ABA & GLP | Innovation Field Notes
Community MusicWorks (CMW) creates new roles for musicians as artists, educators, and citizens working to create a cohesive urban community through music education and performance — one that transforms the lives of children and their families in underserved neighborhoods. Located in the culturally diverse city of Providence, Rhode Island since 1997, CMW cultivates strong leadership, deep community connections, healthy finances, and an extensive network of alumni. Its group of musicians in residence, MusicWorks Collective, focuses on excellence in teaching, commitment in mentoring, and innovation in performance activities and program design. CMW achieves these goals through 1) a professional string residency program 2) private lessons and ensemble practice for students, 3) orchestra rehearsals and performances, 4) professional mentorship, and 5) a youth leadership program.
The classical music sector needs significant changes in communities around the world to ensure continued relevance and to make the genre more accessible and responsive to the needs of diverse audiences. Community Music Works provides a strong example for how classical music can be used to build community. In the face of increasingly visible social divides and deepening economic inequities, reinforced by the ongoing pandemic, CMW’s longstanding commitment to racial equity is more vital and urgent today than ever. CMW continues its goals to make sustainable and meaningful careers of service for musicians in their communities and to captivate children and their families with the inspiring experience of music. Future plans include the Community MusicWorks Center, a new building (planned for construction this year) that represents a major turning point in the organization’s 20+ year history. It brings new possibilities in fostering community while being sensitive to the ways in which this building has the potential to affect both the culture and economic environment of the neighborhood.
Authored by GLP 2022 Cohort members
Julia Simoes (Brazil), Fredrika Brillembourg (Germany & United States), Emmanuel Vukovich (Canada), Daniel Montes (Bolivia & Honduras)
