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JUNIOR ORCHESTRA OF YAMHILL COUNTY

“I love watching my child and others grow in confidence and experience music together.”

JOY PARENT

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JUNIOR ORCHESTRA OF YAMHILL COUNTY

JOY has been providing access to free music and strings education to youth in Yamhill County since 2017. In collaboration with Yamhill County schools and their districts, we provide both In-School and After-School violin and orchestral programming to elementary-aged youth, and currently serve 700 students. JOY is a member organization of El Sistema USA and prioritizes sites and programs to serve students and school communities with high rates of underserved populations. JOY takes inspiration from the Suzuki Method in the style of teaching and progression of skills.

To date, JOY provides K-1st In-School Violin and 2nd-5th After-School Orchestra programs at Edwards Elementary in Newberg. As a result of an increase in community interest, JOY now offers K-1st In-School Violin programs at Sue Buel and Newby Elementary Schools in McMinnville. The Fall of 2023 introduces the Kindergarten In-School Violin program to Grandhaven Elementary School in McMinnville, Wascher Elementary School in Lafayette, and Crater Elementary School in Newberg. We are excited about the momentum, impact, and reach of JOY.

OUR MISSION

The Junior Orchestra of Yamhill County (JOY) transforms the lives of underserved youth in Yamhill County through high-caliber, intensive orchestral music instruction through emphasizing teamwork and collaboration, promoting student  creativity, and engaging the community.

OUR VISION

JOY is inspired by the El Sistema movement, which started in Venezuela in 1975, to harness the power of music for social change. JOY’s vision is to establish youth orchestra programs throughout Yamhill County.

OUR VALUES

  • Inclusion: We embrace a diversity of students and honor the unique contributions that children and families bring.
  • Equity: We help improve the academic and social outcomes for students who are underserved in our county.
  • Excellence: We pursue high standards of musicality through intensive music education.
  • Community: We encourage students to use their skills to enrich their communities at school, at home, in their neighborhood, and religious groups.
  • Teamwork: We teach our students to perform as individuals and as a part of the orchestra.
  • JOY: An appreciation and a love for music, which we hope to instill in every child.

I love that my daughter is learning how to read music and play an instrument that we may not have been able to afford.

MARIA G., NEWBERG

EL SISTEMA

JOY was inspired by the El Sistema movement, which started in 1975 in Venezuela by Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu. Because of Dr. Abreu’s successful work bringing music to underserved communities, El Sistema-inspired programs now operate in many countries around the world, including the United States. JOY is a member of El Sistema USA and is one of two El Sistema inspired programs that operates in the state of Oregon. For more information on El Sistema, follow the links below:

EL SISTEMA USA WEBSITE ►
TED TALK WITH DR. ABREU (2009) ►
GUSTAVO DUDAMEL CONDUCTS THE TERESA CARRENO ORCHESTRA, VENEZUELA (2009) ►

BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION

“Playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout… playing an instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once. As in any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music strengthens those brain functions, alllowing us to apply that strength to other activities.” (from Laura I. Saunder’s “Your Brain on Music: The Cognitive Effects of Music Education on the Brain”)

Music education is important for all people because it actively uses many parts of the brain at once. In engaging the many parts of our brains, we strengthen other skills such as focus, analysis, decision-making, planning, and attention to detail. In addition, participation in music groups oriented towards excellence also strengthens community and cultivates social responsibility. The cognitive and social benefits brought together lead to improving student outcomes in school attendance and academic performance.

FROM DR. ABREU

“In its essence, the orchestra is much more than artistic structures. They are examples and schools of social life, because to sing and play together means to intimately coexist toward perfection and excellence, following a strict discipline of organization and coordination in order to seek the harmonic interdependence of voices and instruments. That’s how they build a spirit of solidarity and fraternity among them, develop their self-esteem and foster the ethical and aesthetical values related to music in all its senses. This is why music is important in the awakening of sensibility, in the forging of values and in the training of youngsters to teach other kids.” -Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema in Venezuela

“From the minute a child’s taught how to play an instrument, he’s no longer poor. He becomes a child in progress headed for a professional level, who’ll later become a full citizen.” -JAA

“I believe that to confront such a crisis [of spirituality], only art and religion can give proper answers to humanity, to mankind’s deepest aspirations, and to the historic demands of our times. Education– the synthesis of wisdom and knowledge– is the means to strive for a more perfect, more aware, more noble and more just society.” -JAA

YES MISSION

Transforming the lives of Yamhill County children through literacy and music enrichment.
Yamhill Enrichment Society - YES - Logo White

YAMHILL ENRICHMENT SOCIETY

638 NE Fifth Street | McMinnville, OR 97128
503.883.9654
info@yamhillenrichmentsociety.org
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