In what has become a Multnomah County tradition, young musicians with Oregon’s BRAVO Youth Orchestras livened up the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners meeting with a musical performance last Thursday.
BRAVO Youth Orchestras provides music education and performance programs for youth in Multnomah County, particularly youth at underserved schools who are learning to play an instrument for the first time. The after-school orchestra launched at Rosa Parks Elementary School in 2013 with roughly 40 students. Today, the program serves more than 125 students at schools throughout the community including: César Chávez School, Sitton Elementary and George Middle School.
BRAVO co-founder and Executive Director Seth Truby noted the program’s growth in both size and fame. BRAVO plays 20 performances per year including appearances with American hip hop duo Black Violin and at Governor Kate Brown’s 2017 inauguration. BRAVO was also the subject of a recent feature story on NBC’s Nightly News.
Former Commissioner Judy Shiprack invited the young musicians to play for the board in December 2013. The group has performed for Multnomah County's Board each year since 2013.
“We came to the commissioners and we said we’re going to change lives through music,” said Truby citing an independent evaluation of BRAVO’s impact in Portland Public Schools. “And this is how we know -- our first evaluation results in partnership with Portland Public Schools.”
“School attendance for BRAVO students compared to other students in the same school is up,” Truby said. “Test scores on reading and math are up. And out of 36 suspensions in schools last year, only one was a BRAVO student.”
To view the BRAVO performance from the Thursday, April 20 board meeting click here.
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