New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to Present NJSO CHAMPS Concert, 11/30

Following a successful six-week pilot program last spring, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and University Heights Charter School (UHCS) in Newark present the first full school year of NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project)-an intensive education program inspired by the Venezuelan social change and music education program El Sistema. NJSO CHAMPS seeks to develop students' goal-directed behavior and skills to foster social and academic success, improving students' self-esteem, academic achievement and lifelong character traits like perseverance and leadership.

This school year, 50 UHCS students in grades four through seven are receiving intensive after-school instruction-including group string lessons and full ensemble rehearsals-for two hours per day, three days per week. Professional musicians serve as teaching artists, giving violin, viola and cello lessons. NJSO Education & Community Engagement Conductor Jeffrey Grogan leads orchestra rehearsals and concerts.

"A lot of people don't get to express themselves through an instrument-this gives me the opportunity to do that," says UHCS fifth grader Shantreea J., now in her second year in the program.

In a special performance, CHAMPS will join the NJSO on stage for Variations on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at the NJSO Family concert "Shooting for the Stars" on Saturday, November 30, at 2 pm at NJPAC in Newark.

Parent Felicia Johnson, whose fourth-grade daughter, Shanasia, is in her first year of CHAMPS, says: "The program is just awesome because it takes our urban children and teaches them that there is something else out there. It teaches diversity, teaches our children that there is more to music than just the videos they see. They don't know all the work that is put into these things-it starts here. Responsibility is just one of the things Shanasia is learning, and she is so excited about this. To be a part of something positive is a beautiful feeling, and that's what she is feeling right now. I can't wait [for CHAMPS' performance at NJPAC]-I'm so excited. As a parent, to say my daughter has a violin concert is a 'wow' moment."

"It is a testament to the hard work and discipline of the students-and to the amazing school culture at UHCS-that after only a few weeks of instruction, our CHAMPS are ready to take the stage with our Orchestra," NJSO Vice President of Education & Community Engagement Marshell Jones Kumahor says. "By design, NJSO CHAMPS is about nurturing a community of young scholars and budding leaders, and the determination the students have already shown-both on and off their instruments!-is nothing short of inspiring."

UHCS Executive Director Misha Simmonds says: "[CHAMPS] is an intense program; it's the longest after-school program we have, and it's through that commitment and duration that students are accelerating in their capacity to learn music. They're learning not only the mechanics of the violin but also the notation, theory and history. There is also a big character-development piece that [helps students understand] how developing their skills on the [violin, viola and cello] can help them become better people. It's difficult to learn an instrument. It's something that requires perseverance and grit and coming back to it, practicing over and over. Students are already commenting that the confidence they have from persevering with [their instrument] is helping them in their classwork. It's also helping them in their capacity to work with each other."

Al T., a UHCS sixth grader now in his second year of CHAMPS, says: "[Teamwork] to me is very peaceful, because everybody is working together. Sometimes we're off track, but we just correct it real quick."

"The partnership with NJSO we have is really important for our students' development," Simmonds says. "It aligns so well with our mission for our students, which is to develop their character, scholarship and leadership. The El Sistema model the NJSO is using [in CHAMPS] really speaks to that whole child."

Following the six-week pilot last spring, CHAMPS performed a feature piece alongside students in the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra at the NJSO youth-orchestra family's concert in May.

Learn more and view a video of CHAMPS in action at www.njsymphony.org/champs.

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