Empowering Your Voice & Developing Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Spaces
2025-05-06 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
This session aims to empower young musicians to find and use their voice effectively in collegiate and conservatory environments. Attendees will learn tools for success, including how to assess their landscape, identify their assets and evaluate their needs, and advocate for themselves in academic and pre-professional settings.
Who is this session for? This session is targeted towards prospective music students and families seeking to begin their college preparation process. This session will also be beneficial for private instructors, program managers, and collegiate administrators who are supporting their students’ musical journey.
Registration is free for Equity Arc and El Sistema USA members, and $35 for non-members.
Learn more about Equity Arc membership | Learn more about El Sistema USA membership

Meet the Speaker

About Monique van Willingh
Originally from South Africa, Monique Van Willingh is an educator, musician, and advocate for social and racial justice with cultural humility and brave dialogue as her central approach. As the Director of Cultural Equity and Belonging at the New England Conservatory of Music, Monique is committed to creating and sustaining spaces of belonging that are culturally responsive and assets based.In her past position as Director of Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program at Longy School of Music of Bard College, Monique supported the Longy mission of preparing musicians to make a difference in the world. She oversaw Longy’s one-year music education credential program in Los Angeles, that focused on music pedagogy, performance, and social justice. Monique has taught graduate level courses such as Historical and Social Foundations of Education, Social Justice Music Research Project, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Non-profit Management, and El Sistema-inspired Programming. She led presentations at universities such as CalArts, Goshen College, Luther College, Clarke University, Morehouse College, Occidental College, and Whittier College.
Monique serves as the Vice Chair of the El Sistema USA national board. In this capacity, she co-leads the ESUSA Equity-centered Pedagogy Working Group, recently co-led ESUSA’s 5-year strategic planning process and serves on the Racial Diversity and Cultural Understanding Committee. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Inter-generational Orchestra at Heart of LA (HOLA), an after-school El Sistema inspired youth program that partners with the LA Philharmonic to serve under-resourced youth with high quality music programs. Monique has been a panelist, presenter or facilitator at conferences and organizations such as El Sistema USA, Sphinx, YOLA National, YOLA at HOLA, iTAC, Global Leaders Program, Global Arts, Miami Music Project, and From the Top.
A graduate of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2013, Monique explored the Venezuelan El Sistema music for social change program model. She then completed the Master of Arts in Teaching Degree at Longy School of Music of Bard College situated at the Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). Returning to the HOLA family as Music Director just over a year later, Monique was dedicated to activating student and community voice in addition to supporting students to achieve their best musically. The HOLA Music Program served over 275 youth, and it was her greatest joy to lead this program. Monique has completed the Community Counselor Course through the Southern California Counseling center, which uses social justice as the central lens through which to understand and support communities dealing with trauma and has been trained in Restorative Justice Councils (Talking circles).
Monique is committed to deepening her impact as an arts education leader through culture building, strategic visioning, developing frameworks for educational and racial transformation, training music teachers and teaching artists to embody Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, and creating brave and safe spaces where all can bring their full selves to the creative process. She is a “bridge-builder” and is passionate about exploring courageous dialogue that is at the intersection of inclusion, access, belonging, collaboration, socio-cultural awareness, student voice and musical excellence.

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Equitable Recruitment Practices
2025-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
This cross-Arc panel discussion highlights successful strategies programs use to recruit a more diverse student population.

Registration is free for Equity Arc members and $35 for non-members.

Meet the Panelists

Jeffery Tribble Jr., Facilitator
Levine Music

John Clapp
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Ryan Dearon
Oberlin Conservatory

Amanda Heathco
AFA

Ryan Walks
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

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AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyria Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, the United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluTürkiyeUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands
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Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra Info Session
2025-09-17 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
The core ensemble of Equity Arc, the Pathways Orchestra is composed of young artists who study at pathways programs across the country. Pathways programs offer comprehensive support and mentorship to pre-college musicians from backgrounds underrepresented in classical music. Programs that are members of Equity Arc’s National Collective for Musical Pathways nominate their fellows to audition for the Pathways Orchestra.
Learn more about this opportunity at the virtual info session on Wednesday, September 17 at 8pm ET.

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Equity Arc Wind Symphony Info Session
2025-09-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
The Equity Arc Wind Symphony brings together talented pre-college and college age musicians from historically underrepresented cultural backgrounds for a tuition-free multi-day training residency. Musicians selected through a competitive audition process will learn from professional wind band musicians and network with peers from similar backgrounds. Eligibility in the Wind Symphony is open to to pre-college and college age winds, brass, percussion, and string bass musicians from cultural backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in classical music.
Learn more about this opportunity at the virtual info session on Thursday, September 18 at 8pm ET.

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Common Application for Summer Study Fair
2025-11-05 18:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Season 5 of the Common Application for Summer Study is almost here! Join us to learn more about the Common Application and hear directly from our partners about what makes their summer study programs unique. Emily Brown, Vice President of Operations and Artistic Planning at Luzerne Music Center, will share tips on finding the right program for you and successfully navigating the application process. Following the summer study fair, attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with representatives from partner programs. Registration is free and open to all.
The Common Application for Summer Study allows musicians of color to apply to partner festivals through a streamlined and free application. Each partner commits to providing at least one full-tuition scholarship to a fellow selected through the application. Learn more about this transformative initiative ›

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About the Speaker
Emily Brown, Vice President of Operations and Artistic Planning, Luzerne Music Center
For the past decade, Emily has dedicated her career to the summer camp community, creating environments that are equitable, diverse, and accessible for all campers. At Luzerne Music Center, she served as the main point of contact for campers and their families year-round, fostering trust, comfort, and excitement for almost a decade. Having gone to summer camp as a child, Emily understands the transformative experience that camp creates.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Flute Performance, with a minor in Spanish, from the State University of New York at Fredonia. As an educator, she has taught in public schools and privately to students around the world. Her passion for expanding access to music education is at the core of her teaching philosophy.
