Progressions is an El Sistema-based and culturally responsive music and youth development program that is all about changing lives by helping low-income, at-promise youth in our community identify, cultivate and celebrate their gifts through music education and performance.
An evidence-based program, Progressions uses music to connect with students, challenge them with a rigorous music education, help them build a pro-social community and stays with them through eighth grade. The program’s mission is to narrow the opportunity gap for at-promise students, expand equitable access to the arts for all, and advocating for music education as a necessary core subject for a well-rounded and inclusive 21st-century education.
In the first six months of the 2019-20 school year, we reached 1,000 students in six Title 1 school sites in the Franklin-McKinley School District with instrument training, ensembles, homework support and mentoring.
The Covid-19 pandemic closed schools but we continued to work with our students via home learning packets, videos and online events.
In the 2022-23 school year, Progressions is again providing school-wide general music and in-person programs to more than 900 students at multiple Title I school sites in the Franklin-McKinley School District. This year, the training includes work in songwriting and film music via GarageBand and ensembles that include virtual, computer-generated music-making devices and play-along videos instruction.
Progressions has received a 2-year grant from the California Arts Council supporting our work with a Creative Youth Development grant. With this funding, we continue our mission of incorporating creative youth development elements through music education as a powerful strategy towards equity in arts and education alike.
We currently seek a music educator/mentor to join our Progressions after school music program team at Windmill Springs School in the Franklin-McKinley School District. Our mission? To advocate for equitable music education for all students, and to empower families and communities through music education and performance.
Progressions Program Overview
– Magdelena Moore, Jeanne R. Meadows Elementary Principal
Program contact:Hugo Garcia, Progressions Directorhugog@sanjosejazz.org408 713-6366
With your donations, we look to secure enough instruments to continue to provide a free instrument to all students that want to participate in Progressions
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