arte y cambio social

For those interested in learning a bit more about the minds behind The Ensemble, our Cofounder Eric Booth recently guested on the A Culture of Possibility podcast.

For me, the festival brought back memories of a cold winter day in December 2011, when I met with Soma City Council officials to explore the possibility of launching Japan’s first El Sistema–inspired program. At that time, children in Soma were still deeply affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear power plant accident. Many had lost family members and friends; many faced widespread stigma and discrimination resulting from radiation contamination across Fukushima Prefecture, including Soma City. I was serving as Chief Coordinator of UNICEF’s post-disaster operations.

Imagine choosing—on purpose—to stop. To give yourself a moment of attention and ask, without judgment, a simple question: “Why do I do this work?” It’s a small exercise of meditation and self-awareness that we rarely find time for in our noisy daily routine. And yet, in that brief pause, something can appear: a spark that feeds the question, gives it space, and makes it louder.

For me, Fire Up! 2025 in Athens—a four-day teaching artist residency led by the Academy for Impact through Music (AIM)—was that spark. 

Climate change is a complex, often overwhelming issue, causing many to turn away or disengage from conversations about it. That’s where music comes in. Just as we share this planet, we share the language of music. And when we speak it, we have the power to restore our planet’s health and build a thriving network of changemakers.

An instructor once told me, “When we listen to our students, we remember why we’re here. Their perspective makes us better.” That was the moment I realized our learning experiences aren’t a one-way street. In programs that truly value our voices, the impact extends far beyond the classroom. It reaches families, neighborhoods, and entire communities.

Como en muchos países del mundo, la educación se ha convertido en una máquina en la India. Esta máquina hace un buen trabajo para desarrollar las capacidades del hemisferio izquierdo del cerebro, pero como sostiene el académico de Yale Iain McGilchrist en su libro El maestro y su emisarionuestro cerebro izquierdo es un sirviente excepcional, pero un amo muy pobre. En la Fundación Baithakeste sentimiento era más importante de lo que creíamos. Cuando empezamos a trabajar con la música tradicional india como herramienta para el desarrollo holístico de los niños, ignorábamos por completo que estábamos abordando la falta de estímulos y oportunidades para desarrollar el hemisferio derecho del cerebro en nuestro sistema educativo.