On a busy day at Hendrie Hall, the Morse Summer Academy is in full swing. Strains of music can be heard from the building’s expansive main stairway, and Rubén Rodríguez MUS ’11 runs up and down several flights to check on the rehearsal rooms—brass, choir, and woodwinds—as students practice.
As the director of the Music in Schools Initiative (MISI), Rodriguez manages the in-school mentorship program, the after-school All-City Ensembles program, and the Morse Summer Music Academy. He is passionate about providing opportunities for local children and teenagers to make music with each other and for their community. MISI partners with New Haven public schools to support music educators and promote music education.
The Morse Summer Music Academy is a monthlong, intensive music program for New Haven Public Schools students in grades 3-11. The program is free and offers private lessons, public performance opportunities, education and mentorship in music theory, creative music making, large ensemble instruction, and chamber ensemble instruction.
MISI complements the New Haven schools’ musical instruction and supports participants’ personal development. A team of Yale School of Music (YSM) student-teaching artists and public-school teachers provides individual lessons, master classes, and small-and large-ensemble experiences throughout the school year and during the month-long Morse Summer Music Academy. Supported by a gift from the Yale College Class of 1957, MISI serves about 200 students from 25 schools in grades 3 to 12 annually.
It is at this intersection of Yale and New Haven that Rodríguez thrives. Many participants have gone on to careers in music education, recording, or production and earned music or other academic degrees because of their MISI experience. “This program has positively affected hundreds of children and their families. I’ve seen troubled kids blossom, become determined to learn, and improve their skills. Many go on to other careers, but music continues to be part of their lives,” comments Rodríguez.
Before coming to YSM and earning a Master of Music degree in trombone, Rodríguez studied trombone performance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse in Lyon, France, the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, and at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota. He has taught trombone at various universities in his native Colombia and spent several years developing non-traditional music programs in communities in Panama, Guatemala, and Argentina. He lives in New Haven with his wife and three sons.
Connecting Through Music
MISI, established in 2007, gives New Haven public school students an opportunity to be active members of their communities through music. Rodríguez sees music-making as an exercise in “citizenship, leadership, and belonging within a diverse and rich community.” As part of the mentorship program, local students receive instruction from visiting YSM teaching artists during their music classes.
“Our students and their families reflect the New Haven community. We have Latino, African American, Asian, Caucasian, and recently arrived immigrant families participating in this program,” he comments. “These amazing students play and perform together, connecting with each other around music.”
The students also gain social and emotional experiences. Monica Abbott’s son Lucas was encouraged by his music teacher at Benjamin Jepson Magnet School to try the French horn. As a result of his participation in MISI, he now attends Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, where he continues to build his musical skills.
“Once my son started this program, he found friends with similar interests and has become more confident,” said Abbott, a social and emotional learning coordinator for the New Haven School District. “He stays in touch with some of the teaching artists to see how their careers are developing, and this year he is working to support younger students while he learns.”
From Student to Teacher and Conductor
Jesús Cortes Sanchez started the MISI program as a seventh grader after being encouraged by his band director at John C. Daniels School to take up the clarinet. With support from his family, Jesús participated in the first Morse Summer Music Academy in 2009. He attended the academy through high school and interned there while in college, eventually taking up the saxophone.
After graduating with a master’s degree in music curriculum and instruction from the University of Connecticut, Cortes Sanchez was invited back to MISI to teach and conduct. He is currently one of the conductors leading the wind ensemble and concert band for both the All-City Ensembles group and the summer academy.
“This MISI program revolutionized my world. This went from an activity to a career. I was the first in my family to attend college. It is a pleasure for me to come back every summer to teach these children,” said Cortes Sanchez. “Through this program, Rubén became my mentor and is now a colleague. I admire his human way of directing the program and working with the students, and I feel inspired every time I see him teach,” he said.
Rebuilding After the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted MISI’s programs. “During the pandemic—and this was a national situation—kids stopped playing mostly because of the lack of in-person connection and community around music practice. Before, we took for granted that having a space to practice music was an important cornerstone for hundreds of local families,” said Rodríguez. He is working to recreate the in-person experience by rebuilding connections with administrators, teachers, students, and their families. Those efforts are starting to bear fruit.
Participation in the 2023 summer academy doubled from 2022, with almost 100 students attending in July. Rodríguez hopes to continue to increase the number of students and schools taking part in all three programs. He spent the last year talking with participants to learn ways to enhance the process and generate more interest. He would like to develop a 200-person choir and has seen a revived interest in string instruments— specifically students coming into the program playing guitar and cello—and muses that they will need to develop more clarinet players.
“Last summer and fall were the first times we could meet in person. For the 2023-2024 school year, I want to serve 500 children and teens and increase the representative number of New Haven schools to 35,” Rodríguez said. With approximately 21,000 students in the New Haven school system, he has a good chance of recruiting across the city but admits he “will need to work hard to connect with these students and their families.”
