Community Music

 
The Ensemble seeks to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change.
 
The Ensemble Newsletter

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Re-birth: 18 Years of Music, Meaning, and Maturing

Elizabeth Njoroge, Founder and Executive Director, Art of Music Foundation

03-04-2026

Many of the students we began with, back in 2006, are the first in their families to finish school, to attend university, and to build careers. The truly amazing part is that now, as young adults, their dream is not to escape. Their dream is to return. They come back to their communities—with purpose, compassion, and determination. More often than not, they come back to Ghetto Classics as teachers. Most of our current 42 teachers once sat where our students now sit. The learners have become leaders.

Which means, of course, that the program no longer “belongs” to me.

February 5 Deadline: 12th SIMM-seminar Expressions of Interest

02-04-2026

Expressions of interest for the 12th SIMM-seminar, happening May 4–6 in Brussels, Belgium, are due February 5.

In Jerusalem, a Space for Healing

Micah Hendler, Founder & Artistic Director, The Jerusalem Youth Chorus

02-04-2026

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC) is a music and dialogue program for Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem. We bring young people from East and West Jerusalem into the same room each week to sing together, practice structured dialogue, and build the leadership skills needed to navigate a deeply unequal and polarized reality.

If you work in music for social change, none of that is conceptually new—“music builds connection” is something we all believe. What has surprised us over time is how much the container matters.

An International Exchange Program Shifts Power Through Music

Siri Syverud Thorsen, Project Manager for Musicians and Organizers Volunteer Exchange (MOVE) at Jeunesses Musicales Norway

02-04-2026

While our daily lives are rattled by increasing global instability, polarization, and apathy, culture workers working toward youth empowerment and social change share many of the same questions. How do we empower young people without transferring unreasonable responsibility? How do we equip and motivate while acknowledging legitimate, sometimes harsh realities? How do we facilitate interconnectedness, in times of global dehumanization?

Upcoming Events with SIMM

11-05-2025

Two Youth Ensembles Honored by Their Governments

06-04-2025

Sistema-inspired ensembles in Canada and England recently received big accolades at two high-profile events.

Superar Suisse Featured at Inaugural Zurich Festival

06-04-2025

A brand-new music festival in Zurich will feature Superar Suisse as their opening act.

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