2026 Spring Newsletter

¡EN ACCIÓN! – 2026 Spring Newsletter

What’s happening with Yakima Music en Acción

When Growth Opens Worlds

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.

• Julio Zuniga, 5th grade

  • “I can tell my orchestra is growing when I can tell people want to practice, and we are better at playing with the sound of the same beat.”

• Maggie Ricardo, 8th grade

  • I can tell that I’m growing when the music gets easier to play. When I play it sounds peaceful and not stressful! It feels like I grow into the music.”

• Enriqueta Garcia-Sanchez, parent of 7th grade bassist Elise Flores & YAMA Board member

  • “She’s built a lot of friendships and connections, and I’ve watched her confidence grow in how she is connecting with others.

• Aylin Hernandez-Lopez, Teaching Artist & YAMA Class of ‘22

  • “One way I’m growing as a teacher is I’m finding more and more joy in teaching. I’ve learned how to observe

    carefully what students need and what they’re struggling with. I’m finding other ways to teach the same thing.”

Meet this year’s Assistant Teachers!

We’ve hired five Assistant Teachers (ATs) this year! ATs are paid to coach younger students and are each matched with a staff mentor who offers support and feedback.

“I feel like I’ve seen students really grow into not just being focused on their friendships, which is always important, but really liking playing music together. I see how music connects them in their friendships even more and they want to teach each other.”

–Belen Garcia, Assistant Teacher ‘25

A Letter from Our Directors

As educators, lightbulb “a-ha!” moments on the faces of young people are gold. Our spirits are buoyed by
the excitement of young learners as they grasp a new concept and their confidence grows. Paying close attention to these lightbulb moments, as well as their struggles on the way there, help us grow as teachers by revealing how each student learns. Growth energizes everything we do at YAMA, and our ultimate goal is to cultivate artists who understand that learning is gradual, that uncertainty and discovery are part of our learning cycles, and that lightbulb moments and mistakes are proof that we’re growing.

Growth mindset, popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck, is a mindset where learners believe that we can grow. Its antithesis is a fixed mindset, where we believe we are “bad at” something or that some skills are impossible to improve. Growth mindset is the foundation of teaching and learning at YAMA, for students, teachers, and administrators alike; the moment any of us believes we can learn a skill and grow, whole worlds open up for us.

Lightbulb moments and mistakes are proof that we're growing.

YAMA teachers consistently celebrate small successes, helping students recognize their incrementalgrowth and develop self-assessment skills. Teachers love “sending shooting stars” to students – and each other! – celebrating specific skills we notice and habits we appreciate, simultaneously growing our collective awareness of what we value in our community. At the same time, we see mistakes as essential tools in a
growth-mindset learning process, because they reveal what we don't yet understand,
illuminate new pathways when we feel stuck, and open possibilities for ongoing growth.

Growth takes many forms at YAMA. Growth in confidence looks like a young person navigating frustration, trying different learning strategies, and asking for help. Musical growth shows up in a big, strong orchestral sound, and that full sound reveals that young people feel safe with each other, trusting themselves and their peers enough to take learning risks. And as we watch them lean towards each other within the orchestra as they play, we witness their recognition that their growth is mutual and reciprocal within their YAMA musical family.

Follow or reach out to us to experience how our students and team are still putting possibilities into action.

Students and families with access to the fewest resources are hardest hit at this time, and your gift will support our team as we rally in solidarity with our students. You can make a tax-deductible contribution online at yamamusic.org/donate or by sending a check to P.O. Box 317, Yakima, WA 98907. Your generosity makes it possible for our youth to grow as leaders through music.