El Sistema Somerville is launching “Musicians with a Mission,” an initiative that places skilled professional musicians with outstanding young student musicians for weekly private lessons, thanks to funding support from the Mifflin Memorial Fund. All El Sistema Somerville students are eligible to participate in the Musicians with a Mission program. The program will serve an estimated 20 students who will be selected through an audition process that evaluates merit, need, and work ethic.

El Sistema Somerville will accept applications and hire ten professional musicians to provide weekly private lessons throughout the 2014-2015 school year. The role of each musician will be to provide consistent weekly, private lessons with students at El Sistema Somerville and perform jointly each term during program-wide Student Showcases.  Interested musicians are invited to send a letter of inquiry to Diane Cline, Director of El Sistema Somerville. The deadline for application is November 1, 2014.

Now entering its third year, El Sistema Somerville offers “immersive afterschool ensemble music education” to Somerville Public Schools students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6.  The program grew from an initial enrollment of 35 students in 2012-2013 to a current enrollment of 75 students on nine different string, wind, and brass instruments.  The program, open to students throughout the District, is based out of the East Somerville Community School and includes 10 hours/week of music and movement instruction, and mentorship based on the program’s 5 core values: teamwork, commitment, respect, communication, and empathy.

To learn more about El Sistema Somerville, visit www.sistemasomerville.org.