July 2025 Newsletter: Gearing Up for the Worcester Summer Music Institute and the Season Ahead | | Worcester Summer Music Institute and Ongoing Community Programs | | |
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Welcome to the July edition of our monthly newsletter!
As we near the end of summer, we're preparing to kick off our sixth annual Worcester Summer Music Institute from August 4 - 8, 2025. This program remains a cornerstone of our summer offerings, bringing high school students together for a focused, intensive week of collaboration and skill-building.
We're also continuing our weekly Songwriters Circle. This month, we're spotlighting one of our Teaching Artists whose ongoing work in the local music scene strengthens our connection to our community.
Here's a closer look at what's ahead and the people making it all possible.
| | The Worcester Summer Music Institute | | |
We are gearing up for the 2025 Worcester Summer Music Institute that begins the first week of August. This is the sixth summer that OpporTUNEity has partnered with Jeff Conner of the Boston Brass to host the Worcester Summer Music Institute. The Summer Institute is a week-long music program for incoming grade 9-12 students. Students will work with renowned musicians and conductors and attend workshops, masterclasses, and leadership sessions.
As the Artistic Director of the Summer Institute, Jeff Conner has developed a program aimed at giving young musicians in Worcester County access to top-tier music education. Conner teaches masterclasses at prestigious institutions across the world through his work with the Boston Brass. He brings his educational and entrepreneurial experience to the Summer Institute each year.
Students will take part in an experience aimed at developing their musical abilities and leadership potential. The Worcester Summer Music Institute reflects Conner and OpporTUNEity’s commitment to advancing music education in Worcester County.
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for helping the 2025 Worcester Summer Music Institute come to fruition:
Corporate & Individual Sponsors
- Worcester District Attorney Office
- Worcester Woo Sox
- Harr Motors
- Avidia Bank
- Jeff and Kathy Slovin
- Phil Dawson
- Juliet Maglitta
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In June 2025, we launched our brand-new Substack page. OpporTUNEity’s Substack will be a landing page for longer-form content on our music education classes, the school-to-prison pipeline, and OpporTUNEity’s mission. The blog will be a place for people to engage with OpporTUNEity’s incredible archive of songs. Our Instagram and Facebook posts share OpporTUNEity music on a weekly basis, and our blog will allow people to explore our music on a deeper level.
Maggie Frederick, our Research and Communications Coordinator, wrote our first blog post on the nine original songs written through the inaugural Songwriting Fundamentals course at the Worcester County House of Corrections. “The Cycle of Redemption in OpporTUNEity Lyrics” illustrates how the lyrics written by inmates mirror the process of redemption and recovery. Music and songwriting give inmates tools to disrupt recidivism, which shines through within the lyrics of OpporTUNEity original songs.
| “It is OpporTUNEity’s mission to use music as a pathway towards rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals. The emotional maturity and self-expression developed through song help inmates regain their own humanity and see themselves beyond their crime.” | Spring 2025 Showcase at the Worcester County House of Corrections | |
In May 2025, our Songwriting Fundamentals, Intro to Guitar, Piano, and Percussion, & Beatmaking Production classes performed original works for select friends and family. Original songs were co-written inside the jail as a collaborative effort between the Worcester County House of Corrections inmates and OpporTUNEity Instructors Dan Thomas, Paul Boisvert, Dan DeCristofaro, and Harman Kaler.
Click the video above to watch the full performance!
| Continuing our Songwriters Circle at Everyday Miracles | | |
This summer, our Songwriters Circle at Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center (EDM) is led by Teaching Artist/Songwriting Instructor Harman Kaler. Harman brings a thoughtful, grounded approach to songwriting, helping participants find their voice through collaborative lyric writing and storytelling.
At EDM, the Songwriters Circle offers a supportive, creative outlet for adults navigating through the challenges of reintegration. Participants gather each week to co-write songs, share personal stories, and connect through music in a space rooted in respect and camaraderie.
Our program at EDM runs alongside our second Songwriters Circle held at Community Compass, part of Open Sky Community Services, which continues to provide behavioral health and peer recovery support focused on resilience and reintegration.
| | Join our Songwriters Circle! | | |
Registration is now open!
Whether you're an experienced musician or exploring songwriting for the first time, we welcome you to take part in this unique, community-driven experience.
Join us at one of our weekly sessions:
- Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center, 25 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01609
- Community Compass at Open Sky Community Services, 288 Grove Street, Worcester, MA 01605
If you are interested in learning more about our program offerings, please use the sign-up button below or email opportuneitymusic@gmail.com.
We look forward to welcoming you!
| Fall 2025 with OpporTUNEity | Image: Students & Instructors from our Songwriting Fundamentals class perform for family and friends. | | |
As summer winds down, we're maintaining our focus on the upcoming Worcester Summer Music Institute and preparing for our fall programs. This transitional period gives us time to reflect on recent accomplishments while planning for the new semester ahead.
This fall, we'll restart our classes at the Worcester County House of Corrections, where students can enroll in our core offerings: Songwriting Fundamentals, Intro to Guitar, Piano and Percussion, and Beatmaking and Production. We're also thrilled to begin crafting new pilot courses that will expand our curriculum and create more opportunities for musical engagement.
In the community, our youth afterschool program at JOMP will resume alongside our continuing Songwriters Circle at Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center and Community Compass at Open Sky. These programs continue to serve as essential spaces for creative expression, healing, and connection.
This month, we're highlighting Teaching Artist/Songwriting Harman Kaler, who continues to stay active and engaged in his musical community outside of the classroom.
| | Spotlighting our Teaching Artists | | |
A talented and dedicated educator, Harman joined our Teaching Artist team at the Worcester County House of Corrections earlier this year. Originally from North Carolina, he began studying music at age 11. At Catawba College, Harman performed in various R&B, funk, rock, and jazz ensembles. Now based in central Massachusetts, he is actively developing his career as a music educator.
Harman is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Music Education at Boston College University's College of Fine Arts. Beyond the classroom, he maintains an active studio offering private instruction in guitar, piano, and bass guitar to a wide range of students. Harman continues studying jazz guitar in his free time and plans to pursue doctoral research in musicology or music psychology in the future.
We're excited to have Harman on board and look forward to his contributions in our Fall 2025 semester!
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This is “Circles Like a Crow,” an original song written through our 2020 Songwriting Fundamentals course at the Worcester County House of Corrections.
Our 2020 Songwriting Fundamentals class was led by Teaching Artists Dan Thomas and Paul Boisvert.
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Here is a short clip of “Mangy Dog,” a song written at our Songwriters Circle at Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center.
Our Circle at Everyday Miracles is led by Teaching Artist Dan DeCristofaro.
| | | A Special Thank You to Our Supporters | | |
We are incredibly grateful to the Mass Cultural Council, the Worcester Arts Council, the Kirby Foundation, and the Office of Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr., for awarding us generous grants in support of our after school program with the Joy of Music Program, Worcester Public Schools, and The College of the Holy Cross, and our Songwriters Circle with Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center and Open Sky Community Services.
With this funding we can further support our instructors whose dedication to fostering artistic and musical expression plays a critical role in the success of these programs. Most importantly, it empowers us to continue providing essential services to populations navigating the challenges of systemic inequity and social injustice.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Mass Cultural Council, the Worcester Arts Council, the Kirby Foundation, and the Worcester DA's Office. Their support helps us to foster a supportive and inclusive space for our youth and returning citizens.
| | OPPORTUNEITY AND THE OPPORTUNEITY LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF MELISSA S. MARTIROS @ 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | | | | |
