Fire Up! is a 3-6 month action research program for music education teams that distils the key approach and components of the Firebird Fellowship into a more accessible workload.

Combining 4 days of intensive in-person training followed by a program-led action research project, it is for teams who want to refresh how they work, teach and think of their students’ learning, but without the capacity for the full Firebird Fellowship. Alternately, they have the experience to leverage a more condensed experience towards positive impact at a far lower per head cost.

The model seeks to give programs more ownership of how they harness the resources AIM has to offer, always with a focus on better impact for students.

Fire Up! was piloted in 2023 and 2024 in Ravinia, USA, providing AIM with invaluable feedback – mostly positive – that enabled us to expand the program to reach many more teachers and ultimately many more students.

In 2025, Fire Up! kicks off in Brazil, hosting 40 committed educators from 8 social music programs, thanks to our partners NEOJIBA and new partners Guri Santa Marcelina Cultura. Together, these heavyweight programs role-model the kind of collaborative spirit and generosity needed to move our field forward.

If you are interested in hosting or experiencing Fire Up!, please get in touch.