The musicians of Trade Winds Ensemble want you, our students, to know that we uphold your unique, vital, and beautiful voices. We remember each of your smiles when we played “Dum Dum Dada,” and the “I am” poems you wrote still echo in our hearts. It was an honor to get to know you and to experience your amazing artistry. We want to say this: Your lives matter. Your voices matter. Your story matters. Your art matters.

Although our time creating together was a brief moment in all our lives, we feel a deep commitment to you and to all our future students. Black lives matter, all Black lives, and we recommit to interrogating our work to ensure that our teaching always upholds these truths.

We love you, and we look forward to the day when we can see you again and make music together.

Yours,

Trade Winds Ensemble

“Art is a language that does not need to be translated.”

This quote from Jose, a clarinet student from Trade Winds’ 2017 music camp, still echoes in my ears every time I approach a new project, and working with Trade Winds for the past few years has really helped me better realize just how accessible and impactful music can be as a tool for transcending social barriers—language being just one example.