On Friday, March 20, a small group of Philharmonia students and YAMA staff put together a pop-up chamber music concert at Rooted Yakima Valley!

On March 26 and 27, teaching artists converged at YAMA for two days of hands-on professional development in a collaboration with the Teaching Artists Training Institute. We hosted facilitator Alan Wong, a lifelong Seattleite with over two decades of experience supporting youth, educators, and communities across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

There are ways that growth is visible and audible when a young musician is learning an instrument. There are also other layers of growth beyond what we can see and hear at YAMA performances. Students, staff, alumni, and parents share their reflections on what growth looks, feels, and sounds like at YAMA.

At YAMA, we believe that some of the most powerful teaching happens when students learn from each other. That's the heart of our Assistant Teacher (AT) Program — an opportunity for experienced student musicians to step into leadership roles, mentoring younger players while deepening their own love of music.

This year, five incredible ATs joined our team! Angelina, Belen, Dianna, Dylan, and Salvador have all brought a new level of dedication, creativity, and heart to our orchestras.

Learn about what the AT experience is like by reading an interview we conducted with Angelina and Belen.

Ms. Mendoza, leader of the Preludio Ensemble, began her musical journey with YAMA as a 5th-grade violinist in its very first year. Now a teacher at the program since 2022, she brings her experience full circle by creating a sense of safety, structure, and community for her students.

What does it look like when a professional soloist steps into a room full of young musicians? For students in YAMA's Chamber, Combo, and Philharmonia ensembles, they got to find out firsthand when violinist Denise Dillenbeck paid a visit to our program on February 18, ahead of her performance as the featured soloist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.

At the 2025 Winter Showcase, the Chamber Orchestra presented A Very Chamber Adventure, a series of short melodic excerpts, paired with live narration, to tell a story of a magical journey through an enchanted forest to get to a birthday party. 

After the concert, Chamber put our heads together to illustrate our story into a picture book, using our own artwork!

Regional Practicums are an exceptional opportunity for hands-on professional development, intentionally designed for Teaching Artists working in after-school and community-embedded settings, and we are delighted to announce that the Pacific Northwest TATI Practicum will take place at our YAMA site on March 26 and 27.