Committed to supporting the El Sistema-inspired movement
This includes providing resources for individuals and organizations inspired by El Sistema to strengthen existing programs and nurture new programs in communities. Becoming a Member of El Sistema USA means joining the national movement of #ElSistemaProud by working together with like-minded programs across the country. As Members of El Sistema USA, we learn from each other and support one another in order to better support our communities.
Membership Options
View membership benefits and pricing by category on the chart below.
Organizational Member Categories
- Organizational Member: For established El Sistema-inspired organizations that meet the membership criteria (below).
- Member in Training: For El Sistema-inspired organizations in the first year of existence that meet or are working toward meeting the membership criteria.
- Affiliate Member: For organizations that align with the ESUSA core values and vision, but may not meet all of the membership criteria OR are not U.S/Canada based.
Individual Member
For individuals who align with the core values and vision of ESUSA.
Click Here for Criteria for Membership in El Sistema USA
Member Benefits
National Symposium
This year’s national symposium will take place at March 9-11, 2023 at Butler University, hosted in partnership with the Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation at Butler University! More details to come!
Each year, we host a National Symposium of leaders, teaching artists, and supporters of the El Sistema movement. In 2022, nearly 300 attendees gathered virtually for the 2022 El Sistema USA National Virtual Symposium, “Pathways Forward.” In addition to networking with organizations and leaders, there were 20+ sessions to attend, including a keynote by Vijay Gupta, a private screening of the documentary ¡Viva Maestro!, and professional development on Trauma Informed Care and Culturally Responsive Arts Education. ESUSA also launched a Youth Ambassador program, in which 20 ESUSA students and alumni were paid to curate, host, and emcee sessions at the symposium.
Regional Seminarios & Gatherings
Each year, we support, fund, and organize the gathering of students, teaching artists, and leaders regionally at Regional Seminarios. These are two to three day events intended to bring students from El Sistema USA Member Organizations together to make music, friends, and memories. The next Regional Seminarios are planned for Summer 2023.
El Sistema USA Virtual Forums
In addition to our in-person gatherings, El Sistema USA hosts online virtual meetings monthly from October to June for four Working Groups. Led by facilitators in the field, these are opportunities for leaders, administrators, and teaching artists to gather online to share resources, hear from external speakers, and challenge each other to solve common problems.
In 2022-2023, those groups are:
- Teaching Artists Forum
- Program Directors & Managers Forum
- Chief Executives Forum
In addition to meeting each month, the resources, notes, and recordings generated from these groups will be available online for all members. At every National Symposium, each group has the chance to participate in a Deep Dive to further discuss their topics and goals.
Professional Development Webinars
ESUSA offers regular online professional development for program administrators and teaching artists. Webinars for 2023 will include Grant Proposal Support with the National Endowment for the Arts, Trauma Informed Care Training, Equity Centered Pedagogy Framework, and more.
Scholarships & Partnership Opportunities
Through partnerships with organizations and institutions, we offer a variety of scholarships and special opportunities for members. These have included the following:
- Full-tuition scholarships to the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University designated for students in El Sistema USA Member Organizations.
- A partnership with Conn Selmer resulting in a Special Pricing Program that allows Members to purchase instruments at 75% reduction as well as free access to Allegro by Cut Time and MusicProfessor.Com. Learn More.
- A partnership with Noteflight Learn site the allows El Sistema USA members free access to create and share music in a private online community. Learn More.
- Repertoire arranged specifically for El Sistema Member organizations through various partnerships, including a partnership with The Canales Project. Members Access Scores.
- A partnership with Things 4 Strings, line of durable and award-winning instrument accessories, resulting in exclusive preferred pricing on all Things 4 Strings Studio Kits. Learn More.
ESUSA will implement the 2023 Bi-Annual Census which provides benchmarking data for the field. Past Census Reports can be found on the Resource Hub of the ESUSA Website. You can see one of our published studies, “Elements of Organizational Success“, on our website which was a study we completed with Duke University through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Online Resources
Our Resource Hub has hundreds of free resources for Member organizations. This includes program template documents, funding strategy documents, curriculum resources, repertoire for ensembles, and so much more. Our Video Library contains recordings and materials from all past webinars. The ESUSA website also has an active jobs board, which all members can post on free of charge. Non-members must pay a fee to post job openings.
Awareness Building
Our presence on social media reaches 10,000 followers and our newsletter has over 5,000 subscribers. Through our monthly newsletter and social media marketing, we work to advance the brand of El Sistema nationally and highlight the work of our Member organizations around the country!
