December 2020

 
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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News & Resources

Updates from the Arts Council of Ireland and Ireland’s Culture Minister

12-16-2020

What do 17-year-olds actually do for fun? A new study from the Arts Council of Ireland details answers for their country—would the answers be the same for 17-year-olds in your country? Their top three “cultural activities” for several-times-a-week fun or relaxation were listening to music (87%), surfing the Internet (86%), and singing/playing a musical instrument (23%)—only one in six (14%) reads for pleasure several times a week.

Road Tripping through Mexico with Linda and the Mockingbirds

Verenice Velazquez, Program Participant, Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy

12-02-2020

“Hey, Verenice! We are taking a bus with Linda to Sonora—we’d like you to join us with your fiddle.” I was in my third year at UC San Diego when Eugene Rodriguez, Founder and Director of Los Cenzontles, called me with an invitation to take a very special trip. Just a few months later, I was on a bus to Sonora, Mexico with Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, several Cenzontles, and many more family and friends, embarking on a musical journey that was filmed to create Linda and the Mockingbirds.

Codi’r To: El Sistema in Wales, and in Welsh

Carys Bowen, Coordinator, Sistema Cymru

12-02-2020

Codi’r To (Welsh for “raising the roof”) is a Welsh-language community project that delivers the world-renowned El Sistema program in areas of multiple deprivation in North Wales. Specifically, we seek to tackle disadvantage and educational underachievement in two communities of multiple deprivation. We hope to provide inspiration and transformation for children, families, schools, and communities, changing lives for the better through music.

Lullaby International

Tiffany Ortiz, Director, Early Childhood Programs, Carnegie Hall

12-02-2020

Through Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project, families work side by side with professional musicians to create and sing personal lullabies for their children. Parents create songs that are uniquely theirs, that reflect who they are as parents and what they hope to communicate or pass on to their children. Families often express the joys, fears, and stresses of parenting, but most of all, they share their hopes, dreams, and love for their children. Each lullaby is a gift, a reflection of parent creativity, love for our youngest ones, and our basic human need for meaningful connection.

The Ambassadors’ 2020 Online Musical Pen Pal Project: Part 1

12-02-2020

Last month, the 2020 World Ensemble Ambassadors launched their inaugural Online Musical Pen Pal Project, connecting some 25 musicians from five different programs. As of this writing, the pen pals have met twice and communicated with one another on alternate weeks. During larger group sessions, pen pals shared their respective cultures and took part in improvisation activities. Read about the project from Ambassadors Stephen Ongoma (Ghetto Classics) and Hannah Christensen (Sistema Utah).

The Morris Isaacson Centre for Music: Grounding the Basics in Students’ Cultural Identities

Chris Bishop, Director of Music, Morris Isaacson Centre for Music, Soweto, South Africa

12-02-2020

The Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto, South Africa provides music education to almost 300 students. Driving human development through music, we hold Early Childhood Development classes at local partner institutions, and also provide a comprehensive on-site program of music tuition through individual lessons, ensembles, music theory classes, and choirs to develop musicianship.

The Power of Believing in Our Communities

Axelle Miel, Ambassadors Program Leader; violinist and aspiring teaching artist

12-02-2020

I am an uncommon editorialist. A 19-year-old violinist with no professional experience who’s just finished her first semester of college is not your typical guest writer, yet here I am penning the opening piece of this month’s newsletter. It is a curious predicament, but nothing that I am not already used to. Because of the nature of my musical training, I have become accustomed to occupying spaces in which I never truly felt I belonged.

Last Day to Apply to National Youth Orchestra—deadline Dec. 1

12-01-2020

Today, December 1, is the LAST DAY TO APPLY for Carnegie Hall’s 2021 National Youth Orchestra programs. Their NYO2 ensemble might be in reach for some of your best players. This free program, which focuses on recruiting from communities that are underrepresented in classical music, brings together young musicians ages 14-17 for “intensive training and performance opportunities.” The selected students will work with professional orchestral musicians as well as teachers from top conservatories. For now, the program is set to take place in person in New York City in July 2021. Nominations from teachers, directors, administrators, or community leaders are due today, December 1; complete student applications are due December 10. Application details can be found here.

Connect.Adapt.Thrive! El Sistema USA Releases Theme for 2021 National Symposium and Seminario

12-01-2020

El Sistema USA has released the theme for their 2021 National Symposium and Seminario, charging the field to “Connect.Adapt.Thrive!” The event, now in its third year, will be held virtually and will be hosted by the Sistema-inspired program Miami Music Project. It will take place from February 15-19, 2021, and focus on three main areas: Racial Diversity and Cultural Understanding, Musical Excellence during the pandemic, and Team and Family Support pre- and post-pandemic. Requests for session proposals are due December 15. Proposal submissions can be made here.

Institute for Composer Diversity creating a Database of Underrepresented Composers

12-01-2020

Building a comprehensive repertoire of diverse composers remains an unfortunate and lingering difficulty in our field. The Institute for Composer Diversity (ICD) is working to actively address this issue, creating a database of thousands of composers from historically underrepresented groups and marginalized communities. The database includes both living and non-living composers and includes orchestral, wind ensemble, choral, and vocal art song works, with grade level designations. It also identifies repertoire trends of major orchestras to help arts institutions shift their programming.

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