Santa Ana Suzuki Strings (SASS)
In 1992 Suzuki violin teacher, Cynthia Faisst returned to the U.S. after her graduation from the Talent Education Research Institute where she studied with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan. While she struggled to start her first Suzuki program in Orange County that spring, she was emotionally touched by the violence which erupted on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. She had heard about the work of Jose Abreu in Venezuela before leaving to study with Dr. Suzuki and was filled with a desire to find a way that she could make a difference by teaching with an at-risk-population.
At first, no one took her seriously. How could economically challenged families who were struggling to survive in California have time for music instruction or benefit from starting their preschoolers on the violin? Surely this was a luxury for families who had more time and resources. The "experts" told her that these children needed to get as much reading and math [not music] as their lives would allow. But Ms. Cynthia knew that what she could provide for these children would make the difficult jobs of school teachers easier, and so she persisted until she discovered a new Center in Santa Ana founded by Dr. Ana Jimenez.
Dr. Jimenez had seen how the arts brought healing to under served children in Santa Ana with special needs. In 2006, Ms. Cynthia offered to start a Suzuki violin program at the Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center (OCCTAC). This program - Santa Ana Suzuki Strings (SASS) became an addition to the many other inclusive after-school music activities offered to at-risk-children in Santa Ana, and was one of the first programs at the Center that required parental participation.
Using a unique pre-Twinkle curriculum that Ms. Cynthia developed in her Irvine Suzuki program, the program was now more accessible to every child.
WHAT MAKES SASS UNIQUE?
Location, location, location. Santa Ana is the 4th most densely populated city in the United States with a continually expanding population. However, this rapid growth has its casualties. 49% of the adults age 25 and older do not have a high school diploma. Households with more than 6 people was at 32% in 2002, and the poverty rate hovers at 15%. With a median age of 26.5, it is one of the youngest cities in America for its size. The relationship between hardship levels, urban/suburban disparity, and violent crime are borne out by FBI statistics.
HOW CAN MUSIC HELP?
OCCTAC is located in the Arts District - an island of hope surrounded by a sea of traumatizing statistics in a community that has earned the reputation of being one of the top three most unsafe cities to raise children in America. In a community walled off by cyclone fencing, where children have few safe places to play, it is even more important that they have access to arts and music activities where growing children can use their bodies. In a city like Santa Ana, known for its gang violence, a music teacher cannot wait until a child is 8, when children have already been affected by negative influences in their environment.
HOW IS SASS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SUZUKI PROGRAMS?
One of Ms. Cynthia's obsessions is to make learning to play the violin easy for preschoolers. SASS seems to be one of the few urban string programs that aims to start as many preschoolers as possible in order to have the most impact. She makes this technical skill accessible to a young child by connecting up his ears with his physical and kinesthetic abilities.
Unlike other education institutions, SASS invites parents into the classroom. "The most important thing we can do is to engage parents when their children are young. By giving them tools for music parenting we are also giving them the skills they need to have more influence on their children as education parents. By starting with preschoolers we have to develop methods and techniques that teach children to learn through their bodies and their senses. Bowing becomes breathing and dancing. They develop not only their ears, but also their sense of balance and physical confidence."
"SASS starts with group instructions at a young age, with parents, so that we can create a peer group in which children learn from each other. Parents also learn from one another and develop methods for pacing practice at home. By seeing the development of children in Group Lesson at other levels, they become advocates for mastery of skills. They see their child developing the ability to mentor other children by their developing musical leadership."
"We are teaching the children the science of sound through their violins. By listening to their CDs, they are learning to tune their instruments to match the 5ths they hear in Twinkle. We do not just put tapes on the fingerboard and hope for the best. They are discovering how to use the geographical location of harmonics on each string to tune their fingers."
"As these children are beginning to do demonstrations and performances at events, they are already raising the aspirations of new families who have seen our program and would like to join. As we have added video online, they are educating a community much greater than just OCCTAC or Santa Ana about the potential of children in our under-served communities across America."
As Book I students finish Twinkle, Suzuki pieces are supplemented with fiddle tunes from many different cultures around the world. Ms. Cynthia would like these young people to discover that by becoming skillful at playing a violin, there is a whole planet of friends waiting to meet them in their adventures with music. As part of a musical society, they will be able to do things that we can only dream of in the new global economy. "Armed with a violin tucked under their chin, we anticipate the day when they will take the initiative to express their own musical leadership, doing musical community service in many unexpected ways."
WHO IMPLEMENTS THE PROGRAM?
Currently, Ms. Cynthia serves as volunteer director and teacher of the SASS program. The program is subsidized by the teaching she does in her private Suzuki studio in Irvine, CA. They do not have any interns qualified to do the teaching that she is doing at this time. She depends on parents to help with setting up the classrooms, prepare for recitals, and share the program with the community by word of mouth.
HOW MANY CHILDREN PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM?
There are 4 different levels of students who attend class on Fridays after school and who return for additional instruction on Saturday afternoons. There is space in each class for up to 10 children with parents.
Currently there are 14 students who are up and playing on their violins from Twinklers to Book II students. New students continue to start and fill classes at the PreTwinkle A and PreTwinkle B levels.
"We are constantly starting new PreTwinklers who would continue on the violin, if they knew there would be instruments available. Our PreTwinkle program is excellent preparation for learning any musical instrument. But for the SASS to grow, we need more instruments in smaller sizes that children can borrow as they grow."
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ENROLL IN THE PROGRAM?
Since OCCTAC is 501(c)3, classes are made as affordable as possible, usually under $50/month. Students who are more financially challenged can qualify for scholarships. Parents are often asked to volunteer to help keep the Center running and funded.
HOW HAS THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED TO THE PROGRAM?
"Initially families were enthusiastic to sign up for violin classes, and many of the students were older beginners. Very few families could imagine starting their preschoolers on the violin. It is actually more difficult to start an older child and keep them motivated to practice and continue playing. But there is a strong interest in Mariachi and Folkloric music traditions and families have a desire to expose their children to violin study. As our youngest Twinklers get exposure playing for events in the community, we are starting to attract more and more families with preschoolers. We know if children start this early, they are more likely to keep playing until they graduate from high school."WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM?
"Starting a new Suzuki program is a challenging aspiration no matter where you do it. At first parents do not realize how much is happening for the child's development when children are listening at home and practicing away from the instrument. With each succeeding semester, parents are learning how important it is to take the time to master basic skills. Gradually, parents are realizing that the children are learning just as much from students who are less advanced as they are from those who are ahead of them. Over time, they are discovering that children are learning so much more from the violin than just music."
"Children are developing unique relationships with one another that they would not find with their non-Suzuki friends at school. They are developing peer and mentoring relationships with other students that are based on their desire to participate and be included in something greater than themselves. As the program grows, the developing environment we are creating with each new generation of beginners increases the rate at which the children are able to learn."
SASS students have participated in Suzuki Festivals, Cultural Festivals, and other music activities that take them outside of their local school neighborhoods. In November 2010, they performed for the NAEYC conference in nearby Anaheim, CA. They have also been invited to play their Suzuki pieces at a concert accompanied by the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. CYOSC.org is an orchestra filled with students they would not usually have the opportunity to interact with. The 6th grader we restarted, who continued to progress in Jr. High, is now playing with a Town and Gown orchestra at Santa Ana College. He is learning to share his skills and experience with younger students as a mentor and by playing the harmony parts for Book I.
ARE YOUR STUDENTS ABLE TO ATTEND OTHER CONCERTS?
"In order to inspire gifted and talented children, we are under constant pressure to create a gifted and talented environment. The best way to do this is to take children to concerts regularly. We have taken advantage of the concert opportunities made possible by the Heartstrings Foundation so that our families can attend Pacific Symphony Concerts. The very first time we invited families to go, they weren't sure what we were getting them into. Now that they know how much fun it is, they beg us to put them on the list for the next concert. It doesn't hurt that they have the experience of sitting in a state-of-the-art concert hall in the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center."
Secretly (or not so secretly now), Ms. Cynthia wishes she could take them all to go see the Simon Bolivar Symphony when they come to LA. But she knows the cost and availability makes this a prohibitive experience.
WHO PROVIDES THE VIOLINS, BOWS, MUSIC, STANDS, ROSIN, METRONOMES, ETC.?
"Students are expected to purchase the Suzuki Violin book and CD. They are usually able to cover the cost of smaller items, such as rosin, foam shoulder rests, or new strings when necessary. Students who are borrowing violins do not pay rent, but are expected to pay a deposit to cover small repairs and replacements for the instruments, if needed. Before students can check out a full violin outfit, they must have already demonstrated that they can be responsible for the care of a bow while they are in the PreTwinkle B class. This is an important part of Musical Parenting instruction. (We have not needed to do any major repairs of instruments.)"
"We have attempted to obtain grants for violins this size, but have found that most funders are not interested in a program that needs instruments smaller than 1/4 size. In other words, they would like to fund violins for people who can already afford a student level violin and are interested in larger or more expensive instruments for more advanced students."
SASS is looking for funding for small musically reliable violins to make a difference in the lives of urban at-risk children, preschool and older.
DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEER TEACHERS FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO WANT TO STUDY VIOLIN?
"We are always creative about the way we use our interns and volunteers." SASS will use all the volunteers they can get.
MENTORS: Ms. Cynthia is always grateful to have assistance from young musicians with a good ear and words of encouragement. Thanks to the economy, she has a limited number of high school students from her own studio who have been able to volunteer. Mentors do not always need to be violin students. They can use guitar or piano accompanists. It is also wonderful for violin students to play duets with other musicians - for example, flute or cello. Some of the ensemble music lends itself to the enhancement of percussion instruments.
INTERNS: OOCTAC has various positions for interns with backgrounds in music, music therapy, and the arts. Dr. Ana recruits many of these young people from local universities in the area. Anyone interested should contact OCCTAC: http://www.occtac.org/getinvolved.html
"When we first started, we were blessed to have an intern [Ms. Kelly] who had both experience as a Suzuki student and a background for working with special needs students." The ideal intern would have at least some training under the Suzuki Method, or at least a background in String Method. Ms. Cynthia is more than happy to mentor young string players who are interested in getting their training with SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas) in the Suzuki Method.
WHAT SUPPLIES/SUPPORT DO YOU NEED?
VIOLINS! "Our greatest need is violins. The potential to have an impact on this community is limited by the number of small instruments we can obtain for students. To meet the needs of economically challenged students, SASS needs to create a library of musically reliable instruments starting at 1/32 up through 1/4 size to meet the needs of a growing Suzuki program with several generals of students from preschool through high school."
"The violins we plan to obtain need to have the following features:
*sizes starting with 1/32, 1/16, 1/10, 1/8
*made of authentic materials and workmanship
*instruments that will be sturdy enough to last decades to serve many generations of students
*violins which need little tuning between lessons allowing parents to adjust with only the fine tuners when necessary
*instruments that are properly set up so that they play the 3rd, 4th, and 7th position harmonics correctly
"If we are going to teach children to practice with the honesty and integrity of their hearts, we must do our best to provide instruments that will tell the truth. How can we ask a child to play in tune when his violin refuses to cooperate?"
CHROMATIC TUNERS AND METRONOMES: "Many of our families can afford the "small stuff" that they need from the music store. Occasionally I have a few families for whom this really adds up. We have a few students who could really benefit from having a chromatic tuner in their violin case for when the weather changes and all their strings go out of tune. This is also a great device for motivating accurate intonation practice.
BOOKS: Suzuki students are expected to obtain the Suzuki Violin Book for their current level. However, there are additional supplementary books which more advanced student in the method are using as early as Book II. It would be helpful to have a few copies of these books for students who cannot afford to buy them so they can borrow them:
*Barbara Barber - Fingerboard Geography for Violin
*Suzuki - Position Etudes
*Barbara Barber - Scales for Advanced Violinists
"We also have many parents who speak Spanish as their first language. Suzuki parenting books in Spanish are becoming available, and we would like to create a library of these texts for parents to borrow." http://www.emdemus.com.mx/
"Ideally it would be nice if we had copies of other Suzuki parenting books:
*They're Rarely Too Young and Never Too Old to Twinkle - Kay Slone
*Ability Development from Age Zero
*Nurtured by Love
*In the Suzuki Style - Elizabeth Mills
*Helping Parents Practice - Edmund Sprunger
*Winning Ways: Strategies for Suzuki Parents
*First Class Tips for Suzuki Parents
*A Suzuki Parent's Diary - Carrol Morris
*The Suzuki Concept
RECORDINGS: "It is hard to motivate practice without recordings. There is so much music that these children have not heard or seen yet. We played a DVD we received from the El Sistema movement for these families. It may have been the first time that many of them had seen youth that looked like them playing in a symphony. They were so amazed. We would love to have more classical violin music that students could borrow from us on CD or DVD. It would also be nice to get CDs and DVDs that we could award them with or present to them for graduations or special accomplishments or as motivation to practice.
Type of recordings:
*Classical violin music
*Classical music for young children
*Ethnic fiddle music or gypsy violin music
For more information, to volunteer, or make a donation, please contact Ms. Cynthia Faisst. Facebook: Santa Ana Suzuki Strings
Website: http://sasuzukistrings.wordpress.com/
Phone #1: OCCTAC: 714-547-5468
Phone #2: Talent Education Center - Suzuki Violin: 949-261-2822
Cultures in Harmony
INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM HARVEY, Founder and Director of CULTURES IN HARMONY
William Harvey is a gifted and unique violinist, having received accolades not only for his performances as a soloist, but also for his work as a conductor, composer, and teacher. If you heard his performance on NPR's From the Top (http://www.fromthetop.org/node/63), you know that he is also the founder and director of Cultures in Harmony - an organization that reaches out through music to build bridges across cultural and national barriers around the world. We asked Mr. Harvey to share with us his ideas regarding the importance of music and outreach programs.
Q: You are well known for your performance for the members of the Fighting Sixty-Ninth regiment shortly after the attacks on 9/11. Prior to that, what was your experience with outreach programs?
A: My mother made it a priority to organize performances for me in nursing homes from when I was very young, so this was a part of my upbringing. However, I never saw it as a large part of my future career until 9/11, which dramatically re-oriented my priorities towards exploring music's capacity to transform society.
CiH Executive Director William Harvey plays a spontaneous concert
for children by the side of the road in Papua, New Guinea.
Q: How much of a priority should music students give to involvement in outreach programs? And how can they carve the time out of a hectic practice and school schedule to be involved in outreach?
A: Students should give a top priority to outreach programs. Music is far too powerful to remain confined to the concert hall. What we do as musicians is simply too amazing to keep to ourselves! My question would be: how can students carve the time out of a hectic outreach program schedule for practice and school activities?
Q: What are some of the ways you've seen music transform the lives of people who live in difficult situations?
A: I founded Cultures in Harmony (CiH) in 2005 to promote cultural understanding through music, and over the course of 22 projects in 12 countries, CiH project participants regularly see music transform people's conceptions and lives. Through our project in Tunisia, I met an outstanding young violinist, Nidhal Jebali, who sadly thought he might have to leave music due to a lack of education and career options. I convinced him that he is an extraordinary talent and urged him to attend the Indiana University String Academy, where my former teacher, Mimi Zweig, shared my opinion. To our delight, he applied to Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and is now finishing his sophomore year!
CiH Project Participant Fran Anderegg takes a kanun lesson in Tunisia
in one of the many examples of reciprocal learning that takes place in
a CiH project.
Q: What type of music have you found works best when working cross-culturally?
A: Cultures in Harmony makes it a point to perform the traditional music of our host country side by side with local musicians. We seek to change people's negative perceptions about the USA, and one of the most prevalent perceptions (one with some truth to it) is the belief that Americans are not interested in learning from the outside world. When American musicians demonstrate in public that they are honored to learn from local experts, such a concert powerfully counters the negative preconceptions and affirms our common humanity. We have performed a wide diversity of music, such as a duet from the mvet repertoire in Cameroon, loungas alongside Egyptian oud players, and ragas with Pakistani sarangi players. In 2007, two women from CiH became the first women in history to publicly perform the music for the whirling dervish ceremony in Konya, Turkey, where the ceremony originated some seven centuries ago.
Q: If someone has never been involved in an outreach program or concert, how can they begin?
A: When I was a freshman at Juilliard, Juilliard asked for volunteers to play at venues all over the city in the wake of 9/11. This is how I ended up performing for soldiers as they returned from a long day of rescue and cleanup work at Ground Zero on September 16, 2001. This is the performance that changed by life and the direction of my career. So, I advise all students to be alert to opportunities their school may provide. For instance, later that year, I searched for all the nursing homes in Manhattan and kept calling different ones until I found one willing to host a concert. Persistence helps!
CiH Project Participant Catherine Hickey shakes hands with children
after an outreach concert in Yaoundé, Cameroon
For more information about William Harvey and his fascinating work, please use the following links:
William Harvey - http://www.parkerartists.com/NewPages/harvey.html
Culture in Harmony website: http://www.culturesinharmony.org
Blog: http://harmonybeat.blogspot.com/
Explore the Project Map to learn more about their projects! http://www.culturesinharmony.org/index.php?option=com_gmapfp&view=gmapfp&id_perso=0&Itemid=92
Benefit Concert for Orphans of the Japan Disaster
As the son of two supportive and loving parents, the stories of the children of Japan have had a tremendous impact on me. I am here because of my parents; they have, and will, guide me through every hardship that I will face in the future. I cannot imagine what children who lose their parents go through. Because of this, I want to help the children. I decided to create a benefit concert that will support the orphans of Japan.
The concert will feature students from the Academy Program of the Music Institute of Chicago, as well as MIC President, Mr. Mark George, who will emcee the event. As a community, we can make a difference in the lives of the orphans of Japan. Please join the MIC community on May 15thin supporting the orphans of Japan. Thank you.
Tickets: $15.00 General Admission (cash or check only). All proceeds go to the Ashinaga Organization to benefit the children of Japan's disaster. Kai has also designed Walk with Children t-shirts that will be available for purchase at the concert.
NOTE: The Academy and the Music Institute of Chicago support and endorse the Walk with Children: 2011 Benefit Concert for Orphans of the Japan Disaster. As earthquake survivors themselves, the Talim family understands the devastation of these recent tragedies. Please come out and support this worthy cause.
Juilliard Violin Outreach Program
JUILLIARD STUDENTS TO TRAVEL TO GABORONE, BOTSWANA;
ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA; AND DETROIT, MICHIGAN FOR
EDUCATIONAL AND ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES THIS SUMMER 2011
THIS SUMMER MARKS THE 20TH YEAR OF JUILLIARD’S SUMMER GRANTS PROGRAM
For the 20th year, Juilliard is giving some of its dance, drama, and music students special grants that support part of innovative summer educational arts residencies beginning this month in Antigua, Guatemala and Gaborone, Botswana, and in Detroit, Michigan in June. These residencies are part of Juilliard’s extensive outreach program and have been funded by the School since 1991. Each spring semester, a call for proposals urges students to plan the artistic and administrative elements of unique projects, which in the past have taken Juilliard’s young artists around the world – to Brazil, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Nigeria, Nova Scotia, Peru, The Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. These summer residencies deepen the students’ understanding of their role and impact as artists, and the projects benefit others, often in underserved areas of the United States and the world. The participants in these projects document their work and share their reports with the Juilliard community during the School’s convocation ceremony in September.
Three projects were selected to receive funding this summer 2011. They are:
RAYOS DE CANCÍON (RAYS OF SONG), Antigua, Guatemala, May 22 – 31, 2011
Juilliard dancer Annalise Thompson will be bringing her fellow students, Midori Samson (bassoon), Caterina Longhi (viola), Caeli Smith (violin), and Matthew Wright (flute) to work at a free hospital in Antigua, Guatemala called Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro (Social Workings of Brother Pedro). The mission of the hospital is to provide care and sustenance to those with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. The group’s goal is to introduce the facility to the power of live classical music so that the hospital’s professional staff may endeavor to seek it as a more permanent form of supplemental care. Ms. Thompson spent her junior year in high school fulfilling her required 50-hour community service project in Antigua at the hospital and was committed to returning. She was able to secure the grant from Juilliard. The project is called Rayos de Cancíon (Rays of Song), and the student group will be in Antigua from May 22 – 31, 2011. They will spend three hours each morning working with the patients and spend afternoons working with the hospital’s orphanage. While Ms. Thompson is not a musician, she is musically-inclined and has been inquisitive about the healing power of music for some years. She plans on using her skills as a dancer to lead interactive games and movement-related aspects of the program in conjunction with the musical aspect.
PROJECT MAP (MARU-A-PULA), Botswana, Africa (May 24 – June 20, 2011)
Juilliard students are returning to a community service project and arts education program in Botswana, Africa, called Project MAP (Maru-A-Pula), which will take place May 24 – June 20, 2011. While in Botswana, Juilliard students will work with children at the Maru-A-Pula (Setswanan for Promises of Blessings) School, SOS Children’s Village, and the Mmanoko Community Children’s Orphanage. Maru-A-Pula is an independent day and boarding secondary school in Gaborone, the capitol of Botswana. The SOS Children’s Village in Tlokweng provides care for children who have been orphaned or impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The team will teach dance and drama to children from all three organizations. The project culminates in a full-length performance, combining the talents of the Project MAP team and the children from the Maru-A-Pula School, SOS Children’s Village, and Mmanoko Community Children’s Orphanage. The team’s mission is to demonstrate that there is an opportunity for life, progress and success through creativity. Juilliard actor Kerry Warren heads up the team, which includes Juilliard dancers Ernesto Breton, Jehbreal Muhammad Jackson, Hassan Ingraham, Juilliard actor Jeremie Harris, and Juilliard jazz pianist Kris Bowers. Candace Feldman, a current Juilliard Concert Office employee, is originally from the area and serves as their advisor. She was the link initially to the Maru-A-Pula School. Darryl Quinton, a Juilliard faculty member since 1991 in the Drama Division, will be the second advisor on the trip. The project began when Juilliard dancer and now alumnus,LeBaron McClary, met with a representative from the Maru-A-Pula School in the fall of 2009 in NYC and offered to bring Juilliard students to Africa to introduce the arts project to the community. They gradually worked out the details, and Project MAP was realized.
DETROIT ARTS IMMERSION, Detroit, Michigan, June 22 – July 3, 2011
Juilliard dancer Breanna O’Mara is director of Detroit Arts Immersion (June 22 – July 3, 2011) and will bring along a group of four Juilliard students dedicated to the mission of bringing arts education and performances to the city of Detroit in communities that are most in need. Detroit, once a center for music and the arts, continues to struggle economically, culturally, and emotionally. As a native of Detroit, Ms. O’Mara founded the project in the summer of 2009 in response to the devastating economic effects waging war on the city and most importantly, on its children. The project is committed to developing a constructive arts immersion program for abuse neglect, long-term foster and paroled youth, through the Holy Cross Children’s Services and the Michigan Department of Human Services. The group will organize free public performances that include over four venues with large and diverse audience bases. Venues will include the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. The group will partner with well-established organizations and local artists, such as the Heidelberg Project, to maximize long-term effectiveness. Ms. O’Mara’s team includes Juilliard dancer Brittanie Brown, Juilliard actor
Noah Witke, and Juilliard musicians, bassist Allison Job, and jazz pianist Kris Bowers.
The Juilliard School also supports numerous programs that bring the performing arts to underserved groups much closer to home. During each school year, Juilliard’s administrative Educational Outreach programs benefit audiences throughout the five boroughs of New York City. These programs provide instructional opportunities in dance, drama, and music, epitomizing Juilliard’s commitment to sharing the arts with the community. By engaging in classroom teaching and interactive performances, Juilliard students gain the foundations necessary for them to embark on successful careers and productive lives as artists, leaders, and citizens. For more information on Juilliard’s Educational Outreach Programs, go to http://www.juilliard.edu/outreach/outreach.html.
Violin Outreach Programs
1. Ansonia Music Outreach Program - ansoniamusic.org
“Ansonia Music Outreach is dedicated to bringing the gift of music to a broad audience, through our work with young people at public and private schools, our efforts to bring the musical arts to low-income and underserved communities, and our concerts and events for the elderly, the ill, and the physically disadvantaged. Our mission is to help establish the musical arts as a more essential and valuable experience in the lives of the general public.
Our Access to Music program offers events such as free concerts, music classes, and interactive workshops to disadvantaged and underserved audiences in New York City.
Our Music for the Young program presents innovative concerts and events to young people designed to inspire interest in classical music and the arts, encourage creativity, and help make the arts an integral part of the school curriculum.
Our Composer Workshop gives composers of merit the opportunity to create new works, to make accesible important music of our time, and to work on ways in which the particular musical style or message of new works can be communicated to a general audience, particularly young audiences.”
2. Education Through Music - Los Angeles - etmla.org
“ETM-LA’s mission is to promote and support music instruction in disadvantaged schools in order to enhance students' academic performance and general development. Founded in 2006, ETM-LA, Inc. is an affiliate music education program based on the ETM® model, which has over 19 years of success in New York City. Currently, ETM-LA serves approximately 1500 Los Angeles schoolchildren with weekly, yearlong music instruction including such disciplines as violin, cello, guitar, flute, chorus, and general music. ETM-LA partner schools are all serving at-risk students. Typically, more than 80% of the students are eligible for the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program, determined by family income, over 90% are minorities, and 10% are disabled. The schools traditionally do not have music programs, but all have a desire to provide music education to the children they serve.”
3. Jennifer Koh - Music Messenger - http://jenniferkoh.com/mm/index.html
“Music Messenger was created in the belief that music is a universal language that has the ability to transcend the boundaries of culture, language, age, race and socio-economic background. Music Messenger also holds the conviction that music has the ability to embrace these human differences as well as express the humanity that connects all of us. Music Messenger offers its programs as a means of using music as a language through which to speak and express one’s self.”
4. Joy of Music School - Knoxville, TN - joyofmusicschool.org
”Joy of Music School is a nonprofit organization providing free music lessons for children who cannot afford them. All teachers are volunteers. The School also provides instruments, music and supplies at no cost to students. We endeavor to broaden the lives of financially disadvantaged young people to teacher good habits that will carry over into their lives’ work, and to expose young people to new opportunities for success. The Joy of Music School seeks to provide for students the following:
(1) Music instruments and related accessories
(2) Special musical opportunities through a combination of private and group lessons, ensemble participation, plus music enrichment classes and experiences
(3) Support and encouragement, so that students may develop their artistic potential to the highest level possible.”
Joy of Music School was featured on ABC’s “Secret Millionaire” on March 7, 2011. (You can watch the episode on Hulu.)
5. Making Music Matters - makingmusicmatters.com
“We are a teen volunteer-driven organization that provides after school music programs to St. Louis inner city schools that are unable to create their own. We believe that music is an integral aspect of education and shouldn’t be neglected. While our project doesn’t cross international borders, it reaches deep into the heart of the United States towards the inner city schools. We provide the opportunity for each student in the program to attend a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Concert and take a tour of Powell Hall. Each semester, we organize a concert for the students to show their family, friends, and other community members the skills they have gained.”
6. Midori - Orchestra Residency Program (ORP) - http://www.gotomidori.com
“Designed by Midori as a means of supporting the American youth orchestra, the Orchestra Residencies Program is a collaborative project which provides meaningful musical experiences now for the next generation of classical musicians. The program aspires to help establish the youth orchestra as a presence in the community, as well as to build upon relationships with the local professional symphony, visiting artists and administrative staff.”
7. Midori - Partners in Performance (PIP) http://www.pipmusic.org -
“Founded by violinist Midori in 2003, Partners in Performance is a non-profit organization which co-presents chamber music concerts with the goal of stimulating interest in classical music, specifically in smaller communities outside the radius and without the financial resources of major urban centers. Partners in Performance accepts applications from January 15th each year, with a submission deadline of May 15. Please visit the Application Info page to access the forms and guidelines.”