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.

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.

With one semester working together under our belts, each of our YAMA ensembles are excited about what the spring will hold. We’ve revisited our goals from October and have a few new milestones that we will target. 

Two weeks ago, our students took the spotlight during Fall Muestra Week, showing off all the amazing progress they’ve made—and having a ton of fun doing it!

YAMA has kicked off for the year! With a few weeks under our belt, here’s an update of what we’re working on. 

Preludio is diving into the essentials — learning how to keep tempo, count rhythms, and play together as a group.

Chamber is focusing on the foundational skills that will make great music-making possible.

The Combo Ensemble is dipping into what might be newer concepts for students — working in a minor key and 3/4 time.

Philharmonia is wasting no time diving into more demanding repertoire.

In a reflective interview, two of YAMA’s Assistant Teachers (ATs), Rachel Mendoza and Itzel Perez, describe what it is like being an Assistant Teacher at our Garfield Elementary site.