Performances + Events
Community Performances and Partnerships
The Community Performances and Partnerships Program makes it easy for students to get involved in music-based community service.
Academic CatalogEngaging conservatory students with their community
The Community Performances and Partnerships Program (CPP) interacts annually with close to 15,000 people through more than 600 events that span a range of ages, neighborhoods, ethnicities, and economic circumstances in the city of Boston and beyond.
CPP provides NEC students with a crucial opportunity to explore what it means to be a musician living in and contributing to community life, within an atmosphere of supportive mentoring, professional development, and experiential learning.
After NEC
What We Do
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“There is never enough music to spread to all the places and people that yearn for it. I hope I can be one more person who can help fill that void while using the technical skills I’ve learned in school so that I can bring a little bit of peace and healing to the community.”
—June Chung ’24 MM, 2022-23 Ensemble Fellow
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“Being a CPP Fellow for the past two years has shown me repeatedly that music is not meant only for big stages and concert halls but that it can also have a profound impact on the communities right around us. It has widened my view of what is possible in a career in music.”
—Evelyn Song ’23 GD, 2022-23 Community Fellow
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“For our residents, compromised older adults, attending performances of high quality music is important for their overall well-being. NEC’s providing performers to us throughout the year is extraordinarily helpful for our residents’ cognitive functioning and emotional health.”
—Brian Bunnell, Director of Community Programs at Cadbury Commons
Community Partnerships
To promote ongoing relationships within the Boston community, NEC has developed partnerships with civic, social service, and arts organizations. Our community partners range from nursing homes, shelters, and libraries to Boston public schools, YMCA youth programs, and community centers in underserved neighborhoods. Many of our partner organizations are located in the vicinity of NEC, supporting the development of true “good neighbor” relationships.
NEC students frequently perform in:
- Schools
- Preschools and daycare centers
- Senior care facilities
- Hospitals
- Community centers
- Shelters
- Museums
- Libraries
- Historic landmarks
Partnerships are designed collaboratively, taking into consideration the mutual needs of NEC students and partnering organizations. All students who perform/work in community settings receive training through workshops, one-on-one mentoring, classes, seminars, and peer feedback sessions. For more information about partnership opportunities, please contact a member of the CPP Team.
Fellowships
Students seeking an immersive community engagement experience may apply to participate in one of CPP’s fellowship programs. Students who are accepted into these programs receive an honorarium for their participation.
CPP offers five different student fellowship opportunities. These programs vary in format, and participants are chosen by application and interview. Community sites and logistical details for each of the programs are coordinated through CPP.
Please see individual program forms and applications for more detailed information about each specific type of fellowship, including honoraria and application deadlines. Applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in late August and will be due in mid-September.
Through the CPP Community Fellowship, students will work with CPP staff members to design a 45-minute solo or duo interactive program. The focus of this program is flexible and can be tailored to the individual interest of the applicant(s). Program logistics and travel needs are coordinated through CPP. Programming for 2024-25 will likely take place in person, but procedures will be determined based on health regulations and policies.
Eligibility
All applicants must be full-time students during the semester/academic year in which they will be fulfilling the requirements of the fellowship (fellowship may be completed in a single semester). Duos are eligible to apply for this fellowship, as long as both students are currently enrolled.
Please note: Due to the lack of pianos at many community partnering sites, we are only able to accept a limited number of pianists into the CPP Fellowship program. All pianist applicants must be willing to collaborate with another instrumentalist or vocalist in addition to possible solo programs within their fellowship.
Requirements
Students will perform one to four programs — exact number to be determined on a case-by-case basis according to availability, community need, etc. — in community settings during the 2024-25 academic year. CPP Fellows will be required to meet at least twice with a CPP staff member to plan and discuss their program, and are expected to attend fellowship meetings and workshops held by the program throughout the year. Fellows must also fill out an evaluation when their fellowship is complete.
Through the CPP Musical Storytelling Fellowship, students will work with CPP staff members to design a 25-30 minute program appropriate for preschool and young school-age children. The program will center on a children’s story that is read aloud and “illustrated” musically, and will also include an instrument demonstration, musical games, and age-appropriate interactive activities. All program logistics and any travel needed are coordinated through the CPP Program. Programming for the 2024-25 will likely be all in-person work, but procedures will be determined based on health regulations and policies.
Eligibility
All applicants must be full-time students during the semester/academic year in which they will be fulfilling the requirements of the fellowship (fellowship may be completed in a single semester). Students representing any instrument in the string, wind or brass family may apply; percussionists should be able to present a wide array of small percussion instruments.
Applicants need not have prior experience working with young children, but should have a strong interest in learning to work with them.
Applicants must have availability on at least one weekday for two hours between 9 a.m.–5 p.m., preferably in the morning.
Requirements
Students will perform one to four programs — exact number to be determined on a case-by-case basis according to availability, community need, etc. — in Boston-area preschools and kindergarten classes during the 2024-25 school year. CPP Fellows will be required to meet at least twice virtually with a CPP staff member to plan and discuss their program, and are expected to attend fellowship meetings and workshops to be held by the program virtually throughout the year. Fellows must also fill out an evaluation when their fellowship is complete. In addition, fellows will be required, as a prerequisite, to register for the micro-course Musical Storytelling, a weekend intensive taking place January, 2025. This course is offered for 1 credit and applies to the second semester. More information is forthcoming.
Deadline
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in late August with a deadline in mid-September.
Through the CPP Teaching Fellowship, a limited number of NEC students will be matched with partnership sites that they will visit on a weekly basis (between one and three hours per week) to provide lessons, sectionals, and/or music enrichment activities. Potential partnership sites include schools (elementary, middle, or high schools), after-school programs, or community centers, among other possibilities. All program logistics will be coordinated through the CPP Program, and the students will be paid through the Human Resources Office on a bi-weekly basis. Programming for the 2024-25 will likely be all in-person work, but procedures will be determined based on health regulations and policies.
Eligibility
All applicants must be full-time students during the semester/academic year in which they will be fulfilling the requirements of the fellowship (fellowship may be completed in a single semester). Students eligible for Federal Work Study funding as determined by their financial aid package are preferred.
Requirements
The primary responsibility of CPP Teaching Fellows is to provide weekly visits to a particular site throughout one or both semesters of the 2024-25 academic year. CPP Fellows will be required to meet at least twice with a CPP staff member to plan and implement their programming, and are expected to attend fellowship meetings and workshops to be held by the program throughout the year. Fellows must also fill out an evaluation when their fellowship is complete.
Deadline
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in late August with a deadline in mid-September.
In 2024-25, a select number of ensembles will be chosen to participate in the CPP Holiday Ensemble Fellowship Program. Through this fellowship, ensembles will work with CPP staff members to design a 45-minute interactive program of holiday music that will be performed between December 1–19. The focus of this program is flexible and can be tailored to the interest of the ensemble, and may include performances in senior centers, hospitals, nursing homes, and shelters, among others. Each group may contain three to five people in any combination. All program logistics and any travel needed are coordinated through the CPP Program. Programming for the 2024-25 will likely be all in-person work, but procedures will be determined based on health regulations and policies.
Eligibility
Ensembles that contain up to five people; undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines may apply. All members must be full-time NEC students during the fall 2024 semester. All members of the ensemble must have availability to perform from December 1–19. Please note that three-hour blocks of time between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, are preferred. Evening and weekend performances are very limited.
Requirements
The primary responsibility of CPP Holiday Ensemble Fellows is to perform one to four programs — exact number to be determined on a case-by-case basis according to availability and community need — in community settings during the month of December. Programs should be approximately 45 minutes in length and include a variety of holiday music, along with audience interaction. Ensembles will be required to meet at least twice with a CPP staff member to plan and discuss their program, and MUST run through their program with a staff member prior to Thanksgiving. The scheduling of performances is somewhat flexible, based upon the group’s availability, but all performances must be completed by December 19. Fellows are also asked to fill out an evaluation when their fellowship is complete.
Deadline
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in late August with a deadline in early October.
In 2024-25, a select number of ensembles will be chosen to participate in the CPP Ensemble Fellowship Program. Through this fellowship, ensembles will work with CPP staff members to design a 45-minute interactive program that will be performed during the spring semester of 2025. The focus of this program is flexible and can be tailored to the interest of the ensemble, and may include performances in schools, after school programs, senior centers, libraries, museums, hospitals, and shelters, among others. Each group may contain 3-5 people in any chamber music combination. Vocal ensembles and jazz groups are eligible for this fellowship and encouraged to apply. All program logistics and any travel needed are coordinated through the CPP Program. Programming for the 2024-25 will likely be all in-person work, but procedures will be determined based on health regulations and policies.
Eligibility
All applicants must be full-time students during the semester/academic year in which they will be fulfilling the requirements of the fellowship. All members of the ensemble must be able to attend the seven-week CPP course. Ensembles that have participated in the CPP Ensemble Fellowship in the past are eligible to reapply and have participation in the course waived.
Requirements
The primary responsibility of CPP Ensemble Fellows is to perform one to four programs — exact number to be determined on a case-by-case basis according to availability and community need — in community settings during the 2024-2025 school year. Generally, an ensemble will create a program that is suitable for a particular audience and will perform that program in the appropriate settings. The interests of the ensemble will help to shape the type of program performed.
In addition to community performances, ensembles will be required, as a prerequisite to the CPP Ensemble Fellowship, to register for Community Engagement for Ensembles (CHM 582T). Fellows are expected to attend fellowship meetings and workshops to be held by the program virtually throughout the year. Fellows must also fill out an evaluation when their fellowship is complete.
Deadline
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in late August with a deadline in late October.
After NEC
Touring Children’s Opera
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Each year the Opera Department puts together a one-act opera in English that reaches approximately 2,000 elementary school students. NEC’s Touring Children’s Opera continues to be one of CPP’s core educational programs, as it is both highly anticipated by partnering schools and provides NEC graduate opera students an invaluable chance to learn how to present an educational opera for children.
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“The best part was seeing how excited my students were. They were so engaged and loved when they could clap along. I love this field trip so much for its exposure to the arts that many of my students would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.”
—Fourth- grade teacher, Quincy Public Schools
The Touring Children’s opera is an annual collaboration between the Community Performances and Partnerships and Opera departments, and is designed to introduce young audiences to opera through performances at several school and community-based sites throughout the greater Boston area.
Each year the Opera Department puts together a one-act opera in English that reaches approximately 2,000 elementary school students. NEC’s Touring Children’s Opera continues to be one of CPP’s core educational programs, as it is both highly anticipated by partnering schools and provides NEC graduate opera students an invaluable chance to learn how to present an educational opera for children.
“The best part was seeing how excited my students were. They were so engaged and loved when they could clap along. I love this field trip so much for its exposure to the arts that many of my students would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.”
—Fourth- grade teacher, Quincy Public Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
Community engagement refers to performances and educational activities that take place in community settings for a wide range of audiences. The primary purpose of these activities is the education and enrichment of the audience, along with an interaction between performer and listeners. The Community Performances and Partnerships Program (CPP Program) is the title of the program that has been created at NEC to link students with the greater Boston community while meeting the needs of a diverse range of community partners.
Our community partners range from nursing homes, senior centers, shelters, and libraries to Boston public schools, after-school programs, and preschool centers. The majority of our partnerships are with organizations in greater Boston. Many community engagement events take place in neighborhoods that are near NEC or easily accessible by public transportation.
The ability to engage with a broad spectrum of audiences, as well as to perform and teach in diverse settings, is an integral part of every career in the music field. Whether you go on to become a solo artist, an orchestral musician, a music teacher, or follow a career path outside of music, the experience of performing or teaching in your community will be an asset to your career and personally enriching. Students who have participated in the CPP Program find it inspiring, thought-provoking, and refreshing to perform outside the walls of NEC and to connect with community members all over the greater Boston area.
You can be involved as little or as much as you like. This program is designed to be flexible and fit with your schedule and interests. Some students may want to be involved on a weekly or monthly basis; others may want to occasionally participate. Students who are interested in more intensive involvement in the program may apply for one of the five CPP Fellowship Programs. These competitive fellowships require a commitment to a particular number/type of community performances, along with mandatory meetings, training sessions, and evaluation. Students participating in CPP fellowships receive compensation for their involvement.
Initially, you will need to sign up for the CPP email list, either at NEC’s orientation or at any time throughout the year. You will receive updates regarding community performance opportunities, along with fellowship information, grants, and other community engagement related information. You may also make an appointment to meet with a CPP staff member at any time in order to coordinate a plan for the year, which may include applying for a CPP Fellowship.
All performances in the CPP program are organized and guided through the CPP department, and no previous experience is necessary to participate. CPP staff members will work with you to design an effective community engagement program, and make you feel as comfortable as possible interacting with audiences of different ages in diverse settings. Workshops with guest educators and performing artists will also be held throughout the year.
Yes! Talking to and interacting with the audience is an integral part of most CPP events. CPP staff members are available to help with public speaking skills as you prepare for your program.
Individuals, duos, and ensembles are all welcome to participate in the CPP Program.
Volunteer performances offered through the CPP Program are considered community service activities and are not paid. However, there are occasionally paid performances that become available, especially in conjunction with some of our partnering concert series. Students who are interested in a more extensive outreach experience may apply for one of the CPP Fellowship programs, which does include an honorarium payment upon completion of the fellowship.
The CPP Program covers all transportation costs and arrangements to performance sites that are not easily accessible by public transportation. Students who use their own cars to travel for a CPP event will be reimbursed for mileage.
Discover the Community Performances and Partnerships Program
Collegiate Music Outreach Network (C’MON!)
The Collegiate Music Outreach Network (C’MON!) is a loosely affiliated consortium of colleagues who administer community outreach initiatives involving students at conservatories and schools of music in the United States and abroad. Focused on exchanging ideas, networking, and generally advancing the development of community engagement arts programming at the collegiate level, C’MON hosts an annual symposium and provides a forum for sharing information throughout the year.
The annual symposia are exciting opportunities to exchange ideas, network, and generally advance the community engagement work in conservatories and schools of music in the U.S. and abroad.
