Community Music

 
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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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.

Compelling New Research in Scotland

07-08-2026

Many years of research by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health on Big Noise Govenhill provide the deepest evidence of our field’s social and economic impact.

In South Africa, a Marimba Band Moves with the Music

Thandeka Dlamini, Band Manager, Organizer, and Coach, Goede Hoop Marimba Band

06-03-2026

Since 2014, the Goede Hoop Marimba Band has operated in Boksburg, Gauteng, a small South African town in the smallest South African province. The band started in 2014 at the Goede Hoop Primary School, the hub where all practice takes place, as a way of keeping children out of the streets after school, committing them to something that could positively impact their future, and strengthening their community bonds.

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.

Expanding the Lullaby Project in Greece

06-03-2026

For nine years, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece—in partnership with El Sistema Greece and New York’s Carnegie Hall—has presented works from The Lullaby Project, in which people with diverse experiences work with composers and songwriters to transform personal stories about relationships with children into original musical works.

Young Composers in Toronto, Canada

06-03-2026

Sistema Toronto’s students engaged in a term-long composition project with award-winning composer Aaron Manswell and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale (NDC).

Atlanta Music Project Launches a World Music Festival

06-03-2026

The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most watched and celebrated sporting event, and Atlanta, Georgia, will host three of the tournament’s matches this year.

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.

Playlists from Carnegie Hall Corrections Program

05-06-2026

Carnegie Hall celebrates 15 years of its Musical Connections program with Sing Sing Voices, a new collection of video playlists featuring original music created by participants and alumni at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.

Welcome, El Sistema Oman

05-06-2026

El Sistema Oman, a new youth orchestra program based in the Gulf area of Muscat, Oman, is completing its pilot year.

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