Out in the Schools

School music programs are unquestionably essential. They are the backbone of musical education. New GTCYS Philharmonic conductor Hisham Bravo Groover agrees, “What I see as the most important function of school music programs’ existence is their ability to provide daily musical instruction. Consistency is everything and the fact that they educate each and every day is a crucial step in any child’s musical development.”

GTCYS strongly encourages and fully supports students’ participation in school band and orchestra programs. If school band or orchestra concerts conflict with a GTCYS activity, we want students to prioritize attendance at their school concert. In addition to supporting school programs with this attendance policy, GTCYS’ conductors enjoy offering pro bono clinics at schools.

Hisham has enjoyed visiting numerous middle and high school programs this year. “Teachers understand that nurturing musical development is multifaceted, and they see these clinics as an opportunity to expose their students to different ways of thinking about music and broaden their musical understanding,” he said.

“It’s been such a treat for me to step into this function of my role within GTCYS. The most exciting aspect of this work is the opportunity to meet many wonderful teachers and to work with their young musicians. Hisham said, “I also enjoy the bridging aspect. Visiting these schools is a great way to unify GTCYS’ mission with that of school programs because in the end, we all share the goal to educate students through music.”

Are you a school music educator interested in a pro bono clinic with a GTCYS conductor? If so, contact Hisham at hisham@gtcys.org or program director Miranda Bryan at miranda@gtcys.org.

GTCYS Philharmonic conductor Hisham Bravo Groover leads a pro bono clinic with St. Louis Park High School Orchestra led by Kou Lee