Monday, December 31, 2012

The first three months at OSL: July highlights


July Highlights

We planned an El Sistema-awareness raising event for members of the orchestra, staff, board, and friends, to let them know about ES as we explore it as a model for our future programs. Then we rescheduled it when we realized it was too soon to plan and most people were gone on holiday. Lesson: don’t be too ambitious when you’re still learning about the day-to-day of an organization.

In late July, we organized a meet and greet for our Amateur Musicians Project, a chamber music program for passionate adult musicians. This gave people a chance to play a little, and talk about what their musical background is and what they’re looking to do in the program. It was a helpful way for us to recruit new people to the program.

I was especially excited to send OSL musicians to former Sistema Fellow David Gracia’s Washington Heights Inwood Music camp. So much fun to see his program get off the ground! The musicians loved teaching there, and we all can’t wait to do more of this. OSL violinist Eriko Sato, who coached at the camp, told me that one of the students waited around afterwards to speak with her. The student said, "I learned more from those 2 hours working with you then I've ever learned in my life!"

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