IN OUR HANDS is a ground-breaking joint initiative by the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Midwest Fine Arts Society, and the Phoenix Sustainability Initiative of the University of Chicago that harnesses music education to build climate literacy and empower young musicians to become catalysts for social advocacy.

This project rethinks how youth engage with classical music by integrating contemporary issues and interdisciplinary learning into the artistic process. Students are positioned not only as performers, but as decision-makers who consider the broader impact of what they present on stage and where they present it.

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We reflect this approach by incorporating climate learning into chamber music collaboration. Through structured mentorship, guided research, and student-led artistic planning, young musicians explore how musical expression can respond to real-world challenges—particularly those shaping their own communities and futures. By building programs that expand the role of orchestral education beyond elite spaces, we are able to equip students with the knowledge and confidence to engage critically with issues that affect their lives.