In the United States, we are competitive. When we run a race, everyone fights for positioning. The strong get stronger; the weak get weaker. We compete to win.
Venezuelans are competitive, too. When they run a race, everyone runs faster. Striving in common improves everyone’s level. They don’t compete to win; they compete because it’s vital.
Etymologically, competition means “to strive with.” It’s amazing what a third world country can teach us about our own language…
Our first ten days included a whirlwind of activity:
Nucleo Directors from Venezuela and the US
- Roberto Zambrano, founder of numerous nucleos across South America.
- Anne Fitzgibbon, Executive Director of the Harmony Program in NYC.
- Dan Trahey and Nick Skinner from The Baltimore Symphony’s ORCHKids.
Partnership & Field Experts (to be discussed in later posts)
- Tanya Maggi, Director of Performance Outreach at New England Conservatory.
- Daphne Griffin, Director of Boston Center for Youth and Family, who spoke on partnerships and communities.
- Michael Melcher, from Next Step Partners, who spoke about establishing “leadership brand.”
- Benjamin Zander, who kindly opened his interpretation class and his home.
Celebrity Appearances
- Jamie Bernstein, who is filming a documentary on our program.
- Tricia Tunstall, Norton-commissioned author who is writing the first book on El Sistema.
- Tony Woodcock, President of NEC, who provided a warm welcome.
- Amy Novogratz and Anna Verghese from TED.
- A round table with Boston-based El Sistema graduates.
With these high-powered faculty members, we delved into our curriculum.
What is El Sistema?
The Venezuelans have created the most advanced music education system in the world based on two premises: (1) Every child is an asset (2) it’s fun. Social reform is the top priority: they train and educate children of every social stratum on a national level. Children are empowered to own the program. They teach each other; they “compete” to improve as a whole. And we’ve all experienced the product of this formula.
Several people have joked that the secret of El Sistema is that there’s no system. There is some truth to that. Each nucleo is flexible, providing the artistic director with total creative freedom. Yet, the vision is unwavering. Even nucleo janitors understand that they are aiding social change. In a pyramid of creativity, Abreu empowers the directors to empower the teachers who empower the children. These children inspire social change in their communities. At every level of El Sistema there is a sense of pride, a feeling of ownership, and undeniable purpose.
Great concepts, but how do they translate?
In her fantastic El Sistema USA blog, my colleague Lorrie Heagy clearly summarized many of the aspects that we’d like to replicate from our week one discussions. In week two, we dug a little deeper into how a living US translation functions. With help from Dan, Matt and Roberto, we studied Marin Alsop‘s ORCHKids, “an after-school program designed to effect social change and nurture promising futures for youth in Baltimore City’s low-income neighborhoods.” The model partners the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with the Baltimore City Public School System, The Peabody Institute, Arts Everyday, Baltimore School for the Arts and The Family League. From location hunting to funding to snacks (a crucial element to success!), we explored one approach that is destined to succeed. El Sistema’s flexibility provides countless opportunities for idea replication abroad.
The Language Barrier
Maestro Abreu stated that our project has to succeed. Not only because of its potential for social change but because it is a project that involves equal partnership of the Americas. We have a great deal to learn and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with them in February and beyond.
Upon introduction, Maestro Zambrano provided each Fellow with an El Sistema medal. He placed them around our necks and hugged each of us. On the back of the gold violin the El Sistema motto appears: “Tocar y Luchar”, or “To play and to Struggle.”
We’re in this together now, competing as Americans.
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