Learning through Teaching with the AIM Firebirds

 
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Learning through Teaching with the AIM Firebirds

Pablo Millanes, AIM Specialist and Strategy; Director of External Relations and Marketing, Reina Sofia School of Music, Madrid, Spain

10-02-2024

Rehearsals become a pedagogical opportunity for orchestral practice. Photo: Ivan Gonzalez.

This past July, the warmth of the Portuguese summer and the backdrop of the Lisbon sea welcomed a diverse group of teachers and young musicians from social action music programs across more than ten countries. Amidst varied accents and curious glances, a shared energy became palpable—the excitement of face to face meetings among people who had been able to interact with one another only virtually during their four months of preparation. There was also the shared enthusiasm of people doing what they love most: teaching and making music together.

Thus began the AIM (Academy for Impact Through Music) Residency, the pivotal event for AIM’s 2024/25 fellowship. Readers of The Ensemble may already be familiar with AIM and its Firebird Fellowship. But you may not know about the Residency, one of the program’s most unique aspects. This two-week gathering, which has happened each August for the past three years, serves as the launchpad for the transformation that the Firebirds (the name given to fellowship participants) will undergo over the next 12 months.

For those of us who work in music education, it’s common to find spaces where we either teach or perform. The Residency offers the rare combination of both teaching and performing, with the shared goal of having a profound impact on how we teach in our own communities. The Firebirds are here to teach, to learn from one another, and to put into practice what they’ve studied during the previous virtual sessions. Above all, they delve into AIM’s Foundations and Destinations: Holistic Development, Intrinsic Motivation, Agency, Artistry, and Community. These principles guide every aspect of the residency, providing a clear framework for the Firebirds to understand the purposes of their teaching and their music.

Learning through Teaching

Music teachers often work in isolation from one another, without the opportunity to share their practice. While it seems obvious that guided practice and feedback make us better teachers, it’s a reality that, in the music world, doesn’t always manifest. The residency fosters a trusting environment where mutual observation of one another’s teaching becomes the norm rather than the exception. Firebirds learn to teach better as they teach.  

In the process, they’re experimenting with their artistry—working through challenging repertoires, moments of improvisation, and small ensemble formats that amplify both the teachers’ vision and the voices of the students, who are always placed at the heart of the learning process. This approach creates some remarkable musical moments and fosters artistic progress that would otherwise be impossible to achieve in just two weeks.

The Residency is the catalyst that propels the Firebirds into the coming year with renewed energy and a clear perspective on the strengths of their teaching and their areas for improvement. It also becomes the keystone of a learning community that begins in those weeks but endures for years. Shared experiences (and—why not?—shared frustrations and moments of triumph) create deep personal connections that bind the cohort together for whatever lies ahead.

Workshops create bonds and community among the Firebirds. Photo: Ivan Gonzalez.

Adding to this dynamic mix are two other distinctive groups. The first is a selection of alumni who return to the Residency not only as participants in some sessions but also as mentors for the new cohort, enriching the new group’s learning with their practical insights and advice. The second group is the Leaders Circle, a constellation of program leaders who, over these days, are able to reflect on their roles in education for social impact. Through a series of workshops held in parallel with the Firebirds’ training, the program leaders discuss how AIM’s principles, such as the Destinations, can be integrated into their own programs. These sessions create a global support network that allows leaders to share their successes and challenges.

Quinta do Mocho: A space for cultural exchange

Firebirds brass resonating in the Quinta do Mocho community center. Photo: Ivan Gonzalez.

One of the standout moments of this year’s Residency was our collaborative work with the Quinta do Mocho community, a vibrant Lisbon neighborhood, financially challenged but known for its street art and cultural connections. The Firebirds, alongside young artists from the residency, immersed themselves in this community, sharing their music and learning local stories and traditions. Over the course of these days, a series of co-created workshops took place, involving a mix of Young Artists, Firebirds, and youth from various artistic groups in the community. Together, they co-designed a fantastic performance—making all the choices themselves, from repertoire and production to speeches and messaging—that served as the culmination of the Residency. From my perspective as an observer, it was a true demonstration of what intrinsic motivation, combined with centering community, can achieve.

In our “music for social impact” ecosystem, what’s unique about the AIM Residency?

The past few decades have seen a blossoming of national and international opportunities for programs to come together: conferences, joint concerts, camps, and workshops. This has expanded our professional relationships and interconnections, and we’ve made great progress in sharing our knowledge and experiences.

Often, though, there’s not a great deal of attention to this question: How does the professional development of teachers as educators directly impact student outcomes?

This is a curious disconnect, because the question is a crucial one. It’s the question at the heart of AIM, its Firebirds, and its Residency. The central focus is on developing teachers as holistic educators—in ways they can use in their home programs to directly impact student outcomes. This emphasis is the particular inquiry AIM brings to the worldwide laboratory that is our field of music for social impact.

AIM Residency, Alumni Mentorship, Artistic Agency, Co-created Performances, Collaborative Workshops, Community Building, Cultural Exchange, Firebird Fellowship, Global Music Programs, Holistic Development, Intrinsic Motivation, Leaders Circle, Lisbon, Music and Artistry, Music Education, Music for Social Impact, October 2024, Pablo Millanes, Peer Learning, Program Leaders, Quinta do Mocho Community, Social Impact through Music, Teacher Professional Development, Teaching and Performing, Teaching Artistry, Youth Empowerment

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