Student Voice & Leadership

 
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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High School Interns Power East Lake Expression Engine

Leyda Juarez and Libby O’Neil with Axel Gonzalez, Andres Lopez, Yordy Lopez, Ronaldo Lopez Lorenzo, Araceli Reyonoso Reynoso, Floridalma Reynoso Reynoso, Jafeth Ruiz, and Elisa Velasquez

05-04-2022

At Expression Engine, we hire our students. Our students are our expansion plan, our growing capacity, and our future. We hire them as interns at 14, and, since they have already been participating in peer teaching, they are ready to step up. “The Engine” belongs to them, and they know it.

Scenes from the YOLA National Symposium

Libby O’Neil, Executive Director, East Lake Expression Engine

11-03-2021

The work of running an El Sistema-inspired program can sometimes feel intensely lonely. But last weekend at the YOLA National Symposium in Los Angeles, this work felt rich with community—with good music, new friends, and shared experiences. The Symposium’s umbrella theme was, simply, “Change,” and participants approached that theme with joy, experimentation, challenge, and connection.

Join Our Team! Applications Are Open for The Ensemble’s 2022 Ambassador Cohort

10-20-2021

Over the past few years, our Ensemble Ambassador initiative has blossomed into a lively, collaborative space for young people across the world to share their perspectives in our field. They’ve ruminated on pandemic learning and life in general; shared playlists of their current favorite songs; written beautifully about their favorite places to visit; and even led a session at the El Sistema USA Symposium and Seminario. In finding and raising their voices, this group is just scratching the surface of what they can achieve.

We are now accepting applications for our 2022 Ambassador cohort!

Free Online Tool Blends Coding with Music-Making

10-05-2021

Coding is a popular buzzword in schools, especially when it comes to STEM education. If your tech-savvy students are also interested in coding, they may be excited to learn about EarSketch. This new learning tool is designed for teachers and students alike—helping students learn to code as part of their music-making process, and offering teachers a complete curriculum that includes teaching materials and resources. The service is free to use; visit their website to learn more.

The Bands Will Sound Again: Preserving NOLA’s Marching Band Tradition at The Roots of Music

Ben Makarchuk, writer, The Roots of Music

08-03-2021

Silence does not belong in New Orleans. Here, any excuse for a celebration is met with a full-blown, over-the-top extravaganza. Noise is welcomed, and our best noise-producers—musicians—play a crucial role in everyday life. Of course, one type of ensemble represents New Orleans better than any other: the marching band. In New Orleans, a marching band is a magnet; it brings people together and shares with them a piece of the region’s soul. But in 2020, the silent spread of the coronavirus left New Orleanians without this deep tradition. It left New Orleans without its noise.

Finding My Voice through Leadership

Kimberly Mendoza, Youth Leader, The Institute of Music for Children

08-03-2021

The Institute of Music for Children is a community arts organization serving students in elementary through high school. The Institute offers beginner- and advanced-level classes in guitar, piano, drawing/painting, filmmaking, singing, dancing, and more. All year long (including summers!), students are exposed to different art forms as they develop new personal interests—meeting new friends, seeing old ones, and socializing through the art and enrichment classes offered here. It is more than a creative hub; it provides young people with a caring and welcoming family.

Caption TK

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Institute’s Youth Leader Program. None of the summer camps I ever attended had anything like it—a program essentially designed to help us grow up.

Canadian Program Produces Short Documentary on Pandemic Music-Making

07-21-2021

Enjoy this short documentary from Ottawa-based program OrKidstra about the highs and lows of musical growth and achievement. Produced entirely virtually, You Are Your Own Best Teacher: OrKidstra’s Masterclass Story is a 20-minute video that shares how OrKidstra members kept the music going during distance learning.

Youth Voice and Creativity Takes Center Stage at L.A. Charter School

07-21-2021

“Student voice” is a focus of many music for social change programs. This recording of the annual school show at Renaissance Arts Academy (created virtually in this pandemic year) sets a high bar for student originality and authentic expression. RenArts, as it’s called, is a charter school in Los Angeles that infuses artistry throughout its curriculum and offers extended-day Sistema-like programs in music and dance.

Ambassadors July 2021 Update

07-07-2021

Toward the end of May, Melbourne experienced our fourth COVID-19 lockdown as a result of 26 new cases in two days. Unfortunately, the cases continued to increase, and the lockdown was extended from one week to two. As such, Pizzicato Effect once again returned to online learning. Happily, as we reached the third week of staying indoors, the number of daily cases decreased, and we were able to return to on-site learning.

National Youth Network Hosts Weekly Gatherings to Exchange Ideas and Art Forms

07-06-2021

The National Guild hosts weekly calls on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. EDT for young artists ages 13–24 across the country. The calls encourage these young artists to “artistically explore different art forms, challenges, and opportunities to thrive together.”

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