Workshops Open Doors

Workshops are small group or one-on-one meetings focused on developing outreach leadership interests and skills.

The VMA Foundation's signature experience for high school students extends far beyond performing outreach concerts. It's what happens between the concerts—the one-hour Virtual Leadership Workshops and the special projects students develop—that truly shapes them as leaders.

In 2023, I created our one-hour Virtual Leadership Workshops to be a launching point for student leadership. Five times each semester, leadership initiative students can Google Meet with me, so that we can discuss leadership, outreach, fundraising, and ways students can make a meaningful difference in their communities. The workshop calendar is published on our website each year, and students register in advance to attend. The students who participate in workshops usually participate in student government as well, leading the way for future generations of Junior Program members.

My hope is that these conversations inspire students to move beyond the workshops and develop their own mission-related service projects, checking in with me along the way. In other words, the workshops are the floor, not the ceiling.

Over the years, I've worked alongside high school and college guidance counselors to help domestic and international students, U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and non-citizens identify authentic ways to strengthen both their communities and their college or career portfolios. For many students, the Virtual Leadership Workshop is the first conversation in that journey. From there, the VMA Foundation's framework provides a pathway for students to transform ideas into meaningful service—living out our mission of giving everyone orchestra seats while developing a record of leadership that is both genuine and impactful.

Students and their families also learn how to share the VMA Foundation's mission with friends and relatives through fundraising. This experience helps students understand not only how to deliver outreach, but also how to sustain it by inviting others to invest in their community.

Participation in workshops (or an approved special project), outreach concerts, and fundraising allows students to work toward the VMA National Service Award. Students may earn Bronze, Silver, or Gold recognition, with each award level recognizing increasing levels of service, leadership, and fundraising. Students who pursue the Gold level demonstrate the highest level of commitment to community engagement. Before the federal government's temporary pause of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award program, this same pathway also enabled eligible students to earn the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, including the student members who fundraise online through our Sweet Sounds of Service Campaign, these workshops and leadership opportunities are offered free of charge to every Junior Program member.