United Sound Inc

UNITED SOUND'S MISSION IS TO REMOVE BARRIERS AND FOSTER SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH MUSIC. OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT MUSICIANS AND EDUCATORS TO USE MUSIC AS A VEHICLE FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE. WORKING WITH PEER MENTORS, TEACHING ARTISTS, SPECIALISTS, THERAPISTS, EDUCATORS, COMPOSERS, PERFORMERS, AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, UNITED SOUND PROVIDES TRAINING, SUPPORT, ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES, AND CURRICULUM THAT LEVERAGE INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS TO CREATE EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES FOR ALL.

PEER MENTORING PROGRAM: PRODUCTION OF METHOD TRAINING MATERIALS (MUSIC, BOOKS, AND OTHER TEACHING MATERIALS) FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE UNITED SOUND PROGRAM. WE CURRENTLY HAVE METHOD BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR FLUTE, CLARINET, SAXOPHONE, TRUMPET, TROMBONE, EUPHONIUM, MALLET PERCUSSION, RHYTHMIC PERCUSSION, VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, AND GUITAR. THE CURRICULUM WAS CREATED WITH RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES IN MIND. USING COLORS AND FOODS, THE ABSTRACT CONCEPTS OF MUSIC (RHYTHM AND PITCH) ARE TRANSFORMED INTO CONCRETE STEPS. THE METHOD BOOKS INCLUDE FLASH CARDS AND OTHER MATERIALS USEFUL IN HELPING NEW MUSICIANS BE SUCCESSFUL ON THEIR CHOSEN INSTRUMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, THE FLUTE BOOK WOULD INCLUDE TEXTURED STICKERS THAT CAN BE PLACED ON A NEW MUSICIAN'S INSTRUMENT TO HELP THEM FEEL AS WELL AS SEE THE HAND POSITION FOR EACH NOTE. THE PEER MENTORS USE THESE METHOD BOOKS, ALONG WITH THE TRAINING THEY RECEIVE TO CREATE A MODIFIED, INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN FOR EACH NEW MUSICIAN. FOR THE 23-24 ACADEMIC YEAR, 645 NEW MUSICIANS (STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS) AND 1572 PEER MENTORS (GENERAL EDUCATION BAND AND ORCHESTRA STUDENTS) PARTICIPATED IN UNITED SOUND. TRAINING 1800 VOLUNTEERS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND AIDES FROM PARTICIPATING UNITED SOUND SCHOOLS WHO DONATED MORE THAN 54,000 HOURS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR FOR THE UNITED SOUND PROGRAM. THIS TRAINING INCLUDES THE PRODUCTION OF TRAINING VIDEOS THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND CONFERENCE CALLS WITH SCHOOLS TO DISCUSS NOT ONLY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A UNITED SOUND CHAPTER BUT ALSO ON-GOING SUPPORT AS NEEDED. IN ADDITION, OUR FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRAVELS TO VARIOUS PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO OFFER SUPPORT AND TRAINING. FOR THE 23-24 SCHOOL YEAR, UNITED SOUND HAD 92 PEER MENTORING PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. IN ADDITION TO THIS, WE ALSO GIVE NEW MUSICIANS AND PEER MENTORS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM TOGETHER AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL EVENTS AND CONFERENCES/CONVENTIONS.

IN 2022, UNITED SOUND MERGED WITH ANOTHER 501(C)(3) PUBLIC CHARITY, TEMPE SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE ASSOCIATION, A COMMUNITY ENSEMBLE BASED IN TEMPE, ARIZONA. THE CONDUCTOR OF THE TEMPE WINDS RETIRED AND THIS MERGER ALLOWED THIS ENSEMBLE TO CONTINUE TO EXIST AND ALSO BENEFITED UNITED SOUND'S COMPOSER PROJECT.

COMPOSER PROJECT - WE WORKED TO FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCES WITH TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND COMPOSERS. FOR TEACHERS, WE ARE WORKING ON MAKING THE PROCESS OF FINDING AND OBTAINING DIVERSE NEW MUSIC EASIER. FOR STUDENTS, WE ARE WORKING ON INCREASING ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY, ENABLING MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TO PLAY MORE DIVERSE MUSIC AT MUCH YOUNGER AGES. FOR COMPOSERS, WE ARE BUILDING STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE WRITING AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS.

PLAY WITH US PROGRAM: THIS PROGRAM WAS CREATED AS WE NAVIGATED THE "NEW NORMAL" DURING THE PANDEMIC. EVEN THOUGH OUR PEER MENTORING PROGRAMS COULDN'T MEET IN PERSON, OUR FOCUS STILL REMAINED ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND BY EXTENSION THEIR TEACHERS AND PARENTS. THE PLAY WITH US PROGRAM BRINGS THE MUSIC CLASS DIRECTLY INTO SELF-CONTAINED SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS BY PARTNERING WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO PROVIDE WEEKLY INTERACTIVE VIDEOCONFERENCE MUSIC CLASSES. AT THE JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS, GENERAL MUSIC IS TYPICALLY NOT AN OPTION AND ELECTIVES ARE BEING CANCELLED. PLAY WITH US ENABLES SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO PARTICIPATE WITH THEIR STUDENTS IN AN ACTIVE MUSIC-MAKING CLASS THAT UTILIZES THE EXISTING UNITED SOUND CURRICULUM AND FOUNDATIONS. IN ADDITION TO WEEKLY MUSIC CLASSES, INSTRUMENT KITS WERE PROVIDED TO ALL PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR TEACHERS TRULY MAKING THIS AN INTERACTIVE AND FUN CLASS FOR ALL. FOR THE 23-24 ACADEMIC YEAR, WE HAD 37 CLASSROOMS/TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN PLAY WITH US AND WERE ABLE TO BRING THE JOY OF MUSIC INTO THE LIVES OF OVER 370 SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS.