Non-profit Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna

Our From Risk to Opportunity program, unique in Israel, facilitates access to first-rate music instruction for children from troubled financial, social and physical backgrounds. The Conservatory is proud of its diverse student body including children of Ethiopian descent, youth with special needs and autism and those who have suffered from a life of abuse, violence and poverty. All students are welcomed to the Conservatory with open arms. Our staff and program bring support, structure, normality and beauty into their lives. We promote creativity and encourage these special young people to explore and express their feelings and identities through artistic expression.

Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna, established in 1973, is guided by the belief that any child, regardless of physical or mental ability, socio-economic level, ethnicity or religious affiliation, should be exposed to, and provided with the opportunity to experience high quality music instruction. Indeed, equality and integration are fundamental values at the Conservatory. Motivated and dedicated children are provided with equally high standards of individualized arts education, irrespective of background. Significantly, they study and perform with peers who reflect the full human mosaic of Jerusalem. We offer challenging and well-rounded educational programs while implementing innovative and creative instructional methodologies.

Currently, the Conservatory serves as a second home to some 600 children, aged 3 to 18. Our students represent Jerusalem’s full religious, national and economic diversity while our Jewish students reflect the widest possible cross-section of religious observance. The Conservatory draws on the talents of an accomplished faculty. We nurture individual excellence in a challenging and supportive community dedicated to the highest standards of performance, teaching and scholarship. Our staff includes 90 professionals, Israeli born as well as immigrants from 10 different countries. We are proud to attract some of Israel’s finest music instructors; various faculty members are invited to lead masters’ classes worldwide and are members of Israel’s best orchestras. Under their careful guidance, our gifted student body is given the tools necessary to achieve excellence and international acclaim.

The Conservatory’s mission is to provide each student with an individualized program best maximizing the child’s artistic and personal development. We see each child as a world unto themselves; as such, we are fully committed to ensuring that they benefit from the program of study best suited to their unique needs and aspirations. We pride ourselves on our professionalism, personalized approach and genuine concern for the well-being - artistic, social and otherwise - of each and every student. Students are welcomed warmly into our world and encouraged to make it their own.

Our goals for children of Ethiopian descent and children with special needs are:

· To enable all children longing to experience the magic of music to access this opportunity.

· To facilitate an atmosphere characterized by true integration and a shared sense of belonging among diverse students.

· To build a rich, varied and appropriate artistic programs which address the unique needs of our target populations.

· To ensure that our pupils receive instruction of the highest quality, irrespective of personal or financial situation.

· To provide supplementary support to children in distress to equalize the playing field for our entire student body.

· To improve attentiveness, communicative and expressive skills and self-confidence and to enable children to develop their artistic talent.

From Risk to Opportunity is intended for children so lacking in opportunity that they are afraid to dream big. Through this program, they access new worlds of opportunity enabling them to realize their most cherished dreams. We believe that education through arts makes a significant impact on the lives of all children and is particularly meaningful for the underprivileged. Through music, they express their feelings and identities, harness their inner creativity and bring beauty and happiness into their worlds. This opportunity can, and often does, stimulate profound changes in their lives and their futures. We hope to reach out to new young people and enable them to benefit from our program.

Name of Organization:Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna
Number of Paid Staff:4 full-time, 95 part-time
Number of Volunteers:5
Total Organizational Expenses:$1,445,167
% of Organizational Overhead Expenses:12%

For Children of Ethiopian Descent: Asher Rachamim, Chairman of the Ethiopian Community in Talpiot-Baka’a (an area where most of Jerusalem’s Ethiopian families reside) and who himself is Ethiopian put it this way: “This program proves in a remarkable way - not only in theory but in real life - how Ethiopian children can be integrated into after-school activities which are not ‘for the poor.’ I am familiar with most of the projects in Jerusalem and have not come across a program which gives the Ethiopian Community the full attention it requires and deserves. Success is due both to the high level of professional training offered by the Conservatory and its teachers, combined with the seriousness and amazing support for the project’s children and families. Astoundingly, the project blurs the lines between families with financial ability and those without. Parents, despite complications and hardships in their lives, recognize that the Conservatory offers an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for their children.’’

For children with Special Needs: Many of the young people in our program have previously undergone sessions with music therapists. For them, direct instruction in playing an instrument is the next logical step in their growth and development. Hassadna is the only conservatory in Israel which offers students the opportunity to learn to play instruments from professional musicians.

A mother of a special needs child wrote about her son: “When you have a special child at home, daily life is never the same as for others. There is a tendency for everything to be special. But here at the Conservatory, my child experiences a life of healthy normalcy; an experience of being an equal amongst equals. If he is allowed to improvise, he suddenly bursts out with life…he expresses everything from within his heart without restraint. He is always restrained by structure, he is restrained by a wheelchair. But then, for a moment, he has the chance to breathe, to improvise! He has a music teacher, he has his music lessons from the Conservatory, he is like all of the other students his age. When I see Yotam playing the piano it's like a dream. A dream I never dared to dream.”

A student of Ethiopian descent- Avraham Terifa: Avraham, today 14 years old, began violin studies in September 2005 in the context of a special Conservatory program held at Avraham’s elementary school. Very quickly, his incredible musical ear and exceptional ability to play violin were recognized by his teacher. He transferred to studies at the Conservatory Hassadna at the age of 7. He and his siblings are being raised by a single mother who works at a minimum wage job and struggles to support the family. Avraham’s talent has been recognized by others. In November 2009, a quartet of Hassadna students, including Avraham, were invited to perform at a festive concert organized by the Jerusalem Foundation in Toronto, Canada. The performance took place in the presence of the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barakat. Since then, Barakat has invited Avraham and a 14 year old flutist named Shmuel Alouch to perform at a number of festive concerts in the city. In 2011, alone, in addition to regular conservatory concerts, he and Shmuel performed at the Teddy Kollek Awards, at the Jerusalem Mayors Conference and at the national Excellence in Education Awards Ceremony. In the spring of 2010, we were thrilled to learn that out of dozens of candidates and following three examinations, Avraham became the first member of the Ethiopian community to be accepted to the prestigious Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance High School, in the music track. In the fall of 2010, Avraham joined the Conservatory’s representative chamber orchestra directed by Prof. Michael Gaisler and is currently the youngest member of this prestigious group.

Clothing
Poverty

I’m afraid that unless they are in Israel, getting involved will be difficult.

Name:Lena Nemirovsky-Wiskind
Title:Director
Address:Emek Rafaiim 22, PO Box 8119
Telephone:972-50-351-2545
Email:lena@hassadna.com
Website:

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From Risk to Opportunity