Your August 2020 Resource Basket

Dear Subscriber,

Teaching artists everywhere have shown us that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to distance learning—or even in-person teaching—during a global pandemic. This August Resource Basket has been crafted with that truth in mind, offering vital perspectives on the health and academic effects of COVID-19 on young people, several opportunities to connect with colleagues around the world, and plenty of creative new resources for music educators to use in both their advocacy and curricula.

For a comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources, please visit the World Ensemble website. And if you have a few minutes, please take our survey to help us serve you.

Thanks for reading, and stay safe,

The WE Team

Measuring the Social and Academic Impact of School Closures on Young People

As we think about the difficulties for young people continuing their studies during this pandemic, let’s stay mindful that for too many of the world’s 1.6 billion students forced to stay at home, the situation is more brutal than disrupted schooling. The Guardian reports that schooling rates for girls, rising slowly over time, may be set back decades. Many young people face human rights abuses and physical abuse. UNICEF and The World Bank are warning of adverse effects on many young people, reminding education organizations everywhere to be mindful that the safe spaces we offer can make all the difference for marginalized youth.

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit Launches Online “Special Edition”

Beginning August 22, the Edinburgh International Culture Summit will launch a Special Edition online, made available to everyone—a rare opportunity for an event that usually takes place in the Scottish Parliament. This Special Edition will focus on the transformational power of culture in our lives, focusing on three topics: Culture and Education, Culture and Social Cohesion, and Culture in Vibrant Communities. The Summit will feature a collaborative digital performance by young musicians from the YOLA National Institute and Big Noise in Scotland, as well as speakers from all over the world and from all arts disciplines. Gustavo Dudamel will advocate for music education as a fundamental right; Sistema Scotland CEO Nicola Killean will participate on a panel on Culture in Vibrant Communities; and Los Angeles Philharmonic Education Director Elsje Kibler-Vermaas will join academic researcher Dr. Assal Habibi in discussing the impact of of childhood music training on brain, cognitive, and social development. Actors, playwrights, musicians, and many more international arts leaders will also speak. See the full list of speakers here, and click here for registration information and a complete list of webinars.

Teachers, when is the last time you had an in-depth discussion with a colleague in Tanzania or Bolivia? If you join ITAC5, the answer would be "soon." The Fifth International Teaching Artist Conference joins passionate colleagues from all around the world to dig deeper into our practices and programs. It will be held online for the first time, making it easier (and much cheaper) to join as a delegate. The three days, September 15-17, are packed with over 60 sessions to select from, given by colleagues from over 20 countries, with keynote speakers and art projects. There are limited numbers of full delegate slots still open (U.S. slots may already be booked up), so register now. The conference happens only once every two years, and this year's host is South Korea, so there will be sessions about creative teaching that you would never hear about otherwise. There are several clever virtual engagement features to foster connections to colleagues in other countries, reminding us that we are all part of one big, growing field, in spite of a pandemic. To find out more and to register for inspiration, go to http://eepurl.com/g_GFCD.

Neurological Benefits of Music Education

Here is a handy article for you to use in your advocacy for intensive music education: “The Argument for Music Education,” by Nina Kraus and Travis White-Schwoch, in the July-August 2020 issue of American Scientist. The article summarizes the cognitive psychological benefits of music education, making a case that anyone who takes neuroscience seriously will find compelling. Please share this with colleagues—good research like this is always useful for arts leaders in their fundraising and program development.

E Street Band Guitarist Creates TeachRock for Online Music History Lessons

Rock guitarist and The Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt, longtime sidekick to Bruce Springsteen in The E Street Band, has partnered with Bono, Martin Scorsese, Jackson Browne, and the Boss to create TeachRock—over 200 free online lessons on the history of rock and roll, the roots of hip-hop, and more. Van Zandt has also created an accompanying virtual talk show where he interviews people in the worlds of music and education, called “Little Steven’s Roadshow.” RSVP for free here—it may not be classical, but it sure is fun, and provides another access point for those looking to amplify the issues that music education programs encounter.

UNESCO’s GEM Report Highlights Inclusion in Education

The 2020 GEM Report (Global Education Monitoring) from UNESCO has produced a special report in the Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) series, which present countries’ laws and policies on education. The first theme-focused report looks at inclusion in education in countries around the world. Music for social change programs aspire to radical inclusion, so these reports of realities around the world may be of interest.

Share Your Program’s Story with MY World 360°

We encourage music for social change programs to join a global project that makes visible their impact in striving to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MY World 360°, a global partnership initiative led by The UN SDG Action Campaign, Digital Promise, and Oculus, invites programs to share an imaginative, immersive story of the ways they create a more sustainable world. Many creative programs have posted innovative ways to tell their story, but none have yet made the power of music for social change visible to this world audience. Use any medium (or a mix of them) to tell your program’s story—there’s a global audience ready to enjoy it. Take a look at what others have created, and maybe join them. Submissions are due by August 31, 2020.

Finding New Ways to Reach Young People without Internet

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, music learning programs around the world have had to end in-person instruction. Committed teaching artists have adapted their work to other modes of connection in order to keep the learning going. In the U.S. and other affluent countries, teachers have gone online—but this has proven challenging for many students who do not have ready access to the Internet.

A study by the InterAmerican Development Bank found that fewer than 35% of young people in Colombia, Peru, and Mexico have internet access, with many fewer in Cuba. In these countries, music educators are beginning to foster access through phone apps, radio, and broadcast television. This article describes the use of radio for instruction in Latin America—might you adapt and expand broadcasting ideas to reach your students?

Ed Week Explains Tik Tok Privacy Concerns for Teachers

As more teachers implement social media into their classrooms and rehearsal spaces in order to engage with young people—especially now, when many programs are already fully digital—this article from Ed Week lays out the risks of incorporating the video-sharing app Tik Tok. Downloaded over 2 billion times worldwide, the app has risen to prominence especially among children, tweens, and teens. Though written for a U.S. audience, Ed Week’s easy-to-understand guide is useful for teachers everywhere who want to know more about an app that their students are likely using—and that has been vocal about its desire to enter the education market.