Multicultural Music Group / www.multiculturalmusic.org

Message from our program coordinator on our 2007-08 school year

As we begin our new 2007-2008 school The Multicultural Music Group has entered a new phase of growth and organization. I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself as the new program coordinator for the MMG. My responsibilities involve, the organization and maintenance of our various programs and events as well as aiding the executive Director (Dr. Mojica) in fund raising activities. I am very grateful for this opportunity and hope to be able to provide my experience and expertise for a smooth and productive future.

Our goal as arts educators is to provide a foundation that will accompany students throughout their lives. We are striving to work closer with parents and schools to prepare students for specialized high schools, colleges and various programs through out the city.
We have restructured our after school programs this year. Students now have a better balance of private lessons and ensemble time. Supervisors have been added to each site to ensure a structured and productive term. Parent-teacher communication will be a key factor in maintaining our attendance levels at a maximum as well as making sure the children develop a practice routine at home.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome three new schools to our roster. This year we have added: X296 South Bronx academy for applied media (Bronx), X298 Academy of public relations (Bronx) and Mott Hall high school (Manhattan). Also returning are: MS254 (Bronx, MS223 (Bronx), M143 (Manhattan) and Wadleigh high school (Manhattan). We thank all these institutions for their continuing support for arts education.
Besides our individual school ensembles, we are planning to build a program-wide orchestra with the intention to participate in festivals and other events. I believe this will give students incentive and motivation to continue in their musical education. Whether a student chooses to pursue a career in the arts or not, a strong arts foundation can only benefit them in the future. As stated by many educational specialists, a complete rounded education which includes the arts provides each individual with better chances for a success as an adult.

Our staff has also increased this year and we welcome our new members as well as our returning professionals. We have incremented the number of staff meetings and professional development sessions to ensure that the program runs at an even pace and the staff has, overall, better communication.

Once again The Multicultural Music Group this year, will present the Multicultural Music Encounters (MME) concert series. The title of the concerts for this year will be “The sound of pain”. Three presentations by three different composers accompanied by scholars exposing the atrocities experienced by genocide. The focus this season will be on The Ponce massacre (Puerto Rico. Musical intervention by Desmar Guevara), the Native American Holocaust (USA. Musical intervention by Dennis Yerry) and the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda (Rwanda. Musical intervention by Benny Russel). The multicultural Music encounters series will take place in March, April and May of 2008. All concerts will also feature a performance by the MMG youth orchestra.

In closing, I believe this will be an exciting year for the MMG. A year of growth, restructure and greater communication. On behalf of myself, Dr. Mojica and the MMG board of directors we would like to thank our staff and our schools for all their hard work through out the years. A very special thank you to all our funding organizations without whom none of this would be possible.


Thank you for your support, Waldo Chavez (MMG program coordinator)

Message from our Executive Director on MMG's Ten-Year Anniversary : Updated June 2006
What started as an idea a little more than ten years ago is today a solid organization. The Multicultural Music Group has made a real impact in the lives of many, including myself.  I consider the ten year anniversary of MMG not only as a reason for celebration but as an opportunity to reflect on the many elements of our organization that have emerged and developed to transform MMG from an idea and a dream into an evolving and successful reality.

First, our vision and mission: Education is the most powerful tool to transform society. The Multicultural Music Group strongly believes that our duty and moral responsibility is to ensure that new generations are intellectually prepared and consciously motivated to make positive changes, not only for their particular nations, but for the benefit of humankind.

MMG's vision and our commitment towards global understanding and world peace are more important and necessary in today's society than ever before. At MMG, we believe ourselves to be a starting point leading to the academic success of our students, which we see as the fruits of our effort and dedication. Despite the challenges that we face everyday, we will continue to commit ourselves to our mission.

Second, our people: One of the greatest assets of a non-profit organization is its people, and we are honored to share our dreams and accomplishments with a wonderful group of people, to whom we are extremely grateful. Our Board of Directors: Delca Ortiz, Zoilo Torres, Brian Hodge, Tamara York, Ray Garcia, and Anthony Granda. Thank you for your time, sincere dedication and commitment. My personal gratitude goes to all of you and in particular to Mr. Winston Brewster, our Board President, who has been a friend and a loyal member of our organization since its inception. For more than ten years, Mr. Brewster has gone far and beyond his responsibilities as board member to support MMG. Winston, you have helped us to believe that only dreamers make changes, that we can indeed help make the world a better place, a more intelligent, social place and more than anything you have worked with us to transform dreams into actions.

Thanks to all our staff, a great group of professional artists who had devoted much of their time and in many cases had given up on other professional opportunities to help us accomplish our goals. Isabel Bautista and Waldo Chavez, thank you for your commitment and dedication. 

Working to make an idea a reality has taken a lot of physical and emotional strength, and today with only ten years in existence, we are very proud of our accomplishments. The future of MMG forecasts very promising things to come: The MMG is moving to a new location in the new "Downtown Bronx" area. The MMG Community Music School is planning to open within the next year.

The performing aspect of our organization is significantly expanding, thanks to the support of our Board member Zoilo Torres, our Honorary Chair and Grammy winner Mr. Eddie Palmieri and his son Mr. Eddie Palmieri II. Gentlemen thank you for your unconditional support with all of our presentation commitments.

The publishing component of the organization has several projects in progress which includes our current publication of "Jaleos or Merengue Riffs," by Mr. Juan Colon, one of the greatest merengue music performers of this time. In addition, the improvement and new edition of our Multicultural Music Curriculum, a teachers' guide designed to provide teaching strategies in instrumental music instruction with a multicultural focus. Moreover, we have plans to publish future didactical material focusing on the instruction of different musical genres from around the world.

We also have the commitment of several public schools for next year, assuring that more students and their families will benefit from a free and comprehensive instrumental music program in the New York City Public Schools.

Our ten year anniversary is nevertheless a reason for celebration and we will mark our celebration in December with a major concert event featuring our Honorary Chair Mr. Eddie Palmieri and many invited guests, including Victor Manuelle, Herman Olivera and the MMG Orchestra led by Ray Santos. More details of these and other activities will be forthcoming. I hope that you can join us in this exciting celebration.

Thank you for your support.