Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Boston-based musician, educator, and arts advocate, Christopher Schroeder is a catalyst for social change through music and arts education. With over a decade of arts leadership and teaching experience, he has successfully established programs and influenced music ecosystems within the Boston community and throughout the United States. Most recently, he was recognized as a finalist for the 2022 Excellence Award in Leadership award for the Massachusetts Non-Profit Network, Boston Future Leader by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and a quarter-finalist for the 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award. Schroeder currently serves as the Executive Director of the Boston Music Project, Adjunct Faculty at Emerson College, Visiting Faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College, and is a guest conductor and clinician with Conn Selmer, Inc. Under his leadership, Schroeder led Boston Music Project through transformative growth amidst a global pandemic, penning its first three-year strategic plan, leading an organizational rebrand, expanding the scale of the program from 1 site serving 150 youth to 30 sites and partnerships serving over 2,000 youth each year, and establishing fiscal health - quintupling its operating budget from a -$53K deficit to $2.4 million in four years. As an experienced conductor and trumpeter, Schroeder connects and inspires musicians of all ages to achieve their highest level of musicianship, while instilling character traits that transcend rehearsal and performance spaces. As a nationally-recognized speaker and consultant, he works together with arts leaders and educators on organizational strategy, program development/ implementation, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and community engagement. Prior to this work, he was an Arts Coordinator with Boston Public Schools, the Director of Community Engagement & Resident Artist for Conservatory Lab Charter School since the inception of its El Sistema music program in 2010; Music Director of the Cape Youth Orchestra with the Cape Symphony & Conservatory; Program Manager and Faculty for Longy School of Music of Bard College’s El Sistema Side-by-Side Program; and National Teaching Faculty with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA National Youth Orchestra.
Boston Music Project is a creative youth development program that uses an intensive and unique ensemble-based music curriculum to help underserved children develop the executive functions and social-emotional skills necessary to succeed at school and in life. Students in pre-kindergarten through seventh grade attend the program every weekday for 1.5 hours before school, participating in orchestra rehearsals, general music classes, and group lessons. The morning hours of our program ensure that all students begin the day engaged and energized for academic learning. Students also participate in community-building activities and performances across the city. Students in our advanced ensembles receive leadership and teacher training, and have the opportunity to mentor students in our beginner ensembles. BMP welcomes any child to participate, regardless of musical ability, cultural background, developmental delays, or financial limitations. BMP is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan initiative that uses music education as a vehicle for social change. The El Sistema philosophy of having students help each other through the music-learning process is at the heart of our mission, and as a result, our program creates not only great musicians, but also caring individuals who will grow up to be active members of society. We believe that every child can learn to express music deeply, receive its many benefits, and make different critical life choices as a result of this learning.
Summer Street Brass Band provides youth musicians from the Boston area with performance and teaching opportunities for developing their skills as dynamic performers, educators, entrepreneurial musicians, and compassionate citizens. https://www.summerstreetbrassband.org/
Designed and facilitated "Learning Systems" module for cohort of 70 rising change-makers in music on music education learning systems from around the world, affecting people from early childhood and throughout their lifespan. http://globalleadersprogram.com/