Image: Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey educational programming (top) and community concert (bottom) By Jill Aguayo, Executive Director, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey For the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey (CPNJ), classical music is more than a performance—it’s a mission to revitalize and uplift the Trenton community, our home. As one of the few orchestras…
Isla Coronado received the 2023-24 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Texas A&M University, Kingsville. Here, we share why she was selected to be a Presser Scholar. Isla was named the first Presser Scholar at Texas A&M University, Kingsville, a Hispanic-Serving Institution where she studied Music with a double concentration in Performance and Education. Dr. Elizabeth Janzen, Associate Chair…
By Daniel Jackson, Graduate Music Fellow Encouraging. Inspiring. Liberating. Thought-provoking. My heart is full…You had to be there. If The Presser Foundation allowed it, this review of the Elevate Vocal Arts’ (EVA) Bent, But Not Broken (BBNB) Conference would be as short as the preceding statement. Alas, this transformative conference deserves a more robust description.…
Image: Music for Everyone after school participants creating music and community together. By Dr. John R. Gerdy, Founder and Executive Director, Music For Everyone An ongoing debate within the educational community relates to how to classify music programs within the academic curriculum. Specifically, whether music and the arts should be considered an extracurricular or core…
By Sepehr Pirasteh Philadelphia is home to a vibrant music scene, enriched by organizations such as Wildflower Composers, Play On Philly, as well as collaborations like All-City Orchestra’s partnership with Network for New Music. These programs have made significant strides in nurturing young composers by offering them platforms to explore and express their creativity. As…
An image from Race Against Racism, a collaboration of Lancaster YMCA and Music For Everyone By Dr. John R. Gerdy, Founder and Executive Director, Music For Everyone As the founder and executive director of a music related Community Benefit Organization (CBO), I constantly think of how to more effectively leverage the power and potential of…