Mentorship

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

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

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.

National Seminario Ravinia: Orchestras For All

09-04-2024

On the evening of July 10, the Ravinia Festival’s historic Pavilion stage glowed with the combined talents of the 130 students of National Seminario Ravinia. It was the final night of the 2024 Seminario, just in its second year. Students aged 11–18 from 43 El Sistema-inspired organizations around the world—including those from 17 U.S. states, Mexico, Canada, Greece, and Sweden—had gathered for four days of intensive orchestral training and mentorship from members of the Seminario Orchestra Partner, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival (NOI+F). For many of the students, it was their first time having such an experience. 

A Missive from the Field: Musical Growth and Joy in Papua New Guinea

02-01-2023

As Music Director, I was most impressed by the way students from each section were able to take turns teaching, conducting, and helping the group perfect the repertoire prior to the Christmas concert. For more than a month, older students worked patiently with younger, newer students, imparting their experience and knowledge. This says a great deal about the transformational effects of the Sistema model in the places where it grows.

Intergenerational Co-Mentoring Project

02-01-2023

What if we borrowed a principle from our shared love for the artistic discipline of theatrical clown, and adopted the position that we were both experts and that we both knew nothing, simultaneously? This dichotomy balances the resilience of the expert with the vulnerability of the newcomer. Our clowns know how to negotiate the movement from one to the other and back again.

Editorial: Virtual Music-Making as a Tool for Diplomacy

09-02-2020

As the world went into lockdown this year, most educational institutions throughout the world adapted to a new virtual learning environment. Musical classes and performances were no exception. But music is fundamentally a field that relies on subtle human interactions, bringing people physically together. The abrupt change has meant unfamiliar territory for many.

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