Volta Music Foundation grants access to additional music education and resources for students in elementary schools in South Florida schools, including Broward and Palm Beach schools, under Title I administration. These students are from low-income populations, and a significant majority (90%) are people of color and members of minority groups that have been historically excluded from or not actively engaged by established arts programs available in the country or even the state.
Volta opens its doors to students of all abilities, backgrounds, and upbringings. Some of the students that join Volta’s After-School classes are youth at risk or living with disabilities (Hard of Hearing). Volta makes it possible for these students to connect and build community through music experiences that allow them to have an outlet for expression and creativity while simultaneously highlighting their artistic skills.
Students enrolled in the After-School program participate in group instrument lessons and learn music history and theory to support their learning of their instrument. Volta provides:
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Accessible music education for students in Title I administration schools through out-of-school programs,
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Music materials, instruments, and tools to ensure the success of students’ music skill development.
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Accessible, community-focused educational performances and concerts for students to showcase their artistry and self-expression.
All Volta teachers receive training in social-emotional, creative youth development, and trauma-sensitive methods for classroom management and instructions to best serve our students.
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Click to learn more about our Curriculum
The repertoire draws on the principles of the Suzuki method, which uses a common set of solo music for skill development, and progresses in a step-by-step manner so that students are engaged but not overwhelmed by new skills. We are constantly reviewing pieces and use a lot of game-based learning to keep teaching fun and exciting. The songs themselves draw on countries around the world, with an emphasis on performing the works of minority and women composers.
In addition to skill-building in the instrument, students will study music theory and history, to truly understand where music comes from, how it works, and how it applies to their instrument. We are using Music Mind games for our music theory curriculum, which is a game-based music theory program that allows students to experience a new concept in a playful way. Students also work on music composition, so they can develop the tools to express themselves. Our music history program explores the development of music through the ages, in the context of world history, art, and architecture. It is designed to help students think critically and explore themselves.
Learn more about our Teacher Training Program
As educators for the Volta Music Foundation, teachers receive individual in-depth training on the repertoire sequence and how to teach it, as well as sessions throughout the term to review lesson plans and student progress. Teachers also meet as a team to receive seminars on social-emotional learning, neuroscience, and best teaching practices. These group sessions are designed to be interactive and build a sense of community. Teachers receive group and one-on-one training and support, to help them craft meaningful lesson plans, develop positive classroom management strategies, and get first-hand experience with working with students of varying abilities and backgrounds in a group setting. Teachers are provided with repertoire and exercises and encouraged to develop their own methods for delivering the materials that are engaging and developmentally appropriate. Our team also meets regularly to receive seminars on social-emotional learning, neuroscience, best teaching practices, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
E-Music Academy
Volta Music Foundation invites you to experience our Virtual Music Program through E-Music Academy! Our E-Music Academy program provides students with expert instruction from our talented music teachers and the opportunity to connect with fellow music enthusiasts in our vibrant virtual community.
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Link Up
Link Up is a music education program created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to unite the classroom with the concert hall, giving students in grades 3–5 the opportunity to explore music through a yearlong curriculum of classroom activities and a culminating concert in which students perform with a professional orchestra. As Carnegie Hall’s longest-running and most popular school-based education program, Link Up has become a model for implementing high-quality arts education in schools in New York City and Nationwide.
Volta Music Foundation has partnered with Carnegie Hall to provide the Link Up curriculum to thousands of students in South Florida. Through this partnership, we support and strengthen education programs in elementary and local schools and provide high-quality curricula, resources, professional development, and other support to ensure that students engage in a meaningful musical experience and gain a lifelong appreciation for music.
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With the 2023-2024 season’s curriculum, The Orchestra Moves, students will explore orchestral repertoire through a hands-on music curriculum. During the school year, teachers lead students through the curriculum of skills-based and creative work in the classroom. During a live concert, students can demonstrate what they have learned by singing, moving, and playing the recorder/violin.
The Link Up curriculum is aligned with national music learning standards and supports student learning in core subject areas, including those outlined in the Common Core State Standards initiative. The program can be used by either music teachers or classroom teachers with basic musical knowledge, making it particularly useful for school districts that lack sufficient numbers of highly trained music teachers. The principal goals of Link Up are to enable students to
- Develop and apply a music vocabulary
- Identify, describe, analyze, evaluate, and listen critically to orchestral repertoire
- Learn to read, notate, sing, play, and create music
- Connect musical learning with other areas of study and other art forms and disciplines
- Participate in an interactive live concert experience
Volta Music Foundation has partnered with Broward Center for the Performing Arts Center and Lynn University to deliver the Link Up program in schools throughout Broward County and Palm Beach. This Partnership will enable students to experience a live culminating concert at a major concert hall and interact with a symphony orchestra.
Through this program, Volta Music Foundation provides:
- Link Up curriculum guide for each teacher (featuring lessons on singing, playing the soprano recorder or violin, and composing and improvising music) with accompanying audio and video resources.
- Culminating interactive live or digital concert(s) featuring an orchestra, conductor, and participating Link Up students
- Professional development sessions and direct support for participating local teachers.
- Mentors in the school to support Music Educators
- Soprano recorders for all participants.
Link Up offers a yearlong program of hands-on classroom learning that allows students to apply the musical concepts they have studied by participating in an interactive culminating concert.. The program provides comprehensive curriculum resources, including teacher guides; audio resources featuring classical, modern, and commissioned repertoire; intuitive web-based materials; soprano recorders for students and teachers; and professional development for teachers, which includes membership in an online community and access to Carnegie Hall’s collection of resources for music educators.
Professional Development and Resources for Teachers
Volta Music Foundation provides training and direct support throughout the year for teachers who will deliver the Link Up program in their classrooms. Each teacher participating in Link Up receives a Link Up Teacher Guide. All teachers will attend an in-depth professional development session led by Volta’s Curriculum Director. These sessions are designed to familiarize teachers with the curriculum and repertoire their students must learn to perform in the final concert as well as lead them through discovering creative ways to implement the curriculum and teach the repertoire in the classroom. Teachers will receive specific coaching based on their familiarity with the program and their level of expertise in teaching music and will have the opportunity to meet Link Up artists. Teaching materials will be distributed at the workshops and will include the teacher guide; [a recorder;] a chart outlining how the curriculum aligns with specific local and national learning standards in the arts; reference and bibliographic information for the season’s theme and repertoire; and access to related internet resources. Teachers will continue to receive support from Volta staff once they introduce Link Up to their classrooms.
Outreach
Volta Music Foundation is dedicated to providing music performances and engaging musical activities to demographics that lack access. The outreach program brings joy and happiness to those who need it the most by bringing our activities to hospitals and other care facilities -focusing on delivering arts and crafts activities for children and live music performances for vulnerable demographics, including youth with disabilities and undergoing medical treatments to adults struggling with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Our dedicated volunteers and professionals work diligently to create a safe and engaging environment where participants can express themselves creatively and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of music and art. We believe everyone should be able to experience the joy and healing power of the arts, regardless of age or ability.
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Volta collaborates with Children’s Hospitals, Memory Centers, and other organizations to engage in monthly or weekly outreach visits to improve communication skills, socialization, and emotional regulation. In addition, through music. This program has been created to provide music education, experience, and performance opportunities tailored to the needs of all individuals, allowing them to experience the joy and benefits of music in a supportive and empowering environment.
Volta Outreach Goals:
- Empowering Health through live music performance
- Create an opportunity for the audience to connect with each other and the Volta musicians.
- Finding avenues for stress relief and social comfort for medical staff, patients, and caregivers
- Encouraging self-expression, team building, and connection through arts and crafts activities.
Research has shown that live music can significantly enhance the patient experience and improve overall health outcomes. Volta believes music can dramatically enhance individuals’ experience and improve their overall connections and emotions to benefit their social skills and serve as a therapeutic element for them to use for many years. Our live music performances can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood and overall well-being. In addition, our arts and crafts activities tailored by a music therapist can improve social communication and functional brain connectivity, positively affecting emotional engagement, social interaction, communication, and bonding.
We understand that every partner for the outreach program has different needs and requirements, and we welcome your thoughts and comments. We will work closely with each partner to develop a customized music program that meets their goals and objectives. Our team is dedicated to providing high-quality, professional, and compassionate live music services to enhance outreach engagement.
To inquire about an Outreach Partnership, please fill out the form below.
Latin American Exchange Program
The Latin American Exchange Program provides promising young musicians with cultural exchange and study-abroad opportunities. Talented professors from universities and conservatories travel to schools in Latin America to host free masterclasses, workshops, and group lessons. Additionally, Volta prepares and facilitates study-abroad opportunities for Latin American Students in the United States.
Volta has sponsored Latin American students to further their education in the United States’ Conservatories of Music and universities. In doing so, we have served students as mentors through application, audition and visa processing.
These students have also been interns in other Volta programs allowing them to give back to the community and help other students in their development.
Masterclass Series
Volta Music Foundation’s Masterclass Series gives promising Latin American music students the opportunity to learn from performing teaching artists in the United States. During this series, Masterclass Guest Teachers help participating music students prepare for university and performance auditions by allowing them to receive critical feedback on their techniques. Masterclasses are free and conducted in English and Spanish.
Volta understands the need to close barriers between Latinx students and students with lower resources and wishes to bring them closer to musicians around the Globe. The masterclass series serves as a connector and mediator for music education in the Latin American community.
Masterclasses are free and conducted in Spanish and English. Each class can admit 2-4 students to perform for 30 minutes each. They only require online registration for participation as an audience member or performer.
Register
Supply Drive Initiative
Volta’s Supply Drive Initiative was created with the goal of delivering much-needed music supplies to students in underserved communities in the United States and Latin America.
We collaborate with musicians, symphony orchestras, conservatories, violin shops, and music stores to collect lightly used musical instruments and materials that are donated to students in need.
Volta strives on providing free instruments and music learning opportunities to underserved communities. Our goal is to continue our Supply Drive Initiative Program to ensure more students receive the gift of a musical instrument.
Have an old instrument?
Let us share it with a child who can use it to discover their own musical voice.
We accept donations of:
- Gently-used instruments, including quarter-sized violins
- Instrument supplies (bows, strings, rosin, shoulder rests, reeds)
- Music stands
- Music accessories
We do not accept:
- Music scores
- Books
- CDs
Your donation is tax-deductible.
