Chorus America’s Post

Music star Tamy Moyo is becoming a role model for girls nationwide through her inspiring school tours. At Harare Girls High, she encouraged students to believe in themselves “Don’t let society define what success looks like for you but continue to aim higher and higher. “Don’t let society define what success looks like for you but continue to aim higher and higher. There’s no excuses as to why you can’t succeed, be determined to do what you want to do. “Rather than be invited to the table, start creating your own table, start taking the initiative, start shaping society the way that you want by coming up with initiatives like going to schools and speaking to young people about how they can become, what they want to become and how they can fulfil that. “My message to young girls, who are trying to break through in the music industry, is to stay true to yourself and stay in your lane. “Remember to practice, putting in the time into your craft, there’s no excuses as to why you can’t succeed, be determined to do what you want to do.

I’m so sad to hear about the (hopefully temporary) closure of the Punta Gorda Symphony. My heart goes out to all the talented musicians, including my former professor, Stacey McColley, who poured their passion into creating beautiful music. This loss only underscores the challenges the orchestra industry faces. Diverse programming is not just an artistic choice but a necessity to engage broader audiences. Who is the driving force behind programming? Those who have been in an orchestra for years and years? Or is it the community members the orchestra is trying to serve? Orchestras can diversify their programming without doing away with classical literature. It’s essential to have an equal mix. A strong online presence is crucial in our digital age; ensuring an orchestra's website is dynamic and accessible can foster wider reach and connection. If orchestras don’t have a strong website that is easily navigable, ticket sale will be negatively impacted. Equally vital is the need for strategic fundraising. While patron donations play a pivotal role, orchestras must communicate effectively, emphasizing the significance of these contributions, without turning to crisis mode. Perhaps exploring innovative ways to engage potential donors, creating compelling campaigns, and showcasing the orchestra’s benefits to individuals and the community. Let's open a dialogue on how orchestras can adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world, overloaded with sources of entertainment. Share your thoughts on overcoming these challenges and ensuring the enduring presence of orchestras in our communities. 🎶 #OrchestraChallenges #SupportTheArts #AudienceDevelopment #CommunityCentric

Do you teach music education or curriculum as a primary teacher? This study is calling for your insights. Help a PhD student impact the changes we need to see in teacher wellbeing in the arts. Details of a short survey response below 👇 👇 👇 #music #arts #artsed #primaryteacher #teacher #teaching #musiceducation #teacherwellbeing #teacherwellness

Today's blog is all about the right mix of academics and talent. How much do high school grades and test scores matter if you're going to be a music major in college? They ALWAYS matter. How much do they matter? That's a more complicated question. (Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to have this info in your hands!) #collegeadmissionshelp #MusicAdmissions #collegeadmissions #admissionsconsulting #musicmajor #collegeapplications

Here are some of the problems: Music and art in the schools are constantly being cut. *Government funding is less or nothing. *Corporate donors don’t give as much. *Public is less inclined to know of or come to a live concert. *Kids grow up not appreciating or understanding various music styles. Here are some reasons why it is important: *Music helps serve as an emotional outlet. *Variety of music types for all keeps a good balance. *Kids with access to music and art have better test scores and less violent behavior. *Musicians and their orchestras are an asset to cities’ reputations. *Exploration of culture is defining and is human nature. What is broken seems obvious to some; cutting music in schools will trigger cutting future audiences. Cutting future audiences will cut potential donors. Cutting donors will trigger cutting arts funding, including in schools. Cutting arts funding in schools turns kids into robots; well, not really, but it does stunt their creativity. Cutting creativity stunts a city’s appeal and vitality. A city’s lack of appeal makes it less likely to bring in revenue. It’s a vicious cycle. What we are missing in our cultural field is a classic Trophic Cascade. From the top of the cultural food chain all the way down, the cultural ecosystem is out of balance. This is merely a hypothetical example, but think about the relativity of music in a community: why it’s important, how it’s useful. How does it fit into and improve our human lives? Read the whole article: #ecosystem #culture #chain #students #kids #arts #education #wolves #nature #connection #reasons #environmentalsustainability

Thanks to Natalie's post and National Association for Music Education (NAfME) action center page, I was shocked to see a decrease in Title I funds and possible elimination of Title II (professional development) funds! As someone who strongly supports post-graduate professional development opportunities, I encourage you to fill out this quick form on NAfME's website and share your support. Here's the story I included on my form as I hope it inspires you to share your thoughts and stand up for music education and it's teachers! "I've been a public school music teacher for eight years as well as a professional development clinician for ten years. Title II funds are an essential piece to ensuring student and teacher success, and the threat of budget cuts or possible elimination of them is sickening. To provide some perspective, four-year teacher preparation programs only partially prepare teachers for todays classroom. Due to the extraordinary amount of credits required in an undergraduate degree program, college students do not have enough practical time in the classroom to be adequately prepared to teach young students. Some of these topics include teaching students with physical or emotional disabilities, teaching with technology, integrating new methodologies (project-based and STEM-based learning), fostering diversity and inclusion, avoiding teacher burnout, fundraising, copyright and so much more. Part of the reason teachers are leaving the profession is due to lack of funds supporting post-graduate learning opportunities. It's in-person and online profession development opportunities that provide teachers with the education, mentorship, collaboration, confidence, and support to be successful in the classroom. My own experience presenting nationally and internationally to various education communities has allowed me to better refine my craft as a K-12 educator and provide resources for teachers that wouldn't have otherwise had them. Presenting allows for refinement of skill, fosters the birth of newer pedagogies, and aids in the modernization of teaching tools. It also invites the collaboration of industry companies in support of crafting high-quality and effective teaching tools for the classroom. Attending and presenting at conferences gives me the intrinsic motivation to continue to do this great work, despite being underpaid and overworked. I hope you will consider supporting funds for Title II, I and IV to ensure a positive future for our educators and our students."

Brilliant work from Prof Brydie-Leigh Bartleet and Emma Heard on how social prescribing can have an equity focus. Awesome to hear this at the EACH #socialprescribing conference today. Title: Can Community Music Contribute to More Equitable Societies? A Critical Interpretive Synthesis Abstract This article presents outcomes from a critical interpretive synthesis inquiry exploring whether community music can contribute to more equitable societies. Drawing on 74 cross-disciplinary articles, we identify equity-related outcomes across three key categories: outcomes to improve the immediate wellbeing and life trajectories for individuals experiencing disadvantage; outcomes relating to the development of skills, knowledge and understandings empowering individual participants to enact positive social change within their communities; and outcomes with the potential to affect the root causes of social inequity. This review provides a solid foundation for further conceptual and theoretical development within and beyond the fields of social justice research and community music. Our findings will also be helpful for translating the creative and cultural benefits that community music practice could bring to addressing social justice issues in a wide range of complex contexts. https://buff.ly/3VW9Y8W

Don't put your children on the stage? Why, certainly you should! Think of every way you can to link things up and create mutually supporting structures to benefit young singers. My current roles combine running the Junior Choir in the parish church, leading the local choral society and volunteering at a (RC) primary school. I do what I can to make this a virtuous triangle. My church and school choirs share a lot of repertoire - motets my choristers use at Family Communion are sung again at school Mass. Shared membership across the two children's choirs means I get twice as much rehearsal time with many of them in a week. And of course there are opportunities for cross-recruitment. My choral society concerts now start at 6.30pm, early enough to invite members of both children's choirs to sing in a slot at the beginning of the first half - some music on their own (always appropriate to the theme of the concert as a whole) and some with the adults. When the interval comes round, and they can leave with their families if they want to, it's not beyond too many bedtimes. In our next concert, young string players will also join our professional ensemble for a couple of pieces sung by the children. Providing this additional platform for the children acts as a showcase for what we're doing in church and school, and a means of recruiting - visibility in the town for activity that would otherwise be largely hidden. Choral society concerts also finish with a retiring collection for Purbeck Youth Music, the local charity that provides instruments, subsidised group lessons and workshops for young players. So adult musicians and their audiences are able to support the next generation, not only with platforms and performance opportunities, but with financial investment. What do you do to create such beneficial networks across your own areas of activity? Who can you partner with, to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

Just 1 month to go until the deadline for submissions for this exciting special issue of Australian Voice journal! Australian Voice, the journal of the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing, in partnership with the Singing for Health Network (UK), is calling for submissions for a special issue, themed “Insights and Innovations from Singing Practitioner-Research” for publication in December 2025. This special issue spotlights practitioner-research within the field of singing voice research, from studio pedagogy to singing groups for health and wellbeing. Submissions are welcome regarding work across diverse contexts including studio pedagogy, community music, arts in health, music education, and social impact projects. Those wishing to submit a manuscript should consider the following: - Innovation in methodology and/or practice—does the submission contribute something new/different to the field? - Embedding of theoretical frameworks—is the work theoretically grounded to advance practice? - Critical reflection on practice and due consideration of ethical issues—what are the limitations or challenges of the work? For more info click the link below: https://lnkd.in/eszjg24n

EY development and support for infrastructure is a crucial piece of the musical jigsaw.