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We are reimagining the relationship between universities and rural communities. 2019-2020 marks the third year of partnership between the Center for Rural Engagement and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Through activities in scholarship, pedagogy and performance, the Jacobs School of Music has worked to empower both rural communities throughout the state of… Read more »

We are catalyzing rural arts activity in reimagined ways.   2020 was a challenging, unprecedented year for everyone. We all struggled to find new and innovative ways for the arts to flourish while stuck at home and processing the many stressors of a global crisis. The devastation of COVID-19 reminded us how fundamental the arts… Read more »

“ChamberFest Brown County was born out of love; love for music, love for people and love for nature.”  ChamberFest Brown County is a classical music festival that takes place in Nashville, IN. Nashville has rich artistry embedded into its own culture, and also acts as the ideal location for a convergence of artistic activity from… Read more »

The Electric Guitar Orchestra (EGO) is an exciting ensemble led by Daniel Duarte that includes eight electric guitars, a bass guitar and drums. Duarte created this ensemble envisioning a dynamic and innovative musical group capable of presenting a variety of styles. From Vivaldi, Bach and Mozart to The Beatles, Queen and Prince, the Electric Guitar… Read more »

The semester is winding down at IU Bloomington, but the Bloomington Ballet Ensemble has not slowed down their community engagement efforts one bit. The Bloomington Ballet Ensemble is a student organization at IUB made up of Ballet Majors from the Jacobs School of Music. With the leadership of Robin Allen, a respected professor in the… Read more »

It is needless to say we all are excited for what will hopefully be a rush of in-person activity for the Fall of 2021. The Jacobs Community Engagement Initiative and The Jacobs Office of Entrepreneurship and Career Development are working together to bring New Morse Code, a highly innovative, prize-winning ensemble, to the IU Bloomington… Read more »

The Singing Hoosiers and Southridge High School Choir first started their relationship almost exactly a year ago, in the spring of 2020. Roughly 50 members of the IU Singing Hoosiers hopped aboard a charter bus and headed off to Huntingburg for an all-day collaboration with the Southridge High Choir. Erich Kendall, the choir director at… Read more »

Student organization Classical Connections was one of the first groups to explore community engagement activity at the start of the Jacobs School – Center for Rural Engagement collaboration, all the way back in 2018. Classical Connections’ mission is to bring the joy of music to diverse areas of the greater Bloomington community through musical performance,… Read more »

The Bloomington Ballet Ensemble has completed a 4 week virtual instruction program with the Washington County YMCA! In 2020, the Jacobs Ballet Program engaged in their first collaboration with the Jacobs Community Engagement Initiative. These activities included two separate three-week sessions teaching introduction to ballet, creative movement, and chair movement at the Washington County and… Read more »

“Nothing about us, without us.”  Melissa Ngan shared this quote during her keynote speech at the November 2020 Jacobs School of Music Community Engagement Summit. “It really is not equitable to create public facing programs without public participation…there should be participation from the public in every aspect.” These sentiments summarize much of what Melissa has… Read more »