MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER, APART

These extraordinary times call forth our creativity and our need for stability. We continue to meet with our students regularly and find ways to connect, play music and learn together. While live rehearsal, coaching, and performances can never be replaced, our kids are participating through listening projects, conversations about music and composers, practice challenges, coaching and demonstrations, video projects, playing their instruments and receiving feedback.
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We have also been learning new technologies, solving new problems, and finding ways to create value, opportunities for expression, and collaborative projects with our amazing student community. As an organization, we are engaging our teaching artists and staff in new ways, at the same time making sure they continue to receive paychecks and support for their livelihood in dependable ways. Bringing our community together through music is one of our primary intentions and we continue to do that as we all navigate personally and communally through this global pandemic. If you can support our efforts, please contribute here to our spring appeal, "Making Music Together Apart."

Virtual connection is providing new opportunities for students to go deeper into their music education. The shift from in-person classes and public performance to an online platform allows students more one-on-one attention to refine their skills, and creates new space for individual creativity to flourish where students can write their own music. It's become a time to go deeper.

Youth Philharmonic with Ryan Finn, our middle school orchestra created this fabulous virtual performance. This concert season, the Youth Philharmonic was preparing a suite of Caribbean Folk dances arranged by their conductor, Ryan Finn.

In the absence of the ensembles performances at both the SFSYA-wide Music for Everyone concert and the end of season orchestra concert in May, the students of the ensemble recorded their parts independently and Mr. Finn creating a collaborative video to feature both their hard work and to celebrate the joyful music of the Kwéyol culture. Enjoy!

Students in the jazz and orchestra ensembles alike are recording individual tracks and bringing them together for combined virtual experiences and end-of-season projects.

The first 10 minutes of Elementary Strings classes, designed for the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association’s youngest musicians, are reserved for logging on, tuning instruments, and saying hello to friends. Another class combines all levels of the program and covers topics relevant and now essential to all: tuning their instruments at home, rhythm reading and writing. 

Instead of his scheduled spring recital, Jack, one of our Intermezzo String Orchestra students, had a private performance in his home and shared it with us. Please join us in being his audience, sharing his success, and celebrating him. Thank you so much, Jack, for sharing Bach with us.

In the Youth Symphony Orchestra, students are currently working on a collaborative video that will showcase all students playing from home. YSO students are meeting with Mr. Waag individually, in sectionals, and as a group. Activities have included targeted listening sessions, Q&A with members of the symphonic world. 

After a student-requested conducting clinic with William Waag, SFYSA Director of Orchestras, the kids shared: 
"That was so cool." "This gave me an idea of what conducting is like and will affect how I play..."