Statement of Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (EDIA)
Molly Schranck
The events of 2020, in particular George Floyd’s death and the ensuing calls for racial justice, brought forth in a striking manner the systemic inequities that communities of color have suffered. As an arts education organization, the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras have a special obligation to support anti-racism and embrace greater diversity, social equity, and inclusion within the AYPO community. Music, our art form, is the quintessential medium for fostering cooperation, collaboration, and understanding among all peoples; our students depend on us to show them how their talent may contribute to a more just and hopeful world.
Recent articles have highlighted the very low representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the orchestral profession. As a youth orchestra, we are an important entry point for future performers, conductors, and composers. We strive to attract musically inclined and talented students regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, religious belief, or physical and cognitive ability. We will provide our students with excellent musical instruction and help train the next, more diverse, generation of musical talent. We are committed to ensuring our internal culture, operational practices, and repertoire are conducive to greater representation of students and staff of Black, Indigenous, or people of color. We are also committed to including musical examples from composers of equally diverse backgrounds.
In previous years, the AYPO has tried to alleviate unequal access to music instruction by providing education outreach and mentorship. These efforts have also included providing as much financial aid as possible, and we are working to increase that support from current and new sources of funding.
We will also go further in several areas to increase the impact of our programs:
Improve outreach to schools and communities to raise awareness of orchestral music and playing opportunities among underrepresented students
Improve access to our programs for underserved and underrepresented students
Improve our programs to include more women composers and composers from underrepresented groups, cultures, and global regions
Ensure our hiring practices actively facilitate recruitment of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups into our staff
We are at an important juncture in our nation’s history and the AYPO sees this as an opportunity for all to learn, improve, and contribute. We are privileged to be able to teach your students and expand the musical horizons for many, in as many ways as possible.
Approved by Executive Committee of the Board of Directors
February 9, 2021