The mission of the Verdugo Young Musicians Association (VYMA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to enable children to discover the dedication, teamwork and joy of making music together and to enhance their musical skills through high level music education in nurturing, non-competitive ensemble settings. This mission is fulfilled through free and tuition-based orchestral, chamber, jazz and choral programs that serve young people from the San Gabriel to the San Fernando Valleys. Our participants are "real musicians . . . only younger."
VYMA was founded in 2001 by a group of parents to supplement existing music education by offering ensemble opportunities for children preempted from joining an orchestra because of age, ability and/or financial means. VYMA's goal is to provide inclusive, high quality music education by professional, performing musicians in a nurturing, fun, non-competitive setting. This approach has proven to be highly successful. Children with minimal training have achieved recognizably impressive standards of classical music excellence.
In April 21, 2001, within four months of its first rehearsal, the 30-member String Orchestra performed its inaugural concert at the Glendale Central Library under the direction of Samvel Chilingarian. This initial ensemble, ranging in age from 7 to 15 with varying levels of experience, soon blossomed into a full orchestra, adding winds, brass and percussion. As the orchestra grew, more tiers were added and more programs offered to include Chamber Ensembles (spring 2002), Jazz Ensemble (summer 2008), Summer Music Camp (summer 2009) and VYMA Project at Longfellow School (fall 2009).
VYMA musicians have performed at numerous venues, among them the Glendale First Congregational Church, the Linda Vista Music Fair, Pasadena Bungalow Heaven, Occidental College, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as part of the L.A. Philharmonic's Symphonies for Youth and the Walt Disney Concert Hall as an L.A. Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra Partner.
Our mission of inclusiveness and nurturing of young musicians inspired VYMA to embrace the philosophy of El Sistema, the now famed music education program that produced Gustavo Dudamel, the Music Director of the L.A. Philharmonic. A visionary global movement that transforms the lives of children through music and is a new model for social change, El Sistema has demonstrated the power of ensemble music to dramatically impact the life trajectory of youth while transforming the communities around them.
Given our commitment to our community and our dedication to serve overlooked children - especially those who have no or little access to music education - VYMA joined a network of stakeholders in the Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) in November 2007, a Los Angeles Philharmonic initiative, whose goal is to create El Sistema-inspired music programs in Los Angeles County. In December 2008, Music Director Samvel Chilingarian and then Board Vice-President Louise Ghandhi traveled to Venezuela to study El Sistema, meeting with many of its teachers, conductors, young musicians and its inspiring founder, Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu.
In September 2009, VYMA launched VYMA Music Project at Longfellow, an outreach program at Longfellow Elementary School, a Title I school in the Pasadena Unified School District. This program provides free instruments and free instruction to 80 Longfellow Elementary after-school students. The program is supported by the parents through myriad in-kind support as well as our partners, Pasadena LEARNS and several generous donors. After only 10 weeks, the VYMA Music Project at Longfellow gave its spectacularly successful debut performance with a string orchestra and choir made up of first to sixth graders. This project is ongoing and growing and has tremendous parental support.
Our collaborative efforts benefit the community while providing VYMA musicians with many enriching opportunities. This was most evident in February 2010 when we held the first annual Youth Orchestra Day in Pasadena, a combined performance of four youth orchestras: the Olympia Youth Orchestra, the Pasadena Young Musicians Association, the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra and VYMA. Each orchestra performed individually and collectively concluding the extraordinary event with 350 musicians playing the world premiere of The Net of Indra, composed for this occasion by Russell Steinberg.
Our collaboration with L.A. Philharmonic continues. In 2010 we were named Emeritus Youth Orchestra Partner. As such, our musicians were honored to host guest conductor Perry So, one of four 'Dudamel Fellows'.
Going forward, VYMA aims to continue its collaboration with community partners and music organizations and sustain the Music Project at Longfellow Elementary. In this way, VYMA provides young musicians with a rich musical experience while offering opportunities for meaningful performances and community engagement while spreading the love of music among youth.
VYMA is dedicated to helping young musicians feel successful through learning and sharing music. Becoming an essential and valued member of our musical community and working together toward a shared goal, members learn the consistency, dedication and teamwork needed to create beautiful music. And they discover how much fun that work can be!
By deeply respecting and believing in the potential in all young musicians and by being a supportive and nurturing presence in their lives, we encourage and challenge our students to be the very best they are able while providing a safe place to take risks and make mistakes. With love and encouragement, we teach young people to make music with their minds and with their hearts.
A hallmark of the VYMA philosophy is the encouragement of teamwork rather than competition. We encourage the students to feel that they are all part of one ensemble, and each student can move on to more challenging music as he or she is ready. We downplay the importance that orchestras often place on seating for status. The seating arrangement is changed frequently, not as reward or punishment, but to give students the opportunity to sit in the front and the back of the orchestra. No one is treated as "second fiddle," because all parts of the music are equally important. At the same time, advanced students will have the opportunity to become concertmaster or section leader because these are also essential roles to acquire.
VYMA orchestras are inclusive, currently bringing together young musicians from over 40 different public and private schools. Repertoire is carefully selected to meet the abilities, aspirations, and educational needs of students at varying levels of musical development.