GTCYS’ Harmony Program

A Harmony student explores the violin with teaching artist Mary Sorlie. Photo Credit: GTCYS

Aroha is proud to support the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies’ Harmony Program. Harmony is an extracurricular El Sistema-inspired program in partnership with Riverview Westside School of Excellence, a K-5 dual-immersion Spanish-English school on the West Side of St. Paul, Minnesota. At Riverview Westside, 93% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch and 96% are students of color. The Harmony program provides students in grades 3-5 with access to high-quality violin or cello instruction along with performance opportunities, which allows the students to share their musical accomplishments with friends, family and community. Four Harmony alumni, having moved through GTCYS’ Harmony program during their elementary school years, are now members of the next tier orchestra: Philharmonia East Orchestra. These four students are now experiencing the full impact of GTCYS’ holistic programming and building valuable skills and relationships to help them succeed in school and beyond.

To learn more about GTCYS and the Harmony program, visit gtcys.org.