Noteworthy Fellows

This week I am in full preparation mode as I get ready to move to Boston. In 12 days my journey as an Abreu Fellow will officially begin. I am looking forward to meeting the 9 other distinguished fellows and I am excited to finally get to meet Tony Woodcock, president of the New England Conservatory. I can't wait to get started!

I keep getting exciting news about last year's fellows from Stephanie Scherpf, managing director of El Sistema USA and I wanted to take a moment and share with you some of these news bites.

Dantes Rameau who is an Abreu Fellow Alum recently launched the Atlanta Music Project. "Modeled on El Sistema, Venezuela’s nationwide system of youth orchestras, the Atlanta Music Project is a 5-day-a-week, after-school, youth orchestra and choir program targeting underserved communities in metropolitan Atlanta"
Mayor Kasim Reed officially announced the opening of the city of Atlanta's Cultural Centers, one of which will house the Atlanta Music Project. I want to congratulate Dantes for his hard work and dedication to the realization of this wonderful and inspiring project. A project which was established back in February of 2010 and is now a reality, bringing music education to kids who otherwise could not afford it.

Another Abreu Fellow Alum, Katie Wyatt, has "officially launched KidZNotes, an El Sistema inspired in-and after-school program that provides orchestra music training in the poorest neighborhoods of Durham, North Carolina". KidZNotes has partnered with Duke University, the East Durham Children’s Initiative, Durham Public Schools, Durham Parks and Recreation, High Strung Strings, and the Durham Symphony to fulfill their mission which is to "combat poverty, strengthen inner-city education, and foster positive decision-making to unlock the world". Through classical and orchestral music training modeled after Venezuela's El Sistema, KidZNotes is off to a great start "unlocking the world" for underserved kids in Durham. Congratulations to Katie Wyatt and KidZNotes!!

I hope to follow in their footsteps and am certain that by the end of this amazing fellowship, I will have all the tools I need to make that happen. Everyone deserves music, and I want to make sure to carry-out the dream of inspiring people who believe that we need to "educate the whole child", and part of that education includes the gift of music.

If you have any thoughts you would like to share with me, I'm all ears!

Let's share 'Notes'