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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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Using Circles to Build Community and Connection in CYD Spaces

John Weiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Lori Roddy, Executive Director, Neutral Zone

03-05-2025

It’s 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon at the Neutral Zone, a creative arts and leadership center for teenagers in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Twenty-four young people and six staff gather in a circle of chairs in the B-Side Venue (a multi-purpose program space that also serves as a 400-person concert venue). As a disco ball glimmers overhead, Ash, a teen participant and high school sophomore, volunteers with an opening question: “What did you like to do at recess when you were a kid in school?”

Training for Musicians to Support Refugees and Migrants

03-05-2025

Leeds Beckett University and Musicians Without Borders are collaborating to run a five-day training (June 9–13) for musicians interested in using their skills to support individuals affected by war and armed conflict.

Youth Music Camp in China Attracts International Attention

03-05-2025

An ensemble music camp for young players across Southeast Asia’s Greater Bay Area is drawing the attention of international musicians.

In Harmony Liverpool and the Till Approach: A New Perspective on String Pedagogy

Alex Dunn, Deputy Artistic Director, In Harmony Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, UK

02-05-2025

Ten years ago, violinist Sophie Till was in Scotland working with players from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. I was there too, attending her sessions and participating in a lesson. When I returned to In Harmony Liverpool, I did so feeling that Sophie’s work would soon change the way we taught our young string players.

EDITORIAL
Accelerating Our Actions

Camille Delaney-McNeil, Director, the YOLA/Beckmen YOLA Center at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, California, USA

12-11-2024

As I pen this, I find myself looking through some of the session schedules of prominent convenings in our field over the course of the next several months. Many of these gatherings have their anchored purpose clarified and grounded—and, on paper, this is truly inspiring! However, it’s unfortunate to see that many of the topics are the same as those we discussed two, three, or four seasons ago. We continue to address the same problems, instead of new, compounded issues that we all must rally around, to course-correct.

In Malawi, the Tumaini Festival Is More Journey Than Destination

Kensomah Magombo, Communications Officer, Tumaini Letu, in collaboration with The Ensemble editors

12-11-2024

Our flagship program is the annual Tumaini Festival, a free three-day global celebration held in the Camp, showcasing arts and cultural performances by refugee, Malawian, and international artists. As the star project of Tumaini Letu, this festival is the first and only one of its kind within a refugee camp. It highlights diverse art forms including music, theatre, poetry, and dance, spread across five performance areas. The Festival also features a display space for visual artists, a special evening dedicated to film screenings, and a children’s playground. Through everything from music and dance to spoken word and art, the Festival breaks stereotypes and builds solidarity among all attendees.

Young Performing Artists Gather in the South Korean Mountains

Park Jina, Head of Creative Community Team, Korea Arts and Culture Education Service (KACES)

10-02-2024

In August 2024, the Festival of Dreams brought together young artists from across South Korea to a camp held in the mountains of Pyeongchang province. The camp brought together members of the Youth Orchestra of Dreams and the Youth Dance Team of Dreams for the first time, and they united to form the Arts Group of Dreams. The three-day camp culminated in a joint performance that showcased their collective talents.

Learning Leadership at The Lewis Prize for Music
A Conversation with Nadia Johnson and Raiyasha Paris

The Lewis Prize for Music and The Ensemble

10-02-2024

The Lewis Prize for Music (TLPM) has supported our field over the past five years by granting significant awards to programs across the U.S. In addition, TLPM sometimes brings students from the programs they support into the organization’s leadership development projects.

TLPM recently brought two of these young leaders into conversation about the impact these professional experiences have had on their learning and their lives.

EDITORIAL
Methods Change, but Community Drives Our Field Forward

Christine Taylor Conda, Director, REACH*TEACH*PLAY Education Programs at Ravinia Festival

07-10-2024

If music is the universal language that brings people together, one would assume that this truth would hold for music education as well. But often, unfortunately, our field can pull people apart into seemingly oppositional camps. Over the course of my career as an arts education leader, I have witnessed many of these schisms, as well as their resolutions. I’d like to share three such dichotomies here.

What is music education for?

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