Transforming lives one day at a time :: The online journal of Community MusicWorks

Celebration of Debbie Wyatt

On Sunday, November 8, the West End Community Center held a celebratory luncheon to honor the work of Debbie Wyatt, their director for over a dozen years, now retired for health reasons. Debbie is a longtime friend of CMW. She welcomed Sebastian and his dream of bringing music education to the neighborhood. She later served on our Board of Directors and supported CMW every step of the way. 

The CMW Phase III trio of Josh, Paul, and Natasha played as things got started and then performed some special pieces for Debbie, as did Alana, daughter of Erika who works at the West End Community Center. Mayor Cicilline and Councilpersons Lombardi and Young were there to sing her praises, as was Sebastian and the rest of our CMW contingent. The Mayor had his picture taken with the CMW students and told us he wanted to make the photo into his Holiday card and ask folks to send donations to CMW. Go Mayor!



A CMW table was graced by present and former CMW board members and program parents (Siobhan, Jacque, Karen, Liz, Carol, and Vithianny.



It is Debbie who says, “Just because kids grow up in disadvantaged circumstances doesn’t mean they can’t be citizens of the world!”

-Liz Hollander, CMW Board President

Sebastian at El Sistema USA

On Monday last week, Adrienne and I joined Sebastian at the New England Conservatory of Music where he had been invited to address the newly formed Abreu Fellows Program--10 young professionals who are spending one year at NEC with the goal of learning how to transfer Venezuela's "music education miracle" to communities in the United States, hopefully building a national network.

Sebastian, introduced to the Fellows by El Sistema USA Director Mark Churchill as "one of the great pioneers in the field," shared some of his ideas about reciprocal relationships and "meaning-making" through music. He also shared CMW's Anthem video with them.

One of the Abreu Fellows mentioned Sebastian's visit on the blog that she is using to track her year-long experience:

Sebastian Ruth, who, like Yo-Yo [Ma], has preserved his identity as a performing artist within his educational project, sees himself as part of a vast spiderweb. His institutional links and musical relationships are reciprocal and interwoven. There is something so beautiful about the spiderweb and its potential for growth.

We learned that the Abreu Fellows (named for Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, El Sistema's founder) have a very full schedule between October and June, including internships at Boston area non profits, seminars with guest presenters such as Ben Cameron, Ben Zander, and Yo-Yo Ma, and a winter trip to Venezuela to see El Sistema in action. If possible, we hope to have them down to Providence to check out CMW.

-Heath Marlow, CMW staff

Phase III around town

Coach Chloe filling in for Alexis (sidelined with the flu) at a concert in Bristol


Phase III with CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien and Providence Mayor David Cicilline at the Lights On After School event in Providence

Musical Workshop: Quartet of Happiness

More photos by Jori (and Elvis) in CMW's Flickr account.

Giving - Receiving

Over the course of this year’s Friday night discussion at Phase II, students will be exploring the theme “Giving - Receiving” and how it pertains to music and social change. 

In October, we begin by reading Pablo Neruda’s short narrative, “The Lamb & the Pine Cone.” This story looks at what a giver and a receiver get out of a gift exchange and what role an anonymous gift can play. We ask, “Can music be a gift?”, “Do you give or receive it?”, and “Is performing the same as giving?”

In December we will examine Bertold Brecht’s poem, “A Bed for the Night.” Two alternate ideas about social change are presented here, and we’ll be exploring the idea of a “small act” of social change and what kind of a difference that can make. We’ll also place the poem alongside the story and photo of Vedran Smailovic, the cellist who played in the streets of Sarajevo during the war, in memory of those who had been killed in a bread line. We’ll talk about this act and the relationship between music and social change. 

These discussions lead us to the point in the year where students begin planning for the Youth Salon, a student-led performance night which raises awareness for a particular issue the students choose to bring to light. In January, students discuss what they hope to give and receive through leading the Youth Salon, and begin to generate possible theme options. 

February brings a vote on the theme and the beginning of work in action-oriented groups which focus on PR, music, issue awareness and design of the Youth Salon throughout March and April. 

In May, we’ll have a chance to reflect both on the Phase II year and on the Youth Salon. We’ll also take one of our last meetings to build on our public speaking skills through a series of exercises and games.

-Rachel Panitch, CMW staff

Congratulations New Urban Arts!

Today in a ceremony at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama presented one of fifteen annual Coming Up Taller Awards to representatives from New Urban Arts, our Westminster Street neighbor and fellow member of the Providence Youth Arts Collaborative.

Photo borrowed from NUA's twitter feed from Washington...

Congratulations to everyone affiliated with NUA!