Project STEP
The Future of the Classical Music
Profession
The program was spearheaded 25 years ago by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a means of addressing the under-representation of Blacks and Latinos in orchestras. The founders' idea was to identify and train minority students who did not have ready access to the best available training. Today the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New England Conservatory, and the Boston University School of Music support Project STEP in-kind donations of space and services, and by providing a representative on their Board of Directors.
These two terrific students showed amazing poise and chops at the Sphinx Music Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This year the competition attracted 80 applicants from which ten were chosen to go out to Ann Arbor to compete in front of a jury of seven. Of those ten who made the first cut, two were Lev Mamuya and Tristan Flores. Finally, of the three who won top honors, Lev and Tristan were two of those three. The final rank was: Ade Williams, violin, from Chicago, First Place; Lev Mamuya, Second Place; and Tristan Flores, Third Place. Both Lev and Tristan have won local competitions, and we will hear more from them over the next few years. Their placement in the top three comes with cash awards, and means that they will have the opportunity to perform with orchestras throughout the country.
From the start, the essential components of our program of instruction have been:
Project STEP has designed a comprehensive, professional-quality program that addresses the multiple needs of each individual student. The program offers an unmatched combination of instrumental lessons, classroom instruction, performance opportunities, summer study, musical instruments and career counseling which reflect the unique capabilities of the sponsoring institutions. The participants are selectively chosen on the basis of their talent, dedication and potential for future success in the classical music profession. All participants come from the greater Boston area and most are recruited through the FOCUS Program, the enrichment program for kindergarten-level students which identifies and provides early training for young, musically-inclined children.
The program currently supports 40 students in its intensive training program and more than 80 students annually in its FOCUS (Kindergarten) program. Students range from ages 5 to 18 and come from the Greater Boston area, with the majority residing in Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park, and Mattapan.
Contact Information
Project STEP, Inc.
Symphony Hall
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Telephone:(617)-267-5777
Contact through: www.projectstep.org
The program was spearheaded 25 years ago by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a means of addressing the under-representation of Blacks and Latinos in orchestras. The founders' idea was to identify and train minority students who did not have ready access to the best available training. Today the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New England Conservatory, and the Boston University School of Music support Project STEP in-kind donations of space and services, and by providing a representative on their Board of Directors.
Two of the three Top Prize winners in the Sphinx Competition are students in Project STEP - Lev Mamuya, cello, who is 15; and Tristan Flores, violin, who is 13.
These two terrific students showed amazing poise and chops at the Sphinx Music Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This year the competition attracted 80 applicants from which ten were chosen to go out to Ann Arbor to compete in front of a jury of seven. Of those ten who made the first cut, two were Lev Mamuya and Tristan Flores. Finally, of the three who won top honors, Lev and Tristan were two of those three. The final rank was: Ade Williams, violin, from Chicago, First Place; Lev Mamuya, Second Place; and Tristan Flores, Third Place. Both Lev and Tristan have won local competitions, and we will hear more from them over the next few years. Their placement in the top three comes with cash awards, and means that they will have the opportunity to perform with orchestras throughout the country.
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| Lev Mamuya, cello | Tristan Flores, violin |
From the start, the essential components of our program of instruction have been:
- Beginning musical training early
- Excellent instruction
- A strong grounding in music theory
- Good quality instruments for all students
- Peer mentoring with older Project STEP students and graduates
- Opportunities to perform for audiences
- Exposure to musicians at the top of their field
Project STEP has designed a comprehensive, professional-quality program that addresses the multiple needs of each individual student. The program offers an unmatched combination of instrumental lessons, classroom instruction, performance opportunities, summer study, musical instruments and career counseling which reflect the unique capabilities of the sponsoring institutions. The participants are selectively chosen on the basis of their talent, dedication and potential for future success in the classical music profession. All participants come from the greater Boston area and most are recruited through the FOCUS Program, the enrichment program for kindergarten-level students which identifies and provides early training for young, musically-inclined children.
The program currently supports 40 students in its intensive training program and more than 80 students annually in its FOCUS (Kindergarten) program. Students range from ages 5 to 18 and come from the Greater Boston area, with the majority residing in Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park, and Mattapan.
Contact Information
Project STEP, Inc.
Symphony Hall
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Telephone:(617)-267-5777
Contact through: www.projectstep.org