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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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U.S. Programs Are Approaching ‘The Middle’ of Their Movement. Now What?

Christopher Schroeder, Executive Director, Boston Music Project

07-08-2026

There are seasons in any movement. The beginning, that electric moment when a new idea catches fire, is unforgettable. So is the end, when a movement gains a permanent foothold in society. But the middle—the developing stage—is different. The middle is where the path is no longer clear, where the just cause and the strategies for seeing it through are both tested. It’s my impression that, in many places of the world, El Sistema-inspired programs find themselves in that adolescent stage.

These growing years are critical to our future as a movement—just as the adolescent years are critical to our students’ growth. Here are a few discoveries being made by U.S. programs I’m familiar with, shared with the hope that they resonate with programs around the world.

EDITORIAL
Snapshots of the Work Tell the Story of Our Impact

Camille Delaney-McNeil, Vice President, Learning, Los Angeles Philharmonic, California, USA

07-08-2026

Every other week this season, I wrote updates to my Los Angeles Philharmonic colleagues—a small, internal note meant to keep our broader institution abreast of what the Learning Department was up to. On the surface, it could be viewed as mundane: a calendar snapshot, a few highlights, the ever-important statistics everyone needs. But as I scrolled back through nine months of messages, I realized the depth they carry. These were not only stories about music lessons, concerts, and special events. They were testaments to the impact of connection built across programs, networks, and industries.

A Virtual Community for Those Working in Conflict Situations

07-08-2026

Impact Arts has launched Home of Hope, an international WhatsApp community with thematic-interest groups that connects artists, cultural workers, researchers, community leaders, and peacebuilders who work in situations of conflict and complex societal challenges.

Reaching Across Continents to Help Children Make Music

Jef Neve, Belgian classical and jazz pianist and composer

07-08-2026

About 15 years ago, when I was on tour in Africa, I was lucky enough to meet the late Bob Collymore, Founder/CEO of Safaricom Kenya and one of the most inspiring people on the planet. I performed at the Safaricom headquarters for all the employees; Bob was immediately enthusiastic about bringing more jazz to Nairobi, and he decided to launch the Safaricom International Jazz Festival. He organized the festival setup, and I helped him with the programming.

Mapping Social Impact Across Africa

07-08-2026

CAN (Community Arts Network) commissioned their member/partner organization Somali Arts Foundation to do a first-ever mapping of the socially engaged arts and cultural practitioners across North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and South Africa in an effort to reposition the arts as central to public life and to build stronger connections between artists, institutions, and communities

Invitation to Join Music Inclusion Hub

06-03-2026

The new Music Inclusion Hub (MIH) is a one-stop resource center that provides access to racial- and gender-inclusion educational materials for students of all grade levels, from educational videos and interactive composer databases to curricula and original student arrangements.

Apply for TATI’s Cohort VI

06-03-2026

Teaching artists in the U.S. and Canada can apply to join TATI’s (Teaching Artist Training Institute) Cohort VI.

Erasmus+ Project Finds Funding

06-03-2026

Sistema Europe reports that their Erasmus+ KA153 project “Music and Social Action in Europe: Practices in Exchange” has officially been approved.

From Program to Public Infrastructure: The Evolution of Dream Arts

Jeehye Suh, CEO, Inculture Consulting (Rep. of Korea); Adjunct Professor, Korea National University of Arts

06-03-2026

When we first designed the Dream Orchestra in 2010, we saw “isolation” as one of the most urgent conditions in children’s lives. At the time, the intensity of college entrance competition had already reached elementary school, and many children were being pushed into highly competitive, lonely environments.

Fifteen years later, children’s lives have not become easier. They remain caught in the competitive trap of the education system while social and economic inequality continues to deepen their vulnerability. Declining physical and mental wellbeing, weakened community ties, and the replacement of direct relationships with media-based activities have also left them increasingly disconnected.

Dispatches from an Inspiring Trip to Superar Budapest

Danielle Williams, Director of Education, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids, Maryland, USA

05-06-2026

If I could offer a travel tip to anyone lucky enough to visit another city or country, it would be this: reach out to a local El Sistema-inspired program, or a similar music for social change program, and visit it! Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of visiting such programs across five continents, learning from colleagues who share a common mission while working in vastly different contexts.

During my spring break this year, a trip to the beautiful country of Hungary led me to connect with the wonderful team at Superar Budapest. What began as a simple visit quickly turned into something much more.

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