Community Engagement Music Project (CEMP) is a project that aims to highlight and explore the ways in which the elements of communication can be maximized in musical concerts through working with community organizations and presenting various types of interactive concerts at those organizations. Participating students will be at the forefront of communicating with community organization staff members and creating interactive concert programs.

Students will learn to create effective and meaningful programs that are tailored for the audience at each organization through reading, observing, rehearsing, and attending lectures/workshops and present these concerts maximizing the level of communication.  

As part of Community Engagement Project, students have contacted and reached out to civic, social service, and arts organizations in the greater Grand Rapids area, such as:

Homeless shelter:

• Mel Trotter 

Hospitals:

• Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
• DeVos Children's Hospital

Prisons:

• Bellamy Creek Prison

Assisted Living/Nursing Homes:

• Mission Point of Nursing & Physical Rehabilitation Center
• Christian Care Assisted Living
• The Laurels of Hudsonville Nursing Home
• Green Acres Retirement Home

Homes:

• Veterans' Home 

Libraries:

• Grand Rapids Public Library

Schools:

• Living Stones Academy
• Elementary Schools in the Kentwood School District
• Elementary Schools in the Grandville School District
• Elementary Schools in the Grand Rapids Public School District
• Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities

Non-profit organizations:

• New City Kids
• Greater Hopes - Michigan Adoption Center

Students involved in the Community Engagement Project participate in interactive talks with guest speakers and musicians who have created and established impactful community engagement initiatives. Through these lectures, students gain access to invaluable insights drawn from the speakers’ extensive experiences on how to form meaningful and successful partnerships with local organizations. The interactive talks not only serve to broaden students’ perspectives on the intersection of art and community, but also serve as source of inspiration for fostering positive change through the arts.

Students participate in workshops with guest artists to refine their communication skills with the audience. Through focused and private sessions, these guest artists collaborate intensively with each student's chamber group, imparting the art of clear and effective presentation. This hands-on experience equips students with valuable techniques for confidently engaging with their audience.

Sookkyung Cho

Associate Professor of Piano

[email protected]

Letitia Jap

Affiliate Faculty of Violin

[email protected]

Abigail Walsh

Visiting Professor of Flute

[email protected]