El Sistema USA

As part of my research to put together fellowship proposals to study El Sistema, I found this opportunity online. It provided everything I was looking for in one comprehensive program.

The Abreu Fellows Program provides a unique opportunity to champion a powerful mission in the US and abroad. As the inaugural group, we can have a significant impact on the lives of many children during El Sistema’s earliest coordinated stages outside of Venezuela.

This program provides a knowledge-sharing platform that will allow the Fellows to identify best practices and formulate a model for El Sistema’s success abroad. Sculpting this model from a broad collection of perspectives will enhance the way that we collaborate in the future.

I will continue to find ways to gain new musical perspectives while pursing my entrepreneurial interests. El Sistema provides an avenue for both of these and I look forward to being a catalyst for its success.

From a very early age, this type of education provides a skill set far beyond the discipline of music, including: adaptability, teamwork, diligence, focus, creativity, persistence, responsibility and a sense of purpose. Young musicians also enjoy the enlightening aspects of creating live art. These tools are applicable in any future endeavor.

The music education system in the US is both underfunded and undervalued. While we possess some of the greatest orchestras and higher-level music institutions in the world, we lack commitment to the development of younger and at-risk demographics. Our music education system is too often seen as an extracurricular activity, and not used as a vehicle for higher learning and personal development.

This past January, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela presented a one-week residency in London. This series of workshops and performances were incredibly inspiring and served as a catalyst for my commitment to study and expand El Sistema.

El Sistema possesses a centralized yet flexible nature that is both unique and innovative. The flexibility of each “nucleo” allows for local leaders to tailor the program to fit their community’s needs. The support of the government enhances coordination, collaboration and resource allocation.

As part of the staff for the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts and Northwestern’s National High School Music Institute, I have had opportunities to work with some of the nation’s most talented young artists. From teaching music appreciation and free improvisation classes to private instruction, I have always sought to motivate, inspire and spark a creative curiosity for my students.

The information was circulated on blogs and other online resources for conductors.

El Sistema – its ideals, objectives and accomplishments – is the place where my knowledge, my diverse experiences, and my passion all converge.

I want to understand exactly how El Sistema functions on every level – pedagogically, socially, economically, organizationally – and adapt or export it to whatever geographic, social and economic context I work in.

I hope to play a leading part in redefining the role of the American orchestra in the community, revolutionizing its educational, advocacy, labour and leadership traditions.

All the arts demand creativity and discipline, but music is uniquely and inherently a social activity, a live communication and interaction between equals. We come together and collaborate to make music in ways that are both emotional and intellectual.

The arts were designated core subjects under NCLB legislation; this was a good start. Unfortunately, the bill has been underfunded by government and misinterpreted in implementation, and access to arts programs remain an issue. Our focus should now be on achieving real equality of opportunity rather than unrealistic equality of competency.

I was referred to the program by someone who was aware of my work in parallel in India, and who had recently visited Venezuela.

The idea behind El Sistema isn’t unique; other efforts in the developing world have produced similar results. What is unique about El Sistema is the scope and scale of both the program and its human success. Its leadership, and the commitment it generates from every participant to the highest levels of government, is what sets it apart.

I had the pleasure of preparing a very young orchestra (ages 8-12) for a concert a few years ago. The most remarkable part of the experience was realizing just how high a standard could be achieved when commitment and responsibility were prioritized.

I subscribe to TED and received an e-mail announcing Dr. Abreu’s TED prize wish and the fellowship that grew out of it to bring the El Sistema program to the US.

Often music opportunities are available only to children whose families can afford them, but ALL children deserve access to music and its life-long benefits. El Sistema is one proven way to help make that happen.

This fellowship offers a unique blend of skills in music, education, leadership and organizational development. By applying these skills to internships in communities where El Sistema-inspired initiatives have already begun, this program gives its Fellows the practical experience they need to confidently guide every aspect of forming a new community.

Working with and for children will be a necessary component of whatever work I do; they keep me grounded, inspired and always on my toes! I also hope to continue working with schools and the community to ensure that the arts are an integral part of every child’s education.

Music helps form friendships through teamwork and shared goals, builds discipline through practice and delayed gratification, and engages both mind and body as part of the learning process. All children deserve the emotional and creative outlet that music provides, as well as glimpses of what life can be like when approached with an aesthetic eye.

High stakes testing in reading, writing and math forces many schools to reallocate a finite budget and school day away from their music and arts program and towards these tested areas. The result: only families who can afford music lessons are able to give their children this opportunity. There is a need for the federal government to play a more significant role in funding music education at the national level.

I learned about El Sistema through the 2009 Yale Symposium on Music in Schools. One of the discussion topics focused on how this system would translate in the US.

These three guiding principles set El Sistema apart from other programs: Passion before Precision, Real Repertoire, and Community Engagement. Its success relies on the intensity of its directors, the power of group experience and peer mentorship and participation at an early age when life is consumed by music!

I have been fortunate to work with children from elementary through high school as a classroom and music teacher, librarian, accompanist and fellow artist. I¹m particularly drawn to creating opportunities that give students multiple ways of expressing themselves. From African drumming, drama and digital storytelling to ballroom dancing, band and choir, I enjoy watching what progresses through the rehearsal process.

I read about it in the “Friends of El Sistema” Facebook group!

I left Peru looking for an opportunity to continue my music teaching and social activism, and this program seemed the perfect fit, as it takes both of these things very seriously.

I love working with and learning from children, but I am very excited to learn from other adults too. I believe that the collaboration between the Fellows, our teachers and the people we meet in Venezuela and on our internships will be invaluable, both to us and to El Sistema USA.

In five years, I hope to be teaching music, collaborating with other musicians, leading reach-out programs for underprivileged children, and traveling to keep expanding my own musical knowledge.

In my time in Peru, I have seen music draw timid children out of their shells, give students the motivation and the skills to study better, and provide poor kids with a window to the outside world. Music is essential; it is work, art, recreation and therapy.

The US suffers from vast differences in income, so its private schools soar while its public ones lack funds and teachers. In an economic crisis, many in public education view the arts as expendable. One answer is to collaborate with the schools through programs like the NY Philharmonic Teaching Artists. We need more programs, more action and more collaboration to give kids in the US the continuity of El Sistema.

I learned about El Sistema through TED! A friend sent me Maestro Abreu’s TED Prize speech via e-mail, and I was converted.

El Sistema values music for music’s sake but also puts it to social use; a true, successful commitment to both classical music and social justice is very rare. El Sistema has been able to do this for so long because it reaches out to and involves the greater community. Meanwhile, its own “family” helps itself, as its students become its teachers.

From 2007 until 2009, I lived and worked full-time in a home for abused children (ages 5-18) in Urubamba, Peru. I ran all daily activities and created a music workshop in which, as a final project, the kids wrote and performed their own song. I also taught English workshops and was the English teacher in a local public elementary school.

I heard about the Abreu Fellows program through my affiliation with Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles (YOLA).

I wanted to surround myself with people who share the common vision of making a difference in children’s lives through arts education. I also wanted to experience the power and phenomenon of El Sistema first- hand.

Some of the tools we will be developing include: leadership and communication skills, creating and managing partnerships, strategic and business planning, and marketing and public relations. A successful program depends on excellence inside and outside the classroom. These are the types of business skills that I have not had the opportunity to develop as a musician and that are needed to lead a successful organization at any level.

I see myself working in Los Angeles with an El Sistema inspired program in the capacity of creative management. I will be doing this work because I believe in the power we have as individuals to better the lives of others through art.

Music is an entry point into the world of the self. It gives the child a creative language that enables him to both access and express the innate creative urges. This language will allow him to connect the dots in life and therefore create a life of meaning.

The overall state of music education in the US is in jeopardy as evidenced in the state of California and specifically Los Angeles. El Sistema-type social programs are left to pick up the pieces and carry on the work that should be happening in public school curricula. Unfortunately, this has led to a privatization of arts education with the burden falling on small non-profit organizations. In contrast to the depravity of arts education around the country are states like Texas that protect their arts programs with legislation.

My first experience with El Sistema was watching a clip on youtube of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. My next experience with El Sistema came from teaching in Los Angeles in a program called The Harmony Project and the El Sistema-inspired program Youth Orchestras Los Angeles (YOLA).

El Sistema is unique in that it prioritizes the spiritual elements of the human being, self-esteem and a sense of value, above all. This combination of spiritual and musical elements has birthed a transformative social program that is recognized the world over. From an early age children are immersed in a safe and nurturing atmosphere filled with joy, learning and an overall sense of play. Much of El Sistema’s success stems from their work with parents and families in order to foster a powerful sense of community.

I have been working with underserved and at-risk youth off and on for over ten years. Most recently I have had great success in teaching clarinet and flute to students in South Central Los Angeles through a program called The Harmony Project.

I got an email about it from Sue Heineman, Principal Bassoon of the National Symphony Orchestra.

I applied because I feel that the variety of my past endeavors can allow me to help bridge the gap between the symphony orchestra world and the underserved youth world.

The bulk of my education has been in music performance so I expect that this fellowship will provide me with the skills I need to be able to start an El Sistema-like program in the US; things like marketing, public relations and fundraising come to mind.

In five years I hope to have taken a leadership role in starting a symphony orchestra-related music education program for underserved youth; something in the mold of Baltimore’s OrchKids or the LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. A program like that should have a positive impact on youth and symphony orchestras. Both are important to me.

It is important because it spurs a child’s imagination and creativity, which gives an advantage later on in relation to schoolwork and jobs. Creativity and out of the box thinking are crucial to success in any field. As well, music education promotes dedication, concentration and analytical skills, all of which will have positive impacts on all youths.

There are some positives, notably the outreach programs that are starting to pop in various cities. The LA Philharmonic’s youth Orchestra Los Angeles and the Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids come to mind. But currently, symphony orchestras do not always represent the communities they are based in, so they need to further associate themselves with sustained outreach efforts in order to bridge the gap from the concert hall to the rest of the community.

I read about Gustavo Dudamel and since then I’ve come to learn that wherever Dudamel is, El Sistema is not far behind.

El Sistema is unique because it reaches out to all youth. It believes music education should be available to anyone and they make it so. Of course the program is well funded, which helps, but most important is the desire to have a positive impact on all youth through music education.

My first interaction with youth was when I was in ninth grade, volunteering at the local Ottawa YMCA. As I was getting my certifications to become a lifeguard, I would help the swimming instructors with their lessons. Then throughout the rest of high school I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor, and spent two summers as a camp counsellor, all through the YMCA. At Yale, I spent a year with the Yale School of Music Outreach Program assisting music teachers in New Haven public schools with their classes. I worked with youth from kindergarten to 12th grade. Most recently in 2008, I was a coach at the Carnegie Mellon University Summer Basketball Camp for 6-14 year olds.

A friend from Australia, who’s interested in implementing El Sistema there, posted the information on Facebook.

I want to continue my work with El Sistema in the US, and I want to be a part of its growth throughout the world.

The one tool I have been looking for is a network of people facing similar challenges. Working with the other Fellows will be just the start of this network, as a support structure for growth. I also look forward to practicing some fundraising, US-style!

I want to start a “nucleo” to serve Hispanic children, especially Central Americans living in New York City. I want to help and mentor new programs worldwide.

For children to participate in an orchestra as the center of their music education brings opportunities to build strong self-esteem, a sense of community, cooperation, and solidarity that empowers them to become better human beings and citizens.

I see a mix of old traditional practices with scattered new initiatives. I think music educators have been great in being innovative, to the extent that the old status quo allows them to be. However, I don’t see coordinated efforts to come up with solutions that have a wide impact in how children benefit from music education.

In 1989, at the Youth Orchestras of the Americas Festival in Puerto Rico, I met some musicians who presented themselves as part of the Venezuelan Orchestral Movement.

El Sistema is not just a music education system. It is a complex social development program that aims to change individuals and their communities. One of its successful elements is that it aims to serve large numbers of beneficiaries, all working under the same spirit and preparing similar repertoires. This has helped in building strong networks of individuals in Venezuela and Latin America.

My last experience was teaching percussion to five Mayan children (ages11-15) in a remote village’s youth orchestra in Guatemala. Their love of playing music – in spite of poverty, malnutrition, and having to work to help support their families – is inspiring.

I heard about the Abreu Fellowship program from the career development officer at The Curtis Institute of Music during my undergraduate studies. She recommended that I apply to the program.

I was making a tough decision between beginning a professional performing career or attending graduate school and no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I should take one of those paths, I knew that my heart was in using music and my talents to benefit my community and society. I was positive this program would provide me with that opportunity.

I believe the Abreu Fellows program will help me to develop skills in developing, organizing and implementing successful music programs. There is no need to reinvent the wheel because we have a successful program in Venezuela to learn from. I believe these tools will be extremely helpful in creating a model to be followed throughout the US and abroad.

I see myself organizing and/or supporting major music education initiatives in the US and abroad that will make music more accessible to their communities while supporting social change.

Music education should not necessarily be designed to produce musicians or a higher level of music appreciation; it should be a vehicle that can tell us where we belong and who we are. Every child should have the opportunity to learn teamwork to pull together for the common good, build self esteem, develop confidence and be able to express their emotions in a positive way.

The music educators I know are miracle workers and do an amazing job with their students under all types of negative and positive pressures. I believe that the teaching is done correctly in the classrooms, but most programs need more community support and missions that reflect the need to serve children and their communities.

I learned about Gustavo Dudamel by researching about his life. I was an intern in the Philadelphia Orchestra School Partnership Program and worked with a violinist that went through the El Sistema program. He was able to share his personal experiences with me.

El Sistema has a flexible way of working with students and using music education as a way to enrich their lives. The music programs I myself went through were concerned about having the very best; however, El Sistema has proved that music can nurture the soul, especially those that could use the nourishment the most, bringing communities together.

Yes, I have taught music to and mentored children in programs across the US, Asia and Africa. I have found a greater reward in using my musical talents for the benefit of education and serving communities than I have performing in the world’s best concert halls.

A few friends heard about this program and were kind enough to think of me and pass on the information.

Musicians today need to be both artists and advocates; music should be a right, not a privilege. I want my career in music to be performing and creating outreach – in particular youth outreach; so this program was exactly what I was looking for.

I hope to leave this fellowship with a concrete understanding of how to logistically structure and organize a successful program. El Sistema is a thriving, strong model, and gaining inside operational knowledge of this program will be incredibly valuable.

I plan to create a program that connects a professional chamber orchestra with an El Sistema-like music program for disadvantaged youth. This program would add both music and mentorship into the lives of youth as well as improving the quality of life in the community at large.

As a dyslexic kid, I was constantly behind in school because I didn’t learn the way classes were taught. However, when I started band, I discovered I could process music my own way and still excel. I developed greater self-esteem, a sense of commitment and responsibility to my peers in band. These traits help youth to become positive members in society.

There are many fantastic extracurricular music programs in the US that provide challenging and inspiring atmospheres for gifted youth. However, many of these programs only reach youth with advanced musical training and are therefore inaccessible to many, particularly disadvantaged youth. They must be expanded to include and support this group.

I heard the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra’s recording of Beethoven 5 and 7 with Dudamel conducting a few years ago and was blown away. I immediately read up on El Sistema.

The greatest thing about El Sistema is the ideology behind it: music belongs to everyone. The structure and organization of the program is sound and impressive but I believe the undeniable truth behind this ideology is the real reason El Sistema has been so amazingly successful.

I was really lucky to have the opportunity to run a program called “Breakfast Club” through Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc. It was a one-to-one mentoring/tutoring program for youth who needed academic and/or emotional support. My kids were incredible and getting to know them and design a program for them has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I heard about it through the education listserv of the League of American Orchestras.

The Abreu Fellowship offers me the opportunity to return to what inspired me to become a leader in the orchestra field: the remarkable phenomenon of El Sistema. Through the fellowship, I will be able to return to my original inspiration for my work, and be able to share that with my community.

Through the fellowship, I hope to learn the skills necessary to be an effective Executive Director, community activist and advocate. I hope our courses will cover board development and management, community organizing, and executive leadership training. These tools will empower me to create lasting and effective El Sistema programs in areas with no current similar programs.

In five years, I hope to be finishing my fourth year as Executive Director of KidZNotes in Durham, NC. I have come to love and be loved by this community in North Carolina, and I believe in the power of El Sistema to cause positive change in the poorest and most underserved areas in this community.

Music education is an important tool for expression and understanding human emotion. There are many skills and higher learning to be gained through music and the arts: empathy, complex psychology, communication, how to seize opportunities, recognizing best practices, mental focus, ambition, setting expectations, and of course, drive.

The public school system and teachers continue to fight for the arts and music as critical core subjects for a “whole” child’s education. The administration and funding of the core subjects has been abandoned, and the support of the arts is an empty promise and an unfunded mandate in most public school districts. This is going in the wrong direction, and is a good place for El Sistema to start.

Through performances with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra and musicians participating in the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

At a point of transition in my career, I realized that communicating and connecting with people is why I need to be in music. The essence of the arts is communication due to its nature of self-expression and its motivation to leave imprints on the world. Through providing a shared arena of communication for people of all languages, cultures and colors, music could create a premise for empathy. This is what El Sistema has the power to provide.

Yes, as a violist I have been a teacher since high school. Through gratitude for what I have learned and the opportunities that have been made available to me, I have embraced giving back and sharing the lessons I have received.