March 2021

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

Submit Proposals to the Creative People and Places Conference

03-03-2021

Would you like to present your work at a global conference focused on inclusive arts and cultural engagement?

Safe Passage through Music for the Children of Armonia Cuscatleca, El Salvador

03-03-2021

Looking back, Pablo is sure it was the all-night music-making that inspired him.

Born in war-time El Salvador, Pablo Mendez Granadino grew up in Los Angeles after his parents had fled from their village, San Pedro Perulapán. There had been musicians in his family for generations; he studied violin as a child and taught for five years at L.A.’s Harmony Project, an El Sistema–based music project for children from underserved communities. Chances to return to El Salvador to see his extended family were few and far between; when he went back to San Pedro in June 2015, it had been 15 years since his last visit. He was 30 years old.

Arts Education and Human Capability

03-03-2021

Knowledge, as widely understood, is the engine of modern economic progress. In that sense, education, as part of knowledge, is a driver of economic development. That’s why the idea of “human capital” augmentation is preached so widely in development discourse.

Call to Action: Sing in Solidarity with Our Myanmar Colleagues

03-03-2021

An audiovisual project called “Sing in Solidarity with Myanmar Citizens,” launched in response to the military coup initiated in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, has attracted thousands of singing supporters across the world. The organizers, who include musicians and dancers from the inclusive music education program Gitameit Music Institute (read our 2020 feature on them here), have invited the international community to video-record themselves singing a short new song produced by the Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement/Campaign.

From Inside the Global Leaders Program: Thought Experiments for Shared Inspiration

03-03-2021

Editors’ Note: Have you and your colleagues ever allowed yourselves the luxury of imagining a community-building event or concert that’s much more ambitious than anything you’ve ever done before? If so, wouldn’t you have welcomed help from advisors who could bring broader perspectives from the fields of social science, education, and civic policy?

Exploring Partnerships: Working Together to Enhance Community Engagement

03-03-2021

As the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic approaches, many musicians continue to be isolated from their communities. Lockdowns, travel bans, and limits on in-person gatherings all pose challenges to creating meaningful interactions through music. Yet the importance of engaging with our communities through music has never been more apparent.

El Sistema Greece: A Multiform Approach to Multiple Circumstances

03-03-2021

El Sistema Greece is a free music education program open to all children in Greece. Because our students come from more than 30 different countries, the impact of the work we do, both with refugee children and with the larger local community encompassing both migrants and natives, is twofold.

“I Can and I Will”: Making Beautiful Music at Open Air School

03-03-2021

The Open Air School in Durban, South Africa is a long-standing institution offering education to learners who have physical impairments, from pre-primary through grade 12. Their motto, “I can and I will,” is how I have come to know each child I meet at the school. Nothing is beyond their reach or capability.

The Ambassadors at the El Sistema USA 2021 National Symposium & Seminario!

03-03-2021

The WE Ambassadors were recently invited to participate in the El Sistema USA 2021 National Symposium and Seminario. They participated in various events and hosted their own panel discussion on “The Magic of Music Mentoring Around the World.” For the latter, they filmed videos of themselves proudly talking about their musical programs. Here is what they had to say about the experience.

Fortissima Goes National

03-02-2021

The Colburn School’s Center for Innovation and Community Impact is expanding Fortissima to become national. Launched by Jazmín Morales in 2017, Fortissima is an artistic and leadership development program for high school–age young women from minorities underrepresented in classical music who show an interest in pursuing a career in orchestral music.

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