IU Jacobs School of Music to host rural community engagement summit

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music will convene rural residents, music faculty, students and national arts leaders for the virtual Jacobs Community Engagement Summit on November 13 and 14, 2020.

Attendees will learn about new community music and arts collaboration opportunities with the Jacobs School of Music and the Center for Rural Engagement, gain insights into best practices in community arts initiatives and learn asset-based strategic approaches to developing and implementing projects and boosting local capacity. New funding opportunities for local partnerships will also be announced.

This summit marks the launch of the Jacobs School of Music Community Engagement Initiative which joins faculty, students and residents to create collaborative programming, projects and performances that align directly with the needs, aspirations and vision of communities. Developed with support from the IU Center for Rural Engagement, the IU Bloomington Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Arts Midwest, this initiative builds upon growing arts and cultural partnerships across rural Indiana.

“The expansion of the Community Engagement Initiative comes at a key moment for all of us, as we work to heal our communities, reconnect in meaningful ways and forge a shared future,” said Alain Barker, Director of Entrepreneurship and Career Development at the Jacobs School and coordinator of the project. “Music is central to all our lives and we’re excited to know that students and faculty have a substantial opportunity to develop long-term collaborations with artists and organizations in the region.”

Stanford Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of Play on Philly

At 4 p.m. on November 14, Stanford Thompson, founder and executive director of Play On Philly and founding board chairman of El Sistema USA, will speak on the topic of “The Community’s Practice Room.” Stanford Thompson brings music education to students in under-served areas throughout Philadelphia and beyond. In this role, Stanford has secured over $13 million in funding which has impacted the lives of hundreds of children in Philadelphia.

The summit, hosted on Zoom, is free and open to the public. Registration, a full list of presentations and additional details about the summit are available at https://blogs.iu.edu/jsomcre/thesummit/.

Media contact: Kyla Cox Deckard, Center for Rural Engagement
knblanke@indiana.edu
(812) 855-4992 office

As one of the world's premier music schools, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music has the most comprehensive music program in the United States and the largest resident faculty of any music education institution. Approximately 1,600 students from all 50 states and more than 55 countries study in a conservatory atmosphere—amidst the academic resources of a major research university—with 175 full-time faculty members who are among the finest performers, scholars, composers and educators today.