Desarrollo profesional

Musicians in healthcare settings will benefit from this boatload of resources, shared via the University of Florida’s Arts in Health Today newsletter.

I’d been missing the presence and perspective of young people in these gatherings dedicated to arts education, young people’s wellbeing, and community health through the arts. When young people were present, it was most often as performers, and occasionally as panelists alongside adults.

Throughout these events, I had been wondering, “How is it that we continue to position young people as objects of conversation, and not the subject?”

The Creativity for Social Change Award invites nominations for individuals and art collectives using creative means to respond to local and global challenges.

The Goethe Institut, in partnership with Expertise France and Institut Français, invites proposals for two different grants supporting artistic and cultural exchange projects between African and European artists.

The European Network for Opera, Music and Dance Education (RESEO) will host a free webinar on November 17 with specific guidance for arts education organizations looking to apply to major European funding programs.

Applications are now open through November 19 for the Asian Cultural Council’s 2026 Fellowships and Grants, supporting cultural exchange activities for arts professionals and organizations in Asia and the United States.

That first day, I felt like a teenager: somewhat defiant, hesitant to initiate, eager to observe, even mistrusting…but also wanting to chat, meet people, laugh, and share.

AIM knew what they were doing. We’d found ourselves on the other side of the classroom, sitting in the student chair. And in experimenting with ways to develop our own community and agency—our capacity for action—as educators, we found ourselves viewing students’ needs with new empathy.

Nearly two decades ago, a handful of United States programs that were inspired by El Sistema in Venezuela opened their doors. Since then, El Sistema USA® has become a network of more than 150 organizations—the largest such network in the world. Our members represent a diverse array of music programs from dozens of states, as well as international programs in adjacent countries from Canada to Haiti. Given the diversity and breadth of our network, it’s reasonable to ask: What is the common thread between these programs? And why does this collective work matter? Watching and helping this coalition grow and evolve, we have been able to isolate a few distinct qualities that unite us and affirm the power of our collective voice.

How can I contribute to making something that’s already great even better?

That was the question I asked myself when I took on the challenge of carrying out the first Academy for Impact Through Music (AIM) Chispa, in Caracas, Venezuela, in December 2024.