WHINMusicCS

Inspired by the success of The Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston (watch video here:https://vimeo.com/24940576), WHIN Music Community will be the first school of its kind in New York City (and the second in the country) to combine a rigorous academic instruction with an intensive music education based on the internationally renowned El Sistema social program (watch video on El Sistema here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43tqQhOTCgQ). This school is an organic outgrowth of the WHIN Music Project, a grassroots El Sistema-inspired program that has served an average of 150 students per week since its inception in 2012 in the underserved communities of Washington Heights and Inwood (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6vMel3eky8). The documented benefits, especially for low-income communities, of the internationally renowned El Sistema music program, a 40-year-old social intervention program started in Venezuela, have shown a strong correlation between the intensive ensemble orchestral and choral instruction and the development of executive functioning and social skills. These skills, including self-control, mental flexibility, working memory and grit, have been identified as essential for improving academic achievement, developing positive behaviors, and building community. Based on the community support galvanized by WHIN Music Project, the success of The Conservatory Lab Charter School in implementing a similar educational model, and the talented team (including professionals from prominent musical and educational institution including Bank Street, Carnegie Hall, Harlem Children’s Zone and El Sistema) WHIN Music Community Charter School is a visionary school model that can transform an entire community in New York City and subsequently be a leading example to other communities across the nation and the world.