Dear Subscriber,

How do we measure the impact of our work? This April Ensemble shares a few ideas: a Confidence Index tracks student and staff development in South Africa; a granting organization commissions a sweeping survey to better understand the strengths and challenges of our field; an honest-to-goodness Piano Lab establishes music pedagogy on scientific foundations.

Or maybe we’re trying to measure things that are not so quantifiable—stronger peer relationships, a richer community bond. This issue goes there, too: a teaching artist uses songwriting to build trust through artistic expression, in boardrooms and classrooms alike; our editorial implores us to prioritize relational health in our work; and our Ambassadors, in addition to their regular updates, describe their unique collaboration with El Sistema Greece’s Young Leaders.

Whatever your inquiries, it’s likely this research will speak to you in some way. We hope you’ll listen, and remember to speak back, too. The field is stronger when you do. 

Thanks for reading,

The Ensemble Team

Amanda Holt, Strategic Information Specialist, Field Band Foundation

Six thousand children participate in field bands across South Africa. These bands operate in rural and peri-urban communities that have little in the way of cultural, educational, or public health infrastructure. After-school activities are few. And yet, within these communities’ growing bands, people are growing, too.

Csaba Manyai, Impact Architect and Curator, Community Arts Network

Too long have we seen ourselves and the world—almost unconsciously—through the metaphor of an elaborate, sophisticated machine. We do this to gain a sense of efficiency and control, and the results have been powerful, leading to remarkable achievements over the past few centuries. But this framework has come at a cost, undermining the more organic qualities and properties of who we are and what makes us healthy, happy, productive, and connected—those things “not measured in GDP,” as Robert F. Kennedy famously pointed out.

Louise Godwin, Coordinator (Operations, Grants, and Research), Agrigento

Having established a grant program, we have learned from the music educators and researchers we fund. We have attended online conferences and seminars and reached out to a number of musicians whose work has intrigued us. In doing so, we have observed a field that is in a state of uncertainty, shifting and evolving. And, because of this state of uncertainty, we have also observed change taking place.

Mikael Swirp, Research Associate, and Gilles Comeau, Founding Director, The Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa, Canada

The Piano Lab does not look like your typical research laboratory. We want visitors to feel welcome and creative; as piano virtuoso Jon Kimura Parker said after visiting, “The first thing that hits you when you walk in is how inviting and colorful and friendly it is here.”

Amelie Jansen (New Zealand), Melis Erselçan (Turkey), and Nicolas Lau (U.S.), 2022 Ensemble Ambassadors

We want to create a piece that sings, “We don’t want war and greed.” We want peace. In that spirit, our piece is a symbol of solidarity with those who are living through war in their home countries. War has ravaged many nations, including places where fellow Ambassadors live.

Kateri Lirio, teaching artist; MAT, Longy School of Music, '21

During my graduate studies at the Longy School of Music at Bard College, I studied intergenerational learning—that is, how both young people and adults learn. I discovered that despite the generational and cultural divides between Gen Z-ers, baby boomers, and millennials, there were more similarities than differences. I wondered how I could foster authentic connections in an intergenerational space where everyone learns more about one another.

The 2022 Ambassadors are excited to bring you news from several different pockets of the world! This month, we share updates about recent performances and some especially thoughtful reflections on the meaning of music in our lives. We hope that you take the time to read our articles.

 The Ensemble newsletters are sent in collaboration with

Longy School of Music of Bard College.

For more information: Longy.edu/ensemble-news