Arts and Culture United States Project #38636

JOY is a kindergartener playing the violin.

by Yamhill Enrichment Society

Project Report | Apr 8, 2025
Joyful Notes: Celebrating Spring and New Beginning

By Amy Brunner | JOY Program Director

A JOY kindergartener enjoys a string quartet

Hello Friends of JOY!

We are ramping up towards concert season and very excited about the launch of our JOY Youth Orchestra program.

In May, JOY and Portland’s El Sistema Program, BRAVO, will combine for a Jubilee Concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Venezuela's El Sistema. Students from Edwards Elementary School and one of BRAVO’s student groups will perform for friends and families at George Fox University’s beautiful Bauman Auditorium. The evening will conclude with all students performing together.

All nine of our elementary schools that have kindergarten and 1st grade programs will host a concert for families to see their progress as young violinists. After the concert, 1st grade families will have the opportunity to sign up their students for the JOY After School program. Next year, an additional two After School sites will be opening, creating access for 6 elementary schools to enjoy the program. In the After School program, students can learn the violin, viola, or cello.

The 2nd annual YES Honors Orchestra will be held in Newberg on April 25 and 26 for current 4-8 grade students in Yamhill County. This two day event allows student to work with a guest conductor, connect with one another, and work with members of the Oregon Symphony in a sectional. 46 students have signed up to be a part of this “pop up” orchestra and we hope that these students eventually become part of our Youth Orchestras.

In the Fall of 2025, the JOY Youth Orchestra program will launch for 4-12 grade Yamhill County students to have a chance to play together in a weekly orchestral setting. Two levels of orchestra will be available and students will be placed in the appropriate level after auditioning in late May. The JOY Prelude Strings group is meant for 4-8 grade string players while the JOY Symphony is meant for 7-12 grade string, wind, and percussion players. JOY is in the midst of its hiring process for the conductors of these groups and looking forward to a fantastic inaugural season.

We look forward to an exciting spring planning for this year of growth and expansion.

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Dec 10, 2024
Spreading JOY

By Amy Brunner | JOY Program Director

Students play at Holiday Craft Bazaar

Hello Friends of JOY!

The 2024-2025 JOY school year has started with a bang!

We are excited about the growth of JOY and currently, 982 students are playing violin, viola, or cello with 863 of those students accessing those lessons during their regular school days. This fall, we began to offer kindergarten classes at three additional elementary schools in Yamhill County. JOY is now offered in six McMinnville elementary schools and three Newberg elementary schools. This year, the JOY After School Orchestra began being offered to second graders at two of the McMinnville elementary schools. Working with the McMinnville School District, we have organized a bus from one school to the second in order to combine and learn violin, viola, or cello together. There are forty second grade students participating in this after school program. Across our programming, we now have nine fantastic Teaching Artists and three Assistant Teaching Artists working with our young musicians. Two of these Teaching Artists are Site Directors leading the after school programs and building site cultures based around curiosity, growth, and musicianship. The community at large, including parents, private lesson teachers, school music teachers, and school leaders are supportive in making these expansions happen.

The kindergarteners and 1st graders have begun their year with box violins. 1st graders reviewed what they learned last year and quickly "graduated" on to their real violins. Kindergarteners have been using the box violin to learn how to hold the instrument and how to keep it safe. They will begin the real violins in January!

This fall, Caitlyn Lynch with Project Chamber Music was able to visit our JOY After School Edwards students. Project Chamber Music has a mission of “Bringing together world-class musicians and Willamette Valley students for transformative musical experiences”. Caitlyn and her quartet regularly work with the Salem Keizer Public School District and their orchestra students. We were excited for the opportunity for our JOY students to work with her.

Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project has brought 14 year old composer Skye Neal to work with our JOY Chamber Orchestra at Edwards ES. She has been working closely with the Site Director at Edwards to workshop some new pieces that she has written for their orchestra. This includes changing articulation, altering the key to make it more approachable for students, and adjusting after hearing young musicians perform the pieces live. Skye plans to premiere one of her pieces with the JOY students in their January concert and another in May.

This holiday season, JOY Chamber Orchestra at Edwards ES was able to perform for a fellow elementary school’s holiday craft bazaar. Parents, families, and guests temporarily stopped their shopping to enjoy Christmas Carols performed by the students. An encore was requested when they finished. The JOY students were well prepared by their teachers for this performance and families were beaming with pride. Students will have another opportunity to perform for families in December at a fundraiser at Kopitos in Newberg. Students will play Christmas carols and an appearance from Santa Claus himself may even happen!

Coming up, JOY is excited to continue to partner with Aaron Meyer for school wide assemblies. Aaron plans to bring an exciting rock violin concert assembly to four of the schools that JOY is in. After the concert, he will stay to work with the JOY After School Orchestra students. Here he will play for them, answer questions, and work with them on their songs.

Thank you for your ongoing support of JOY. It is with your support that we have been able to reach so many students over the past seven years. We are excited to continue to grow the program and welcome many more students. If you have not already done so, please sign up to give recurring donations through GlobalGiving on our project page “JOY is a Kindergartener Playing the Violin.”

Guest Composer Skye Neal works with JOY students

Kinder class works with box violins

Links:

https://yamhillenrichmentsociety.org/junior-orchestra-of-yamhill-county/

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Aug 13, 2024
Melodies Under the Sun: Summer Music Adventures

By Amy Brunner | JOY Program Director

JOY Students Perform in May at Bauman Auditorium

Hello Friends of JOY!

The 2023-2024 JOY season wrapped up with concerts for families and friends that were consistently packed with enthusiastic listeners. Students beamed as they shared their growth throughout the year. To wrap up the after school orchestra school year, students held a fundraiser at Kopitos in Newberg and played for family and friends.

In early June, the JOY Program Director and a teaching artist were able to represent JOY at the El Sistema USA National Symposium at Butler University in Indianapolis. Additionally, three JOY teaching artists were able to attend via virtual seminars. Seminars ranged in topic from building strong programming, inspiring students, and creating ways to help teaching artists hone in on their craft. Networking with other ESUSA programs was a highlight and being able to share the great work that JOY is doing was a special treat.

The 2024 JOY Summer Camp is currently underway. The two week camp began at the beginning of August and allows students to work with JOY TAs on a variety of musical and collaborative activities. Students who are going into 3-6 grade have the opportunity to participate in Summer Camp and we have opened up the camp to all of Yamhill County for this year. Camp is being held at Edwards Elementary school in Newberg. There are forty seven students participating, four teaching artists, one assistant teaching artist, and two middle school volunteers. This year, activities include music theory, ensemble performance, sectionals, musical games, drumming circle, a visit from a composer in residence, the return of two beloved guest teachers, and two performances. To conclude camp, students have two performances, one will be for our donors at Stoller Family Estates and for families at the Chehalem Valley Cultural Center. Students have been enthusiastic for this Summer Camp experience.

In Fall of 2024, JOY will be expanding to three more elementary schools in Yamhill County and add the after school option in McMinnville SD. McMinnville SD has been so supportive in planning for the after school orchestra and is helping to transport students from one school to a second school in order for the two schools to combine at one site. JOY will be at the following schools and grade levels for next year: Edwards (K-5), Sue Buel (K-2), Newby (K-2), Grandhaven (K-1), Wascher (K-1), Antonia Crater (K-1), Joan Austin (K), Memorial (K), and Willamette (K). The expansion is exciting and we are currently in the hiring phase for more JOY TA’s. With this growth, we anticipate reaching 1,055 students in Yamhill County in the 2024-2025 school year!

JOY After School Orchestra performs at Kopitos

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