Music in the Mountains Arts Academy
Community Music Making
Making music in community, also known as “musicing” has proven to have a positive effect on at-risk youth (Cohen et al., 2018; Koopman, 2007). Community music making can have a powerful impact on the lives of at-risk youth, who for social, cultural, or financial reasons, are not able to develop their musical talents. It strengthens their sense of belonging, socialization skills, self-confidence, and empathy.
Summer Arts Encounter 2024
In the Fall of 2024, we hosted our Music in the Mountains Arts Academy 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand! Students from Cambodia and China attended in-person and virtual art and music classes. What a GREAT opportunity to see our students grow in their love for the arts!
Students and teachers from a foster home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, traveled by bus (a 14-hour journey) to experience their first Arts Academy! Many of them had never travelled outside Cambodia, and with instruments in hand, they traveled by bus overland to Thailand. What an amazing time they had participating in in-person music study and virtual art classes!
Foster home students from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, continued their study of handbells and tone chimes
Wind Ensemble Practice led by Teacher Andrew Ja Naw a flute performance major at Silpakorn University in Bangkok
Virtual Art classes with teacher Anna Lassonde, of Jollybird Studios in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
GROUP #2 Special needs students living in China studied music for the first time through virtual classes. These lessons continue each week as these delightful students learn rhythms, reading, and handbells!
Special needs students in southern China started their musical journey with virtual music classes.
Summer Arts Encounter 2019
In 2019, Music in the Mountains hosted an Arts Encounter experience for orphaned youth living in Guangxi, China. They traveled by train to Kunming, Yunnan, and spent the week at YaGe Community Arts Center, where they enjoyed studying music and art.
Orphaned youth spent a week developing their artistic skills in 2019 while at the YaGe Community Arts Center in China.
Summer Arts Encounter 2017
During the summer of 2017, eight international music and art professionals joined our YaGe students in Kunming, China, for an amazing opportunity to experience the creative arts together!
Artist Steve Henning works with students in Kunming, China in the summer of 2017.