Featured Blog Posts (76)

Help Keep Music in Our Schools!

Please Sign the Petition to
Support Music Education

Click Here

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Added by Mike Veny on August 26, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Online Volunteers Needed!

Become One in a Million... Support Music Education in 2010

Volunteers invited from all over the United States to help get a
petition signed by 1 Million People in 2010.

The petition is for the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Education, and
all American leaders to make music education mandatory in all schools
for grades K-12.

We are looking for volunteering adults to spread the word spread the
word through Facebook, Twitter,… Continue

Added by Mike Veny on July 26, 2010 at 7:51am — No Comments

Patient Stories Part II

A few last reflections from a year of service:

“Julia”

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Added by Meagan Hughes on June 19, 2010 at 4:15pm — No Comments

Human Speech

At its core this work is about living outside of yourselfso that others can realize what's inside of them

This work is about giving-constant giving. It's about compromise for the greater good and challenging ever

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Added by Samuel Russell on June 29, 2010 at 12:54pm — No Comments

Year End Reflection

This year has been about individual relationships. Relationships that have spanned age groups, socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities.

The unifying element was music. Two relationships made possible by music come to mind.

The first was with Rene Garcia. Rene, from Salvadoran roots, was the perfect student. He was valedictorian, soccer MVP and in the span of the school year, having never picked up a guitar, emerged as one of our finest musicians. His poise, leadership and cre… Continue

Added by Alex Pinto on June 29, 2010 at 11:53am — No Comments

From the boys’ brotherhood to the fellows brotherhood

Recently, we had a Garage Opening at La Casita Boy’s Home. During the last month, I saw how much enthusiasm and energy these kids put in this event. They were absolutely in charge of how the show should be: selecting songs, rehearsals, arrangement, logistics and brainstorming. During the process, I observed and understood how important is to live the present, accept our limitation

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Added by Javier Nunez on June 13, 2010 at 4:30pm — 2 Comments

MusicianCorps Seattle Community Celebration!

Our MusicianCorps Seattle Celebration was a blast! Fellows, students, partners, Arts Corps staff and community members all came out last week—on Wednesday June 2 at Seattle Center’s Center House Stage—to celebrate the groundbreaking pilot year.

Here are some highlights:

* Pre-celebration music by The Ruže Dalmatinke Orchestra, a Seattle-based, professional ensemble, which specializes in the music of Croatia and Bosnia.

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Added by Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud on June 9, 2010 at 5:19pm — 2 Comments

ServeNext.org Now Accepting Field Corps Applications

Music National Service supports the efforts of ServeNext.org in their mission to advance national service, AmeriCorps, and social innovation as strategies to tackle our most pressing social challenges and strengthen our democracy.

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Added by Music National Service on June 8, 2010 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Welcome to the Jungle....

We've been rehearsing for the last month at La Casita, the Boys' Home, for the exciting upcoming event of their Garage Opening. (The Garage is a man cave of sorts that they've raised money to build and dedicate for the boys' recreational use.) They've chosen four songs: Day-O, In the Jungle, and 2 originals. The enthusiasm is on the rise as they're learning to play guitar. They're very aware of their own struggles and conditions, so they know their limitations and choose their act… Continue

Added by Javier Nunez on May 25, 2010 at 8:23am — 1 Comment

Patient Stories

As a reflection upon this past year of service, I wanted to share some patient stories that I compiled as part of a donor report for the UCSF Children's Hospital community (patient names have been changed to protect confidentiality):

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Added by Meagan Hughes on May 24, 2010 at 9:30pm — 3 Comments

MusicianCorps Seattle Fellow Carla Moreno on KATU Channel 2!

Carla Moreno, MusicianCorps Seattle Fellow, will be interviewed tomorrow (Wednesday, May 19, 2010) morning on KATU channel 2 in Portland, OR. Carla will be interviewed about her work with Music National Service as a MusicianCorps Fellow, her service, travels, and her "Why Music?" video series. She will be joined by Nathan Olsen, a keyboard player based in the Pacific Northwest.

Not in Portland? You can still catch Carla on the morning show, via LIVE STREAM. Go to… Continue

Added by Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud on May 18, 2010 at 2:04pm — 1 Comment

REMIX

Sites are winding down here in wicker park. Vernon gave a rousing speech at our last meeting about the importance of performance opportunities that I took to heart. It is true. At a certain point the kids really need some place to perform what they are doing no matter what level they are at. The event itself becomes the motivation.

So Pulaski had its big event and it totally rocked. Alexis sang Purple Haze and Emily sang Give Love a Try, and now they are both celebrities in the school.… Continue

Added by Jeff Harms on May 14, 2010 at 9:44am — No Comments

May Madness and remembering to breathe!

It is hard to believe that the month of May is already upon us and that it is the 15th no doubt. For me this month has always highlighted a time of many activities culminating and the excitement of summer approaching. I am trying to breathe as I con

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Added by Cyndy Fike on May 14, 2010 at 9:34am — No Comments

MusicianCorps Seattle featured in The Stranger!

The Stranger, "Seattle's only newspaper," covered MusicianCorps Seattle in their feature article of the week! Reporter Jen Graves (who spent hours with the MusicianCorps Seattle Fellows and programs) profiles the work from this past year. Read more here:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/make-art-anyway/Content?oid=4041200
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Added by Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud on May 12, 2010 at 1:44pm — No Comments

Long winded note about universality of music

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but was moved to log on when I heard the great story this morning about Music National Service on KUOW-FM in Seattle. Seattle fellow Eduardo Mendonca is particularly articulate about the importance of music to human beings, and organizes his life around that belief. Bravo, Eduardo! I don't know the rest of you Fellows out there in different cities, but know you're GREAT simply by virtue that you're doing this great work!

Some wee

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Added by Mary Sherhart on May 6, 2010 at 10:24am — 5 Comments

Taking it Outside: Homan Square Park Playground Jam

This was the first really nice day in Chicago!! which is a pretty big deal after a
long winter. The kids just had to get outside, so we grabbed the
drumsticks and headed out to the park. Before too long we discovered
all kinds of sounds out there on the playground equipment and it turned
into the longest continuous jam we'd ever had. This video is a
compilation of different videos from that jam, the entire thing lasted
over 40 minutes and demonstrated the kids'… Continue

Added by Jamie Topper on May 4, 2010 at 10:44pm — No Comments

The Harmonica Man (you ain't got no excuse to NOT serve...)

The moment I laid eyes on Andy Mackie, I fell in love. I fell in love with an intoxicating laughter, a mesmerizing glare and a kind, sincere, and gentle soul. As soon as he said, “Hello, you must be the lady from Seattle.” I immediately realized that I was in the presence of perha… Continue

Added by Carla Moreno on April 27, 2010 at 1:30pm — 3 Comments

Good time at Jefferson Community Center

On April 20^th

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Added by Eduardo Mendonca on April 21, 2010 at 10:03am — 3 Comments

Workshop for New Orleans' Teachers Resources

On Friday April 16th, New Orleans MusicianCorps fellow Rebecca Crenshaw led a capacity building workshop with local teachers. Using their experiences, Rebecca and MusicianCorps fellows Nathan Money and Zack Feinberg helped teachers navigate online resources and think about ways to fund classr… Continue

Added by Louise Geraghty on April 21, 2010 at 8:07am — 7 Comments

The fast lane...The dark side of music.

Recently, some of my students came to the after-school program with huge enthusiasm because they wanted to learn how to play an instrument. ”Hey Javier, I want to play the drum set, I got the call (like a divine message), I can feel the beat inside of me, it is my nature”. Two weeks later, they were playing a beat with a lot of interest. After a month, they started to bring a lot of questions and co

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Added by Javier Nunez on April 16, 2010 at 2:29pm — 4 Comments