Quarter Notes

The music room is quiet, the snacks

have all been eaten, and the

students are busily practicing at

home (hopefully!). The first year of

the Youth Orchestra of Northern

Alberta (YONA-Sistema) pilot

program has come to a close.

The past ten months have been an

amazing journey for everyone

involved with the program. The

YONA-Sistema team has witnessed

amazing growth, not only in our

students, whose social, emotional,

language, and musical abilities have

skyrocketed, but also in ourselves

and our own skills (if you’re ever in

need of a 5-minute singing game or

a way to get the attention of a group

of 8-year-olds, just ask any of our

staff!).

Now it’s time to get ready for next

year! YONA-Sistema staff have nine

weeks over the summer to prepare

for orientation and recruitment of 20

more students into the program.

With the addition of lower string

Our first year is done!

instruments into the mix this fall,

we’re busy readying instruments,

music, and teaching materials for

September.

In this edition of Quarter Notes, you’ll

learn about “Road to Joy”, the

concert in which our students made

their public debut onstage at the

Winspear Centre with the Edmonton

Symphony Orchestra. You’ll meet

Carol, one of our superstar students,

and you’ll hear from some of our

YONA families and students about

how the program has impacted

their lives.

If you’d like to check in on our YONA

community more frequently, visit

www.yona-sistema.com where you’ll

find blog posts, student profiles, and

lots of photos and videos!

Thanks for reading, and all the best!

We’ll see you in the fall!

- Mr. Lucas, Ms. Alyssa, and the

YONA Team

“YONA-Sistema is

giving [my child]

the ability to

dream again – to

think anything is

possible.”

- YONA Parent

William, playing his very first solo

recital for his peers in February

YONA Students, Staff, and Volunteers on the last day of class

Vision To kindle long-term positive change in Edmonton’s marginalized populations and communities by engaging the region’s under-served youth in music education. Values

• Inclusivity • Community • Ensemble • Peer mentorship • Intensive instruction

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Quarter Notes ● Issue 2 ● July 2014 ● www.yona-sistema.com

Siepoe and his father build a

cardboard violin together.

Ryann teaches her family a

cardboard violin song.

Sejutee’s family is so proud of her

involvement in YONA.

Messages from our YONA Families

The Kids Weigh In

Nayomi, Mai, and Silver hide under an umbrella

during a rainy YONA free-play time.

We also asked YONA students for their opinions of the

program. Here’s what they said!

What is your favourite thing about YONA?

“Playing at break and playing the violin, doing art with Miss

Sandi.”

“Making new friends and playing the violin.”

“Learning to play violin with my friends and getting closer

to music with my family.”

“Seeing friends every day and learning the VIOLIN.”

“I LOVE EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT YONA.”

At the end of this year, we sent home surveys to YONA families

asking various questions about their experiences with YONA this

year. Here are some of their responses.

What is one major change that YONA-Sistema has brought to your

child?

“A positive outlook toward her future.”

“An appreciation of music and a belief that she can make music.”

“He has learned that in order to get something right he has to

constantly practice to perfect what he already knows.”

What is one major change that YONA-Sistema has brought to your

family?

“It has made our family more cohesive in a sense that we make it a

point to support [our child] in all her YONA performances. Plus, her

being a part of YONA gave us the opportunity to watch

performances at the Winspear as a family, enhancing our

closeness as a family.”

“We have more music in our home and whenever one child begins

to play, the other is motivated to do the same on the piano.”

What difference is YONA-Sistema making in your life and your

child’s life? “She feels so confident as part of the program and is getting an

extra challenge beyond school, which is a great opportunity for

her.” “Being immigrants, I used to worry about how to raise a more

confident, motivated, and well-rounded child in a foreign land,

where we had no relatives to lend support. With [my child’s]

inclusion in the YONA program, I am more at ease knowing that I

have that “support” and “partners” who can help me develop my

child’s personality and innate abilities. As for her, well, she has

always thought, “YONA is Awesome!”

Quarter Notes ● Issue 2 ● July 2014 ● www.yona-sistema.com Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

A few weeks ago, Carol

presented Miss Amanda with a

story she’d written, entitled “The

Nice Violin Player.” Paired with

clip art that matches her words,

Carol’s story talks about her love

for the YONA program, her

teachers, and the violin. Read an

excerpt of her story in the yellow

box on the right!

We recently sat down to

interview Carol about the

highlights she’s experienced over

the past few months, and had

her read her story to us, too. We

created a short film out of this

material, and we invite you to

get know Carol better by

watching it at:

yona-sistema.com/blog/carol.

Quarter Notes ● Issue 2 ● July 2014 ● www.yona-sistema.com

Why did you decide to write this

story?

It’s just fun for me to make stories!

What’s your favourite song that

you’ve learned in YONA?

“Boil the Cabbage.” Because,

it’s very fast and you use small

bows.

How do your YONA friends make

you feel special?

“They be nice to me and they

help me. Sometimes, they help

me [with] the notes and where

we are [in a song].”

Excerpt from “The Nice Violin

Player”

“I love playing my violin. I love

playing Ode to Joy. I love violin

music. We play outside. I love it.”

Student Focus:

Meet Carol!

Volunteer Focus: Meet Barb!

“When I am cooking she plays

the violin for me to listen…

Carol is growing in her music

and it is thanks to you, YONA-

Sistema.”

– Carol’s mother

Barb has been an invaluable volunteer and has

fulfilled many–and any–roles we have needed

over this past year. In her own words, she’s been

“a Jane of all trades.” From official YONA baker

to academic mentor, Barb has both assisted and

witnessed the growth of these students since the

program’s inception, and we’re so grateful for her

generosity and expertise.

As a former elementary-school teacher, Barb has

an insider’s perspective on how music enrichment

programs can make a difference in a child’s life–

both inside and outside of the classroom. We

asked Barb to share some of the developments

she’s noticed in our twenty students, as well as

some thoughts on what makes YONA-Sistema a

unique and valuable program.

“You can start to see there’s more self-discipline,”

Barb shares. “The reading and following along of

the notes, the singing, the dancing – it’s all been

wonderful to see and a lot of fun. The sharing that

goes on has also been great to witness.”

“I think that this program gives these students an

exposure to experiences they would never likely

have,” she continues.”

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

“Or, if they did have them, it’s not typically until junior

high or high school, anyway. YONA gives them an

exposure to different places–to different kinds of music–

than what they might only listen to at home.

Furthermore, a lot of kids would never have been able

to visit the Winspear. But, they’ve been to the Winspear

this year and have even performed there a couple of

times. To be able to watch and perform with an

orchestra, and to be able to work together as a group

of emerging musicians, is truly invaluable.”

YONA Team

Lucas Waldin

YONA Artistic Director

Alyssa Paterson

YONA Manager

Amanda Alstad

YONA Site Coordinator

Deborah Chang

Lauren Dykstra

Alison Stewart

YONA Teaching Artists

Photos by Carmyn Joy Effa

Upcoming Events

We’ll be doing

recruitment and selection

of students for next year

in August, and will be

starting the program on

September 15th.

Watch for an

announcement about

our paper instrument

graduation ceremony,

which will happen in late

October. We’d love to

see you there!

Sejutee’s imaginative interpretation of “Violin Land,” created

during one of Ms. Sandi’s expressive art sessions.

Thank you to our supporters! You are truly instruments for change in our children’s lives.

Partners

Rotary

Edmonton Catholic School District

Inner City Children’s Program

Edmonton Public School Board

Seed Funders

J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

REACH Edmonton

Edmonton Community Foundation

glasswaters foundation

R.J. Nelson Family Foundation

Corporate Supporters

Avison Young

Eastman Strings

Bella Music

Long and McQuade

If you would like to learn more about how you can support this transformational social action program,

please visit www.yona-sistema.com.

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Quarter Notes ● Issue 2 ● July 2014 ● www.yona-sistema.com

“Road to Joy” – YONA & the ESO!

On June 12, our YONA students got the amazing

chance to play on-stage at the Winspear Centre,

accompanied by the Edmonton Symphony

Orchestra, for a crowd of over 1400 people. This

concert was organized as an appreciation event for

all those who support the ESO, and also featured

three young violin soloists from Edmonton – Andrew

Wan, Judy Kang, and Jessica Linnebach.

Having learned all about these three violinists in the

week leading up to the concert, the YONA students

were ecstatic to meet them backstage before they

performed, asking questions about what it’s like to

be famous musicians. After each soloist performed

with the ESO, our students took to the stage to play

a medley of songs they’ve learned throughout their

year, artfully arranged by ESO musician John

McPherson.

The piece concluded with a standing ovation from

the crowd! Mr. Lucas then interviewed a couple of

students who expressed how lucky they felt to be

involved with YONA. When we returned backstage

after the performance, Zoe kept exclaiming “this is

the best day of my life!”. This feeling was shared by

many that day. YONA can’t wait to perform

alongside the ESO again!

YONA students whisper backstage before

performing with the ESO.