Quarter Notes Vision To kindle long-term positive change in Edmonton’s marginalized populations and communities by engaging the region’s under-served youth in music education.
Values • • • • • Lily and Tjikaa, thanking Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Molella from Mother Teresa School for everything they’ve done for YONA.
Second Year: Complete! We’ve come to the end of our second year of YONA, and what an amazing year it’s been. In September, we not only doubled the number of students we served, but we also added viola, cello, and bass to our instrument roster. We welcomed four new staff members to our team, and more than doubled our volunteer contingent. We added weekly mentorship time to our schedule, so that our new students could learn from our returning students, and vice versa. And now we’re looking forward and moving on. We’ve left Mother Teresa School, our home of the last two years, and are moving into dedicated space at St. Alphonsus. This move is bittersweet, as the staff and students of Mother Teresa have embraced and supported us unconditionally throughout our time there, but we’re excited to get to know the St. Alphonsus community and to build our long-term home. Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
In this edition of Quarter Notes, you’ll learn more about our plans for next year – with more students, more staff, more instruments, and an additional feeder school, there’s a lot of exciting news! You’ll read about the incredible impact that the Road to Joy fundraising concert had on one of our Teaching Artists, and will learn about the important role that volunteers play in the program.
Inclusivity Community Ensemble Peer mentorship Intensive instruction
“YONA-Sistema has brought something…to our family which we can bond over.” - YONA Parent
You’ll learn how we’re settling into our new home in the October edition of Quarter Notes, but if you’d like to check in with our YONA community more frequently, visit www.yona-sistema.com where you’ll find blog posts, student profiles, and lots of photos and videos! Thanks for reading, and have a great summer! - Mr. Lucas, Ms. Alyssa, and the YONA Team
Charles S., getting ready to play his violin.
Quarter Notes ● Issue 6 ● July 2015 ● www.yona-sistema.com
Road to Joy – A Celebration of YONA Ms. Amanda, Teaching Artist, provides her take on this year’s “Road to Joy” concert, a fundraising event in which YONA students performed on-stage at the Winspear Centre, accompanied by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra: On June 11, 2015, I had the opportunity to stand on-stage with YONA students and teachers as we performed the 2015 YONA Medley with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The memory of this experience will stay with me forever. As we were performing I “got” YONA in a new way. I understood how music truly is the perfect vehicle for social change.
Silver, reflecting on his time at YONA before the performance.
Carol, Ms. Jacquie, and Kenny, prior to the performance.
Was our performance note perfect? No. Was there a drop or two of mustard on some of our shirts from the school barbeque that day? Yes. Did we all have a chance to brush our hair before we went on stage? No. Did we finish the piece together, stand star-struck on the Winspear Centre stage with Bill Eddins and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and receive an enthusiastic standing ovation from our audience? YES. As I stood on stage smiling ear to ear with my students when it was all over, I was admittedly exhausted, but also in awe of everything that our program was able to accomplish around this one 7 minute piece of music. We set, strived for, and achieved a goal. We learned about professionalism, responsibility, and showing up prepared. We committed to ourselves, our teammates, and our goal, and inspired each other to take our skills and abilities to the next level. We practiced meticulously and with dedication. We brought our best to make our families, our school, and our community proud. Backstage, prior to performing, we took time to reflect on ourselves, where we came from as people and performers, and how much we grew in just 10 months. We identified and expressed what we have to be grateful for, and practiced techniques to calm our nerves. After we performed, we took time to celebrate our success, and congratulated each other over ice cream sandwiches. When you put it this way, Road to Joy wasn’t really about the 7 minutes our students spent in the spotlight, but actually about the journey of our students and teachers for the past ten months and about the endless possibilities of the future – a future that I can’t wait to see.
“Thank you for coming up with such an excellent program. It’s a really big blessing for all of us...how many parents would have their kids playing with the ESO?! And at the end of that…performance they were given a standing ovation by everyone in the audience! That is something great.” – YONA Parent
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Quarter Notes ● Issue 6 ● July 2015 ● www.yona-sistema.com
YONA 2015-2016: Future Plans Ms. Alyssa, YONA Manager, describes the plan for YONA’s third year: Since its beginning, YONA has been growing. Our numbers doubled from first to second year, and our instrumentation grew from being just violins to encompassing a full string orchestra!
Shining, Pawtha, and Emily L. wait to perform at their viola studio recital in May.
Do you have an instrument that you no longer use? If you have an instrument that could use a new home, please consider donating it to the ESO and Winspear Centre to support education and outreach programs such as YONA. Drop off your instrument at the security desk of the Winspear Centre (Artists’ Entrance, off 97th St.), 7 days a week from 9 am to 9 pm. Donations are tax deductible. In the hands of a child, a musical instrument can become so much more than a simple vessel for sound – it can become an instrument for growth, an instrument for development, and an instrument for change.
YONA Needs: • Children’s books • Outdoor/Gym Play Equipment • School Supplies • Digital Projector
Contact Ms. Jacquie (780-401-2580) to donate.
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
This growth and expansion will continue into YONA’s third year in a variety of ways. Due to increased space needs, the program will be moving to St. Alphonsus School, thanks to continued support from the Edmonton Catholic School District. YONA will serve a total of 55 students, not only from Mother Teresa School but also from Delton School, through a partnership with the Edmonton Public School Board. Students joining the program in the coming year will fill out the existing teams of violin, viola, cello, and bass, and will also form new violin and percussion teams. With the addition of a percussion section to the YONA string orchestra, we’ll be increasing opportunities for interesting repertoire choices and unique chamber ensembles, which is really exciting! We’ve hired Ms. Joan to be our Musicianship Teacher for this year, to lead our choir time and to work with all of our students on their general music skills. Ms. Sasha, who’s just completed her Masters in Expressive Arts Therapy, will re-commence leading Expressive Arts activities on a weekly basis, and Mr. Kevin, our new percussion Teaching Artist, will lead regularly-scheduled percussion activities with all YONA students as well. In addition to all of these changes to the YONA program itself, we’re also adding a new “pre-YONA” program called YONA Explorers. This program will run one day per week at Delton and Mother Teresa, our two feeder schools, and will be integrated into existing after-school programming at both of those locations. Ms. Joan, our new Musicianship Teacher, will lead hour-long sessions with students who are interested in joining YONA, singing, moving, and making music together. The addition of this program, which was piloted at Delton School this spring, will allow YONA staff to get to know future YONA students and vice versa, and will provide students who can’t commit to the full five-days-per-week program with the opportunity to make music together. All of these developments will help to make YONA a stronger program, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Quarter Notes ● Issue 6 ● July 2015 ● www.yona-sistema.com
YONA Team
Thank you to our Volunteers!
Lucas Waldin YONA Artistic Director
Ms. Jacquie, Site Coordinator, on the valuable contributions made by YONA volunteers:
Alyssa Paterson YONA Manager Jacquie McNulty YONA Site Coordinator Benjamin Alstad Sasha Campbell Deborah Chang Lauren Dykstra Andrew Israelsen Alison Stewart Amanda Alstad YONA Teaching Artists Cassie Aziz-Few Katy Campbell Sara Coumantarakis Erin Crocker Sandi Darrell Nancy Heule Barb Koshman Tim MacLean Peter Malcolm Olivia Menard Carol Pawlenchuk Audrey Tyrell YONA Volunteers Photos by Carmyn Joy Effa Special thanks to the many staff members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Francis Winspear Centre for Music, and of Mother Teresa School.
The second year of YONA was a time of learning and growth, and having consistent volunteer support was essential in keeping us on track. Not only did our volunteers help from a logistical standpoint (by preparing snack, etc.), but they also helped by developing meaningful relationships with our students. The weight of these relationships was evident to me when our students ran into the arms of our volunteers after their Road to Joy performance; the kids were simply ecstatic to share their experience with those who love them. Throughout the past year, we’ve been supported by 15 amazing volunteers. Each one came with unique insights and expertise, and each has been selfless in donating their time. One volunteer taught staff how to read with students who struggle with literacy while another coached us in conflict resolution and mediation skills. Other volunteers helped administer first aid, lead choir rehearsals, and brought intellectually stimulating games to play with YONA students. At the end of the year, our students planned a volunteer appreciation night. Team Stravinsky decorated personalized mugs for the volunteers, Team Hindemith made coasters, Teams Beethoven and Hsieh led games and taught the volunteers how to play cello and bass, and Team Bizet organized and served snacks. The jello-filled watermelon and ice cream sundae stations were particularly creative ideas! At the end of the night, we gathered for students to reflect upon their interactions with the volunteers throughout the year. Their favourite memories illustrated the important roles that caring adults play in the lives of children. We are so lucky, at YONA, to have the support of such amazing volunteers. Their involvement strengthens our community and YONA would not be the same without them. We cannot express our appreciation enough. Ms. Erin & Ryann, Volunteer & Violinist, Mother & Daughter.
Thank you, YONA volunteers!
Thank you to our supporters! You are truly instruments for change in our children’s lives. Founding Partners Rotary Edmonton Catholic School District Inner City Children’s Program Edmonton Public School Board
Corporate & Foundation Supporters Edmonton Community Foundation glasswaters foundation TELUS D’Addario Foundation La Bruyère Fund PwC
In-Kind Supporters Eastman Strings Bella Music Long and McQuade
If you would like to learn more about how you can support this transformational social action program, please visit www.yona-sistema.com. Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Quarter Notes ● Issue 6 ● July 2015 ● www.yona-sistema.com