How are we doing as both a music program and a social program? Developing students both musically and socially are interconnected processes that must work together.

YAMA has been a huge part of my life and has introduced me to one of my closest friends. In YAMA I’ve learned to be comfortable in my own skin. YAMA Philharmonia has recently had the opportunity to go to Seattle to meet and work with incredible musicians.

We at YAMA have been trying to hone in on why YAMA is what it is, and what makes it that way. A YAMA Board member recently made the observation that none of us (the Teaching Artists, or TAs) are teaching in the way we were trained. We are striving for more, reaching for a different culture.

First, though, I have a question for you: Do you believe in magic? Or, if it is easier on your sensibilities to rephrase the word ‘magic’, do you believe in the power of intention?

As I prepared for my second year of teaching at YAMA this fall, I forced myself to look ahead to the darker days of winter when the gloss of learning a new instrument starts to fade and motivation issues set in. In the beginning, classroom management is made easy by the fact friendships haven't yet blossomed and the student's eagerness to impress their new teacher.

For a group of children in Yakima, Washington, life is changing one cello at a time.

Young children line up outside the music room at Garfield Elementary School under the only graffiti on campus. It says "La musica de la vida," words that are true for these kids. They are members of YAMA, which stands for Yakima Music en Acción, or "Music in Action."