December 2020

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

Young Musicians Rally Around Rock Music to Build Bridges—premiere Dec. 19

12-16-2020

Music Connects is premiering a new documentary on music’s role as a universal language. It shares the story of young people who seek to heal ethnic divides in regions still plagued by the Yugoslav Wars. The uniting force? Rock music, which serves as the soundtrack to this story of bridging cultural differences.

Looking Out Foundation Offers Grants to Serve and Amplify Organizations in Need—deadline Feb. 1

12-16-2020

The Looking Out Foundation seeks to amplify the impact of music by empowering those without a voice, funding causes and organizations that often go unnoticed. Grants range between $1,000 and $5,000, and application deadlines are February 1 and August 1. Additional information about the Foundation is here and the application guidelines are here. Starting in 2008, multiple GRAMMY-winning artists Brandi Carlile and Tim and Phil Hanseroth banded together with fans, nonprofits, and corporations “to translate voices of song to voices of action”—$1 from every concert ticket sold goes directly into this fund.

Musicians Without Borders Schedules Musical Leadership Training for Early Spring 2021

12-16-2020

Looking for practical tools to keep pace in the ever-evolving climate of the music classroom? Musicians Without Borders is offering a professional development series in music leadership that seeks to prepare its participants to comfortably manage conflict, to provide them with exercises for regulating socio-emotional behaviors, and to create inclusive classrooms that transcend language or cultural barriers. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and training will be held February 21–24 in Ede, The Netherlands. There is a cost associated with the training. For more information or general inquiries, contact Meagan Hughes at: meagan@mwb.ngo.

Now Available: A Digital Library of Learning Modules from Expert Teaching Artists

12-16-2020

Teaching artists anywhere now have access to a clearinghouse of new tools and resources from the International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC). The U.S. organization Creative Generation (CG) has received an ITAC grant for their “Knowledge Sharing and Digital Learning Project,” which creates digital learning modules out of ITAC’s monthly Think Tanks. These modules go deeper into strong practices shared by teaching artists who are experts in a particular subject area, disseminating that expertise throughout the field of teaching artistry. CG has already begun to publish these expanded learning modules—the first five feature teaching artists from Ghana, Czech Republic, Scotland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea—and will continue to publish more. CG will also publish research and resources from sessions presented at ITAC4 (Carnegie Hall, 2012) and ITAC5 (Seoul, South Korea, 2020).

Lewis Prize for Music Announces Accelerator Awards Finalists

12-16-2020

The Lewis Prize for Music seeks out, honors, and supports programs they consider to be “catalysts” in the U.S. field for community-driven, high-quality music learning opportunities. The goal is to target and amplify programs that spark positive change in society. Listed among this year’s finalists is Atlanta Music Project, under the direction of Dantes Rameau and Aisha Moody; last year’s three grant recipients included Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI.

Rwanda Youth Music Brings Back the Rhythm in December Concert

12-16-2020

The Rwanda Youth Music program shared a performance video to celebrate the lifting of certain COVID restrictions and the renewal of in-person rehearsals and concerts. On Sunday, December 13, three “energy-boosting bands,” Unit, Legend, and Fire Voice, performed for this online concert. Check out the replay of this celebratory event on their Facebook page.

Carnegie Hall Offers Free Workshop for Young Songwriters

12-16-2020

You probably have several secret (or not-so-secret) young songwriters in your program—pass this resource along to them. Carnegie Hall has posted a five-part workshop on “How to Write a Song,” led by songwriter and performer Bridget Barkan. The series explores the power of songs and provides a step-by-step approach to crafting a song that expresses ideas and emotions; finding inspiration; writing a chorus, verse, and bridge; and making sure that the song has the communicative power of personal voice.

ArtsEdSearch and Khan Academy Offer Free Resource Libraries for the Arts Education Community

12-16-2020

Are you sometimes looking for solid research to back up your claims about your program’s value? ArtsEdSearch is the largest online clearinghouse for reliable arts education research to support practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the U.S. This searchable database (sort by age level, arts discipline, kinds of providers, and more) now holds over 300 studies gathered over eight years by the Arts Education Partnership. Many of the studies address relevant issues such as social and emotional learningschool engagement, and civic and community engagement.

Help Creative Generation Re-Think ‘Mentorship’—deadline Jan. 15

12-16-2020

Do you have useful definitions of mentorship that are not solely based on age, title, or perceived level of expertise? Creative Generation will publish a series of papers that disrupt and interrogate long-held ideas of mentorship—promoting youth-centered, multilateral, intergenerational, and/or cyclical mentorship models in arts and cultural education.

Finland Shares Music Education Goals for Next Decade

12-16-2020

While Finlanders are usually modest about claiming accomplishments, a Vision 2030 publication starts with the statement, “Finnish music education is the best in the world.” Many agree. You might be interested in looking at this one-page summary of what the best music education nation envisions for its next ten years.

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