Your November 2020 Resource Basket

Dear Subscriber,

As this long—long—year nears its end, this November Resource Basket keeps an eye on the future. How will we re-energize our communities when it is safe to do so? What new lessons can we take into our classrooms and rehearsal spaces—and what will those shared spaces look like? These items help you envision a way forward. Plus, some inspiring collective initiatives you might join, and a few seeds of hope and happiness.

We hope these resources offer you support, strength, and optimism for the days ahead. And for a comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources, please visit the World Ensemble website.

Thanks for reading,

The WE Team

The Orchestra of the Americas Launches Virtual 2021 Orchestra Training Program This Spring

The Orchestra of the Americas is hosting its orchestra training program (OAcademy), happening January–June 2021, over the Internet. As described on their website, participants will experience a transformative curriculum that will guide them in becoming global artists in the field. They will connect with industry icons, participate in performance collaborations, and work on cross-disciplinary projects over the course of the six-month academy. This is the last call for candidates; applications for this immersive experience are due December 1. Find more details here.

Contribute to the ABLE Assembly, Focusing on Intersectionality, Disability, and Arts Education

Do you have something to share about working with students with disabilities? If so, consider proposing a session (20-minute pre-recorded video, with guidance provided by the conference leaders) for the ABLE Assembly: Arts Better the Lives of Everyone, Digital Conference, April 10–11, 2021. This year’s theme is Intersectionality, Disability, and Arts Education. Since the music for social change movement prioritizes the value of inclusion, it would be great for us to be leading contributors to this global field. The deadline for proposals is December 15; learn more and consider submitting one here.

Join The Walk to Support Refugees

The Walk is a traveling arts festival from Good Cha nce T heatre. On The Walk, Little Amal, a giant puppet, will travel 8,000 km across Turkey and Europe in support of refugees, being welcomed by hundreds of cultural events along the way. Conveying the urgent message “Do not forget us,” she will start from the Syrian-Turkish border and cross Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and France to reach the United Kingdom, amplifying the stories of the refugee children she represents. Hundreds of international official partners support Little Amal on her long journey, including El Sistema Greece, whose students will welcome her in Athens to support a better future for all the children around the world. If you work with a program in one of these countries, consider reaching out to greet Little Amal on her walk to support refugee children.

National Guild for Community Arts Education Offers Online Series on Community Arts Learning Beyond the Pandemic

The National Guild for Community Arts Education in the U.S. is offering a three-month series that examines how arts organizations are responding to prevalent social inequities stemming from the pandemic. Titled “Rootwork | Grounding Community Arts Education Beyond the Pandemic,” the gathering will feature guest speakers and programs from across the U.S. Participants will join discussions and workshops on adapting to the necessary programmatic changes needed to best serve marginalized communities during and beyond periods of crisis. This series takes place from December 2, 2020 – February 24, 2021, and registration is open now. You can register for the entire series, or for individual sessions. Read session descriptions and register h e re.

New Report Examines Partnerships between

Arts and Cultural Practitioners and

Community Developers

ArtPlace America and Welcoming America have released a report exploring how arts and cultural practitioners have long been and may increasingly be partners in helping to achieve community development goals: Bridging Divides, Creating Community: Arts, Culture, and Immigration. ArtPlace America recently completed its ten-year mission as a leading funder of creative placemaking in the U.S., and they are publishing their learning in a series of reports. This report is the eighth in their series of cross-sector field scans, examining arts and culture as “a platform that helps immigration policy expand beyond a singular focus on border security to one that embraces a broader national vision of inclusive economic development, community connection and cohesion, and welcoming communities in which all people can thrive."

Percussive Arts Society Offers Guidance on Alternative Instrument-Making

Percussion instruments can be expensive. This handy guide from the Percussive Arts Society Resource Library gives substitution guidelines. For example, an automobile brake drum works just fine as an anvil. Thank you for the tip, D’Addario. And you might want to check out D’Addario’s short film on Evelyn Glennie (a world-leading percussionist who is deaf), who shares insights on the difference between practice, rehearsal, and performance: PROMARK: Evelyn Glennie on Practice Rehearsal Performance.

Two New Studies Explore How Poverty Affects Brain Development and Cognitive Performance

Two American-based reports take a global view in exploring poverty’s role in learning and brain development. First, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have published conclusions from their recent research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings affirm concerns that so many of us hold for children we teach who are raised in poverty: poverty does affect brain development and subsequent cognitive performance in children. Read an article by United Press International about the study, with details about its methodology, here.

And this report from National Public Radio reflects the disproportionately brutal learning loss for young people living in poverty around the world. Children in poorer countries have lost four months of learning, compared to six weeks for children in wealthier countries. Almost all countries have offered some form of remote learning during closures, whether online, by broadcast (radio or TV), or through paper packets. But while three out of four countries count remote learning days as school days, only one in five low-income countries do so, because so few children can access these resources. The United Nations has reported slow increases in global education equity in the last decade, but the pandemic has reversed that progress, at least temporarily.

PlaceMakers Offers 22 Recommendations in 'Pandemic Toolkit'

Are you contributing to your community’s thinking about rebounding from pandemic restrictions? Perhaps you should be using your creative voice, and your advocacy, for the needs of your students’ families. PlaceMakers has observed and contributed to best practices for local and regional governments responding to the needs of local communities. Their “Pandemic Toolkit” offers 22 handy recommendations that include regulatory or policy steps needed to implement the action, along with methods, key points, and interventions required to see it through. Each action highlights different methods that may help, depending on their broader social context. While these resources are aimed at U.S. communities, many of the recommendations are pertinent to communities around the world. Maybe it is time for our programs to become part of their communities’ creative rebounding.

Students Channel the Emotional Trauma of COVID-19 in Collaborative Recording Project MakeMusiCoviT!

Global Leaders Program alumna Safira Antzus Ramos (GLP 2018, Greece) has designed an original music education program in collaboration with international pianist and composer George-Emmanuel Lazaridis: MakeMusiCoviT! The three-month program brought together 20 students from around the world to “confront the emptiness that COVID-19 enforced upon humanity.” These students composed, performed, and recorded an original piece of music without ever meeting in person. They have shared more about the program and their collaborative music-making through a documentary and virtual concert, MakeMusiCoviT: The Documentary, a 50-minute film that premiered on September 20, 2020.

Ghetto Classics Korogocho Plants Seeds of Harmony

Partnering with Kenya Forestry Services, Ghetto Classics Korogocho worked to beautify their space this month with a gardening project that transformed areas of trash and waste into revitalized green spaces. Students now can seek quiet refuge as they excel on their instruments and continue to build community with each other and the program. Just a bit of inspiration as we re-envision what our shared spaces will look like in safer times.

Carnegie Hall Kids' Coloring Booklet

The little ones need a break! Maybe direct them to the new, free Carnegie Hall Kids' Coloring Booklet. Students can discover instruments from different cultures and meet famous composers throughout history. This interactive e-booklet also contains links to audio files, performances, and instructional videos.