She is president of Longy School and talks of "Musicians as Agents of Change."
If you view music as an elite pursuit, then the world is getting smaller and smaller. If you view musicians as agents of change, then musicians can transform lives and communities. They need skills to make a differences.
2013: virtually all conservatories are struggling with the changes in society and attitude toward music programs.
Students have changed. Many aspiring musicians want a different future. They want a meaningful life, not just a musical life. Programs like TEACH FOR AMERICA are very popular.
The college application process has changed. They are not just judged for their academics. They are judged on their community service, as well. The need to volunteer is changing the students.
She believes we are on a new path. How do we redefine what it means to be a musician? This led her to EL SISTEMA. It's a social program, changing lives and communities. The program was started 30 years ago. Today, there are over 400,000 children participating in Venezuela alone. The goal is to guide and encourage children to become full citizens of the world.
Gustavo Dudamel is a graduate of EL SISTEMA.
" Through music it is possible to change the lives of thousands of children." -Dudamel
EL SISTEMA is a philosophy.
1 Social change through the pursuit of musical excellence - one is not prioritized at the expense of the other
2 The ensemble -mixed ensemble, where some players are playing the original score and others are playing other versions which are easier
3 Intensity - 3-4 hours a day, up to 6 days a week. It becomes an extended family. The students advance rapidly. The times are after-school, preventing them from getting involved in other less desirable activities after school.
4 Mentoring - everyone is expected to share with others once they have learned something. The teacher is also a student. The teacher and students are very close in age.
5 Accessibility - free or nearly free - in Venezuela, the programs are funded by the govt, but in the USA, the programs are funded through fundraising.
Participation as a musician ensures that music will survive. 75% of symphony subscribers learned to play music as a child.
In EL SISTEMA, "Every child is an asset." Each child is fully valued.
#1 need
Musicians who are trained to teach in groups, ensembles, deal with a variety of unknowns,
Longy looks at the opportunity to train the musicians who are prepared to teach in this program.
TAKE A STAND: SUPPORTING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH MUSIC... collaboration between LA PHIL and Longy School works to support the growth of EL SISTEMA in the USA.
They seek to change the face of music education.
They give professional development for teachers, a conference, and now a MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING at Longy to train teachers for EL SISTEMA program.
YOLA... Youth Orchestra Los Angeles... Is the EL SISTEMA program run in Los Angeles by the LA PHILHARMONIC.
The music education degree puts the teaching throughout the program, rather than a practicum at the end. The students take just as many courses in music as they do in education. They take lessons with the performers in the LA PHIL. There is also an emphasis on orchestration, since those skills will be needed within the EL SISTEMA program.
The graduates of the program will have public school certification, but will be expected to start their own EL SISTEMA programs.
Bard College has a Charter School that runs from 8am-5pm in Delano, Califoria. The town is an agricultural area. Unemployment rate is 38%. There are two state prisons. The EL SISTEMA program there allows the kids to have music two hours a day. They work on mariachi music, have a choir and a full classical orchestral program.
For more info:
www.take-a-stand.org
www.longy.edu
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