. Teaching artists of any artistic discipline are eligible for consideration. There will be an online award ceremony on July 23, streamed in collaboration with Lincoln Center Education. Submit a nomination here.

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