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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.

New Poll Shows U.S. Parents’ Chief Concerns for Children’s Health

01-05-2021

What are U.S. parents most worried about regarding their children’s health? Two surprises in a new poll—it differs among different racial groups, and it isn’t COVID. Latinx and white parents are most concerned about their kids’ use of social media—both the amount of time spent and the danger of bullying. Black parents are most concerned about racism and COVID. See what the parents of your students may be most worried about.

NJ Symphony Offers ‘Let’s Play’ Instructional Videos for Young Musicians

01-05-2021

The New Jersey Symphony has a set of useful instructional videos that offer “pro tips” for the young, budding musician. Share this with your teaching artists and students for extra practice fun during the holiday break!

Lullaby International

12-02-2020

Through Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project, families work side by side with professional musicians to create and sing personal lullabies for their children. Parents create songs that are uniquely theirs, that reflect who they are as parents and what they hope to communicate or pass on to their children. Families often express the joys, fears, and stresses of parenting, but most of all, they share their hopes, dreams, and love for their children. Each lullaby is a gift, a reflection of parent creativity, love for our youngest ones, and our basic human need for meaningful connection.

The Influence of Music Education on Developing Children

12-01-2020

The past two decades of psychological and neuroscientific research on music have provided robust evidence that learning to play music can support brain maturation and the development of cognitive and social skills in children and adolescents. Learning an instrument requires long hours of practice, focused attention, memory, and discipline; mastering one involves the continuous capacity to improve motor, auditory, and executive skills, and is likely to influence the differential development, maintenance, and function of certain brain structures and systems.

Connect.Adapt.Thrive! El Sistema USA Releases Theme for 2021 National Symposium and Seminario

12-01-2020

El Sistema USA has released the theme for their 2021 National Symposium and Seminario, charging the field to “Connect.Adapt.Thrive!The event, now in its third year, will be held virtually and will be hosted by the Sistema-inspired program Miami Music Project. It will take place from February 15-19, 2021, and focus on three main areas: Racial Diversity and Cultural Understanding, Musical Excellence during the pandemic, and Team and Family Support pre- and post-pandemic. Requests for session proposals are due December 15. Proposal submissions can be made here.

AMP Academy of Rare Instrument Program

12-01-2020

The Atlanta Music Project has announced a refreshing new initiative: the AMP Academy Rare Instrument Program. Virtual one-on-one lessons for instruments, including oboe, bassoon, viola, percussion, French horn, and voice, are available tuition-free to any young person in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, regardless of their prior experience. Students admitted to the AMP Academy Rare Instrument Program will receive weekly virtual lessons with an AMP teaching artist, perform solo recitals, and even participate in masterclasses with renowned artists. Learn more here.

Black Voices in Classical Spaces

12-01-2020

When I’m asked about my experiences in classical music, I simply share my story. In sharing it, I both reaffirm for myself why I continue this type of advocacy work and relay a lived example of why that work must be done.

A Compositional Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement Launched by OrchKids

12-01-2020

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids program is launching a compositional celebration of the 100th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement, called Queens Unseen: Royals Without Crowns. The composition will focus on three main areas: representation, voting, and the future of democracy. The project will also explore the “intricate and contentious element of racism throughout the suffrage movement.” For its mid-December release, the composition will be accompanied by visual images captured by Johns Hopkins University Film students.

Stay the Course, or Innovate?

12-01-2020

We are all seeking a path forward. We are all managing COVID-19 closures. And we are doing all of this alongside an upsurge of social and political unrest. We are struggling mightily and wondering what to do next. This moment of uncertainty is like no other, and as we try to understand the future role of our work, we wonder: should we continue business as usual? Or should we innovate now, and hope that we find the right recipe for future success?

New Report Examines Partnerships between Arts and Cultural Practitioners and Community Developers

11-18-2020

ArtPlace America and Welcoming America have released a report exploring how arts and cultural practitioners have long been and may increasingly be partners in helping to achieve community development goals: Bridging Divides, Creating Community: Arts, Culture, and Immigration. ArtPlace America recently completed its ten-year mission as a leading funder of creative placemaking in the U.S., and they are publishing their learning in a series of reports. This report is the eighth in their series of cross-sector field scans, examining arts and culture as “a platform that helps immigration policy expand beyond a singular focus on border security to one that embraces a broader national vision of inclusive economic development, community connection and cohesion, and welcoming communities in which all people can thrive.”

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