Joel Foundation announces three-year commitment supporting music education

As the stakes for arts education grow higher, over 50 music educators from around the country gathered in New Haven to tackle a fundamental question: How do we ensure music remains essential, equitable, and empowering for all students? Some proposed new strategies, others reflected on past success. Still, others sought to understand the evolving challenges faced by music educators today. 

These lively discussions took place at this year’s Symposium on Music in Schools, hosted by Yale’s Music in Schools Initiative. A biennial tradition established in 2007, the Symposium offers a space for school administrators, teaching artists, and community leaders to come together and assess the state of music education, share best practices, and dig deep into pressing issues. 

The two-day gathering began on Thursday, June 12 as participants arrived on campus,before diving into workshops and discussions. Sessions included: 

• A Shared Vision: 5 Key Changes to Create & Maintain It by Dr. Lori Schwartz Reichl, which explored collaborative leadership and inclusive goal-setting. 
• Pitch Perfect: The Role of Principals in Advocating for Vibrant and Sustainable Music Programs by Chan’nel Howard, which examined effective support systems for music education in schools.
• Amplify: Cultural Strategy, Student Voice, and the Measurable Power of Music by Dr. Ivonne Chand O’Neal, which highlighted how failure serves as a catalyst for empathy, creativity, and growth.

Themes of advocacy and equity imbued many of these discussions. As Dean José García-León remarked, “In this shared space, we hope to engage, inspire, and challenge one another as we consider how best to support music education that is accessible, transformative, and deeply rooted in the life of every school and neighborhood.”

Albert R. Lee, Associate Dean of Student Life and Community Engagement, echoed the sentiment, saying “While arts education has faced increasing uncertainty, we understand the power of music as a vital component of New Haven Public School students’ education, and we are inspired by the creative possibility our community’s diversity incubates.”

During lunch on the second day of the Symposium, Alexis Roderick Joel, co-chair of the Joel Foundation, delivered a passionate keynote, highlighting the impact of music education and the importance of strategic partnerships in sustaining the arts in schools.

“That's why we do this work,” she said. “Because we know without a doubt that a single teacher can change everything. The arts being available can change everything, and creating partnerships can keep these dreams alive.”

Joel underscored that music should not be seen as a mere extracurricular activity, but rather as a foundational pillar of education — one that cultivates grit, teamwork, and joy in students. She emphasized the need for “a clearly articulated, equity-driven vision for music education that stretches from the superintendent's office to the kindergarten classroom.”

Posing a provocative question, Joel challenged educators to reframe their approach: “What if instead of having to explain why music should stay, we boldly declare why the arts are the backbone of healthy schools?” After all, she noted, “Arts teachers are creating in-class and extracurricular learning that enhances other critical subjects — history, math, literature, writing — while uniquely leveraging important therapeutic qualities”

Concluding her remarks, Joel also announced that the Joel Foundation is committing to a three-year pledge to the Music in Schools Initiative — a move that will allow the program to more than double the number of New Haven public schools it serves by 2028.

The Music in Schools Initiative is supported by a gift from the Yale College Class of 1957.