Diseño del programa

When Lotus Centre for Special Music Education opened its doors in Ottawa, Canada in 2012, we thought our mission was clear: provide access to high-quality music instruction for students with exceptionalities and disabilities who were being left out of traditional lessons. What we didn’t yet realize was that our students were about to become our greatest teachers, shifting our organization from a provider of services to a learning community shaped directly by their needs and strengths.

The summer of 2025 brought a harsh financial reality. Like so many nonprofits in the United States this year, we lost more than 50% in foundation funding—money we’d counted on to hire adult teachers for our summer programming. We couldn’t bring in the experienced instructors who had anchored our summer camps in previous years.

This loss created an unexpected void that my teaching team and I didn’t know how to fill. To our surprise, our Urban Fellows and Junior Fellows—a group of our older and emerging student leaders—stepped up to fill the void.

The Brazilian Institute of Music and Education (IBME – Instituto Brasileiro de Música e Educação) was launched in 2011 with just 15 students. Today, it serves more than 4,000 young people and continues to grow. Among its many talented ensembles, one stands out: the Orquestra Sinfônica Juvenil Chiquinha Gonzaga, an all-female youth orchestra that celebrates the intersection of Brazilian classical and popular music.

Save The Music has announced the launch of their Sonidos Latinos Latin Percussion Core Grant to support classrooms in integrating Latino music traditions into their curriculum.

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.

La idea de acoger a voluntarios tenía dos propósitos: por un lado, el personal adicional sería una ayuda inmensa para nuestra organización y, por otro, proporcionarían a nuestros estudiantes jóvenes modelos de conducta, especialmente importantes para los que proceden de entornos vulnerables. Queríamos crear una estructura que fomentara el liderazgo, la responsabilidad social y el intercambio cultural, tanto para los jóvenes de nuestra orquesta como para los voluntarios.

Al intentar renovar una iniciativa que existe desde hace casi una década, nuestro gran reto es encontrar ese equilibrio preciso entre valorar la tradición y proponer algo nuevo. En NEOJIBA Núcleos Estatales de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Bahía, este equilibrio es fundamental para nuestra búsqueda continua de mejora: alabar lo que ya funciona, reconocer lo que se puede mejorar y tener la tranquilidad de sugerir algo innovador sin perder la esencia de una idea.

Fue con este espíritu que en 2023, en una tarde soleada durante el "eterno verano" de Bahía, comenzamos a rediseñar el PROCEC, nuestro programa colectivo de formación de profesores.

Son las 3:30 de la tarde de un miércoles en el Zona Neutralun centro de artes creativas y liderazgo para adolescentes en el centro de Ann Arbor, Michigan. Veinticuatro jóvenes y seis empleados se reúnen en un círculo de sillas en el B-Side Venue (un espacio polivalente que también sirve como sala de conciertos para 400 personas). Mientras una bola de discoteca brilla en lo alto, Ash, participante adolescente y estudiante de segundo de bachillerato, se ofrece voluntario con una pregunta inicial: "¿Qué te gustaba hacer en el recreo cuando eras niño en el colegio?".

Carnegie Hall tiene algunos nuevos recursos en línea que creemos que gustarán a nuestros lectores. Y, lo mejor de todo, ¡son gratuitos!