REFLECTIONS ON RESILIENCE
THE MIX OF THE CULTURAS
This year, 14 middle and high school students have been working on a special project, titled Reflections on Resilience. For these students who are on a special track called elmCATS (Community of Artists, Teachers and Scholars), an accelerated program for select ELM students who exhibit exceptional commitment and talent, this project has been a wonderfully challenging, rewarding undertaking.
Over the course of the Reflections on Resilience project, elmCAT students have been exploring what resilience means to them and their families.
By interviewing their elders about their earliest experiences with music, our students learned more about special songs, melodies & memories that were important to their families.
“Resilience, in this context, represents the strength of music to cross time and place.”
Since embarking on this project, we have hosted multiple guest artists at ELM who led musical composition workshops for our elmCAT students. One of these guest artists, Milad Yousufi, a New York based Afghan refugee and composer, brought folk songs from his native Afghanistan for our students to play.
During his three-hour workshop at ELM, Milad worked with the students through his own creative process, which involves using artwork that he creates to inspire his compositions. In this video clip, Milad plays the piano while our students create their own artwork - art they will later use as inspiration for their music.
Now, drawing inspiration from their familial musical memories, our students are collaborating with award-winning Venezuelan composer, Giancarlo Castro D'Addona, to create an original composition for ELM. This musical composition, set to debut at our winter concert, will be a tangible and historical piece of art for our students and their families to cherish for years to come. “We have named it The Mix of the Culturas, to represent the blending of traditional orchestral movements with Latin-infused rhythms,” Giancarlo proudly states.
“We have named it The Mix of the Culturas, to represent the blending of traditional orchestral movements with Latin-infused rhythms”
ELM will replicate the process with the younger students in our program – teaching them to interview their elders, reflect on the power of music to promote resilience, and add to our repertoire of musical gems to preserve and pass on.
The Mix of the Culturas premiered at our Winter Concert, December 11 at 4:30pm at the Showcase Theater in San Rafael. Enjoy!
ELM provides youth with an immersive music education that empowers them to pursue their dreams and access resources they need to succeed in life.