Los Angeles Notebook, Part II  




Reflections from our week at Take a Stand, a Symposium hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bard College, and the Longy School of Music.

A national movement: the numbers and our values

As of January 2012 and according to the NEC Fellow’s national needs assessment survey presented at Take a Stand, there were 54 El Sistema inspired program in operation in the United States. Some of these programs are independent; some are connected to professional and youth orchestra educational frameworks; to public and charter schools; and community centers and churches. The majority of them are located in the Northeast, California, Midwest, and South regions. 71% of all programs are hosted at schools, 26% in community centers. Most students in programs receive 6-10 hours of weekly musical instruction. On average, there are 119 students per site, with an approximate cost of $1700 per child (annually). Ensembles include symphony orchestra, choirs, bucket bands, and mariachi. There are currently 6317 students actively participating in Sistema programs in the United States. In total, programs have raised approximately 11 million dollars in funding.

El Sistema in Venezuela, as noted by Eduardo Mendez, FundaMusical Bolivar’s executive director, currently oversees more than 280 sites and serves approximately over 300,000 students nationwide. The program, that began in 1975 with 11 students rehearsing in a parking garage, has now blossomed into a world class orchestral program and global phenomenon--with the help of countless individuals, teachers, and students inspired by Maestro Abreu’s powerful mission. To my knowledge, there aren’t any records available of El Sistema’s early growth and expansion. That being said, I’ve heard from alumni of El Sistema, that within three years, there were approximately 400 students enrolled in Abreu’s youth orchestras in Caracas. Start small, think big is Abreu's premise.

Ultimately, it is quality that matters over quantity. Programs that focus on providing the highest quality of instruction, ensemble experience, and teacher development quickly achieve meaningful success. When I led Sistema programs in Mexico, because we focused our energies into maximizing the extent of our resources, we saw the level of engagement, musical competence, and social development of our participants reach to remarkable heights, even just after a couple of months.

As Maestro Abreu noted at Take a Stand, even his very first Sistema orchestra, a handful of youngsters from Caracas, made an early mark in the international scene. Founded in 1975, within fours years, it quickly rose to international prominence by touring in Mexico and capturing the attention of Carlos Chavez, the revered Latin American composer; and also by participating in the World Youth Orchestra Festival in Aberdeen (as a result, 25 Venezuelans were selected to participate in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, under Walter Susskind). It was Abreu’s relentless work ethic, a strong artistic mission, and vision for youth development of the highest order that produced meaningful results, even from the very beginning.

When we asked American program leaders to share an anecdote that embodied the core values of their programs, the idea of a sustainable development of youth through music resonated strongly among all of the programs. 22 programs specifically cited this notion as a primary impact of their programming. Community development, musical excellence, and access were also part of collective values. As these four pillars implie, it is clear that the Sistema movement in the United States recognizes that music, in its infinite variety, can serve as an instrument for social transformation. As a designated learner in the field, through this process I learned that program building is a process of inquiry rather than a set of instructions. And that success is dependent on our own abilities to embrace the notion of striving towards a state of excellence, an essential part of our work.



Jose Antonio Abreu, Deborah Borda, and Rodrigo Guerrero on the stage of Disney Hall.

Connecting a movement

The Symposium provided many opportunities to continue the conversations beyond the three-day convening. Polly Khan, the Vice President for Leadership Development at the League of American Orchestras offered her insight on the League’s role in supporting the Sistema movement in the United States. As many existing programs are connected to orchestra leadership (Hartford, Allentown, Baltimore, San Diego and San Antonio Youth, to name a few) the League is now hosting an El Sistema discussion group on League360, their new online community of orchestra administrators and musicians. The interface is very easy to navigate, visually engaging, and should be a wonderful tool for members to keep connected and share resources. There are more than 150 members listed on the site already (and there is no need to be a member of the league to join the discussion group).

During a symposium session hosted by Beth Babcock (CEO, Crittenton Women‘s Union) and Stanford Thompson (Founder, Play-on, Philly!) a group of US Sistema program directors gathered to gauge interest into the creation of an association for music programs catered to at-risk youth. The group presented the findings of a brief independent survey that indicated that a potential association would consider, at the forefront, building a national pipeline of data and outcomes evaluation for similar and related programs. This in response to meeting the guidelines of existing trends of philanthropic funding which stress providing strong evidence of program success through both quantitative and qualitative program outcomes measurements. During our opening symposium presentation, Where are we now?, my colleague Ben Fuller, pointed out the need for evaluation for sustainability as he told the story of D.A.R.E., a youth and drug prevention program that failed to meet evaluation standards and soon lost its federal funding. Perhaps, an association could serve as an advocacy group and potential platform for soliciting funding for local Sistema programs at the national level.

During the closing keynote, Deborah Borda, the president of the LA Philharmonic, alongside Karen Zorn and Leon Botstein, proposed the idea of embracing an open and flexible collaboration among existing programs in the United States. Their Take a Stand partnership, specifically entails a Masters in Teaching program from Bard College and the Longy School of Music. As well as hosting workshops and national conferences to support the growing national and international movement (the next conference is already in the works). That being said, it is my understanding that Take a Stand does not contemplate the creation of a national El Sistema service organization (or at least, not in the immediate future). This three-way partnership is a first for American orchestras. The LA Philharmonic sees itself at the forefront of innovation bridging both artistic and social imperatives. And should be commended for inspiring other orchestras in this path.


NEC Fellows at Santa Monica Beach, during our last day in California.

Los Angeles Notebook, Part I  



Reflections from our week at Take a Stand, a Symposium hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bard College, and the Longy School of Music. 

A Nucleo in Los Angeles

Immediately after our arrival in LA, we visited at YOLA, an El Sistema program in the heart of east Los Angeles. We were greeted by their nucleo director, Christine Witkowski, a first year fellow, colleague, and tremendous leader. Josue, a young trumpet player, was quick to introduce himself and tell us about his experiences as a student leader there. Emily Kubitsky, a teaching artist on site is always attentive to detail, caring, and ready to serve the needs of her students. I can see that there is a very special connection between teachers and students here.

Members of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and an international camera crew were present on site (as they are gathering footage for a thirty minute documentary to be included in the upcoming cinematic production of Mahler 8th, from Caracas). Visitors from the Gothenburg Symphony were attentive to their every move, learning from them, taking notes and ideas for the development of their own program in Sweden.

The members of the SBOV, all string players, worked through some elements of technique with the youngsters, providing them with inspiration and new tools for their musical development. They were kind and generous, and also very demanding (a testament to their inbred and relentless work ethic). I particularly enjoyed hearing from Claudio Hernandez, a Venezuelan bass player, as he spoke to YOLA parents about growing up in music, the nature of his profession, and what he felt being in an orchestra meant. "It is like my family, my everything, my country," he said. The feeling of bridging both musical and national aesthetics is of particular interest here. What can we do in this country to reclaim art and music as a national endeavor? An iniative for a national youth orchestra has been recently announced by Carnegie Hall, perhaps, this could be the beginning of new ways to think about youth in classical music as a source of national pride.

My friend and colleague Joshua Dos Santos, Dudamel Fellow and resident conductor of the SBYOV also worked with the YOLA musicians. His approach to the rehearsal was unique in his use of metaphor and story, bringing the music, (a Brahms Hungarian Dance) closer to the imagination of the young musicians. He was conducting, but also demonstrating by actively participating, singing, and even playing alongside the percussion section. This kind of involvement, beyond traditional baton technique, is a trademark of Sistema conductors. I look forward to exploring this more in depth when I travel to Venezuela later this month.

At a concert in Lafayette Park,  families were proud of their students and shared in their joy of playing music. "Seeing all those people gathered around the students is so beautiful, it is a perfect picture" Gretchen Nielsen, the LA Phil's Director of Education, said. Later, the HOLA Development Director, Elizabeth Curtis, explained to me that part of the vision of HOLA (the social services center that hosts YOLA) is to expand beyond its own buildings and into public spaces to create new opportunities for families to experience the power of community in the context of positive experiences. The center provides many other offerings for at-risk youth, but music has already made a profound impact, in a very short time. As Maestro Abreu, the El Sistema visionary has said, "music has the ability to unite an entire community." And this is clearly happening here.



My fellow Fellows Jennifer Kessler and Christine Witkowski share a moment with the students of YOLA.

Ser, no ser.

Josbel Puche, the director of Nucleo La Rinconada in Venezuela offered an enlightening lecture alongside first year Fellows Lorrie Heagy and Rebecca Levi, where they discussed various El Sistema pedagogical tools and ideas. Josbel, known for her work as the creator of the paper orchestra (a concept that grew out instrument scarcity in her own country rather than pedagogical intent) discussed how this idea has now evolved into a sound and much desired orchestral education tool.

The concept, now known around US nucleos and adopted by YOLA at HOLA faculty, consists on building papier mache string instruments from scratch. An entire community of teachers, students, and families will convene to build and decorate them (an elaborate process), giving each instrument a unique personality. Once in hand, musical exercises are built upon concepts leading to actual orchestra rehearsals. How to hold the bow, respect the instrument, follow the conductor, and interact with their peers are all lessons that can be learned throughout the process (one that in average lasts about 4-6 weeks).

When American educators in the room, asked Josbel if she had brought her own method book so that others may follow accordingly, she responded, “we don’t write anything down, we create every single day.” Of course, for many educators and artists in the room, this was a baffling statement. Our traditional approaches to pedagogy dictate elaborate lesson plans, faithful adherence to established method books, and process. Maestro Abreu’s idea of being not being, is at work here.

As with technology, pedagogy becomes obsolete as soon as it has been unpacked. The Sistema teaching artist is focused on the individual student and the context in which she resides. Every community is different, every orchestra develops their own personality and sound. In striving for excellence, adjustments are made along the way. As artists our work is never static, it is always evolving. This is something we can learn from our colleagues in Venezuela.


Gustavo Dudamel leads over 1000 musicians for Mahler's Symphony No. 8

The Olympics of Music

In the spirit of continuously creating and evolving, Gustavo Dudamel and his orchestras--the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela--have come to embrace challenges as necessary for growth. Playing the entire Mahler symphonies in the span of four weeks, twice, is simply, madness. But if we conceive music as universal, it should also encompass the notion of defying the limits. This is also true in sports, as we often hear the stories of athletes as people, and later witness their triumphs as heroes. 

As in the symphonic output of Beethoven (my favorite composer), experience-constants are also present in Mahler. Because music encodes real-life experiences (sounds of discord, passion, joy, and transformation) it is also a conduit for encouraging aspiring to the highest of human potential. When Maestro Abreu conceived his youth orchestra program 36 ago in Venezuela, he defined his young musicians as heroes. He told them, “with this instrument, you are going to change the world.” And that is the reason why we are here today. As I was sitting in Gustavo’s rehearsal of the “Symphony of a Thousand” it became clear to me, yet again, that music is more than just notes. And that Tocar y Luchar means, simply, to believe that anything is possible.



Eric Booth sets the stage at the first West Coast Seminario.

Pasadena Seminario

What do you think a seminario is? Eric Booth, a leading teaching artist convened all participants (in orchestra formation) and in the spirit of El Sistema as a space of inquiry, facilitated a lively conversation of ideas. Participants shared a myriad of actionable frameworks for proceeding through the day ahead. A seminario is a “workshop, an opportunity for collaboration, a larger artistic endeavor,” were some of the participant’s thoughts. Discovering prime goals for alignment came next. Stephanie Hsu, mentioned the idea of using our day as an opportunity to foster deeper connections between teachers and students. Bolivia Bottome, the international liason for FundaMusical Bolivar spoke about the importance of artistic purpose: maximizing learning and establishing clear performance goals. More often than not, our Venezuelan colleagues will stress musical excellence as the foremost El Sistema ideal.

Others spoke to this practice’s resemblance to our existing all-region and all-state orchestra convenings where a group of high level participants come together to play music at a higher level, beyond what they could master in their own local schools. Indeed, a seminario is exactly that, and much more. It is a an event that combines intensity of purpose with the added value of feeling a sense of community. A performance challenge raises the game, all participants are responsible for the success of the event.

In the first seminario in the west coast, over 200 participants came from Santa Barbara, San Diego, Chula Vista, and Pasadena. Visitors from the League of American Orchestras, Fellows from the New England Conservatory, and Dick Roberts of Take a Stand were witness to the success of the event. I particularly enjoyed collaborating with Adam Johnston (the director of Santa Barbara’s El Sistema program) and also with Tricia Tunstall as part of her book presentation, Changing Lives.

A seminario begins with clear expectations and also a willingness to embrace surprises. It is a space different from the all-state orchestra programs, there are no auditions here, all can participate. This of course, raises pedagogical challenges. In particular, the need for repertoire that caters to mixed-level orchestras. And it was interesting to see how this was solved.

During one of the pieces, Samvel Chilingarian led the 90-piece string orchestra in an arrangement of a children’s song that contained choral parts in liue of instrumental ones. You saw the youngest musicians trading the string instruments for their voices, sitting in the orchestra and singing in counterpoint as part of the ensemble. This is was very effective. Children that weren’t ready to play their instrumental parts felt as important as their violin playing-peers. (in a professional setting, just a few days ago, I also heard at Walt Disney Hall, a piece by Miguel del Aguila, Salon de Buenos Aires, where the composer makes use of his instrumentalist’s voices, creating new textures and powerful moments of aural newness).

I hope to see more choral work be integrated within the orchestra setting. It is also important that young musicians be allowed to recognize the value and potential of their own singing voices. In practicing in solfege, their music reading skills can improve dramatically, issues in instrumental tuning can be resolved quicker; and they can also begin to practice audiation, (hearing the music in your mind) a much needed tool to think of music as expression and narrative.

The involvement of families in the seminario was key to its success. The day’s most impressive moment came when parents, who had been learning a melody on recorders (which they learned in 30 minutes) joined their own children’s orchestra as they played a simple but meaningful musical arrangement. As they finished the piece, the level of excitement grew to such enormous heights that the young musicians responded with an embrace that spoke louder than the music itself. They were proud of their parents and energetically stomped their feet, the same way the members of the Berlin Philharmonic applaud the finest of soloists at the Philharmonie.

At Adam Johnston's request, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of about 60 parents. I told the story of my own entry point into the arts experience. About growing up in music and about my own passion as a conductor, educator, and advocate of the work of El Sistema. The parents shared their own stories of social transformation through music. We delved into exploring and identifying key opportunities for growth embedded in the process of music education. How can parents be more involved in helping realize their children’s potential?  How can teachers, students and families best collaborate for success? These were some of the questions I asked. In turn, many ideas emerged. Parents asking their children to teach them what they had learned in class, building extramusical relationships by singing together, and celebrating their accomplishments every step of the way, were some of the ideas they shared. This was the highlight of my experience in Pasadena. And I was very happy to be able to collaborate in this regard.

Seminarios are central to the process of developing regional and national US Sistema program networks. When we focus on the work at hand and on the musical potential of our youth, everything comes into focus. I saw nucleo directors sharing and enjoying their time together, thinking about how to leverage their resources, and how to find ways to best share their own expertise for collective growth. The Sistema movement in the United States is now ready to move from being El Sistema inspired to actually being systemic. If we can think of ways for programs to come together in artistic terms (with clear expectations and pedagogical goals in mind), we will soon have the processes in place that will allow for the creation of regional and national orchestras that five to ten years from now will also be able to play Beethoven, Revueltas, and why not, Mahler too. Striving for musical achievement is an integral part of the work of El Sistema. Out of the process of collective musical inquiry and refinement, stems social transformation.

With our highly developed expertise in the fields of talent development and musical pedagogy, we can also reach those higher musical goals and at a much faster rate. The connections and opportunities for pedagogical and artistic exchange that seminarios bring will allow for this process to come to frutition. All it takes, is to be open to innovate (and make mistakes too). We must always ask ourselves, as if we were playing an instrument, how can we make it better next time? The pursuit of excellence is part of our work as musicians and educators. Art, as Maestro Abreu describes, "implies a sense of perfection, therefore of excellence, a path to excellence." Couple this idea with the notion of bringing people together on the same path, then we shall have a winning formula. And a much larger family dedicated to bringing music to places where it matters most. >> Los Angeles Notebook, Part II. 
 


At the LA Philharmonic, shortly after our Fellow's reunion with our Venezuelan mentors.

My deepest gratitude goes to our Venezuelan mentors Maestro Abreu, Rodrigo Guerrero, Gustavo Dudamel, and Eduardo Mendez. To our friends at the LA Phil Deborah Borda, Leni Boorstin, Dan Berkowitz, and Gretchen Nielsen for hosting us in LA. To my colleagues and teachers at New England Conservatory. And to all of our friends of El Sistema in the US and around the world, many thanks for making this a most memorable week!

BOS-LAX 





“Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. If you haven’t already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt." "At this time, we would also like to welcome, a group of music educators from Boston dedicated to bringing El Sistema to the United States and around the world."


The fellows are in Los Angeles

On January 30th, we will be delivering a keynote presentation at the LA Philharmonic’s Take a Stand symposium on the state of the Sistema movement in the United States. The first picture of its kind, a reflection of the experiences, successes, and needs of the field. We interviewed programs across the country, experienced aspects of their work on the ground, and are now getting ready to report back to the national audience. Our program director Erik Holmgren, leaders from Longy and the LA Phil have all been involved in curating the process. For the presentation, it will be my task to illustrate aspects of our core values, a set of ideals that bring us together as a movement. It will be an honor to participate in this event.

I am also very excited about hearing the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela play in the Mahler Festival (take a look at their performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony live from the 2011 BBC Proms). And to meet with teaching artists, leaders in the arts, and a wide diversity of international educators. At the symposium, there will be participants from Santa Barbara to Philadelphia, from Colombia to Scotland--all inspired by the transformative power of music. As a designated learner of the Sistema movement, this will be a marvelous space to continue to grow as a musician.


Beyond the Notes  

 

I’ve been playing a lot of Chopin lately, revisiting some of the Ballades and Nocturnes I learned during my university years. It is always interesting to come back to old pieces. You begin to notice more nuances in the music—new aural landscapes begin to take shape as you play. That melody wasn’t there before, you think. Then you realize that it had been there all the time, hidden in the counterpoint (when two or more melodies converge to form yet another idea). And maybe, this is just the beginning of finding new meaning in the music. In a different light, and time.


In Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 48 No.2, a progression of harmonies in the left hand gives the melody in the opening bars a poignant sense of melancholy. There is ample room to explore different kinds of sound colors here. To tell the story, the notes should flow as in an enthraling speech. How the phrases are shaped is crucial to achieving any effect on the listeners. How should the music feel? Playing with a sense of rubato, as if you were bending time, gives the music its unmistakable quality.

It is easy to get lost in the music of Chopin. The Ballade Op. 23 is a work with a carefully crafted musical architecture and is full of dramatic contrasts. It is a favorite of many pianists. The music revolves around a narrative in the key of g minor—a tragic tale soaring with moments of absolute beauty. Can music be tragic and beautiful at the same time? This duality of expression is what makes the composer’s music so unique and particularly effective. His regular shifting of sound worlds and affekt (the German for emotion as in “spiritual movement of the mind”) is very appealing to me.  



I’ve been practicing the piece for hours on end. When you play the Ballade, time just seems to stop.  You become engaged in the sound, in the impetus of the narrative. Interpretation is about telling your own story, sharing your own sense of artistic awareness, and unique perspectives of what the music should convey and why.

In music, one must let the spirit of the work be revealed through you. To allow oneself to be in connection with music at that level is a humbling experience. What does this particular Ballade mean, beyond the notes? For me, the answer to the question continues to evolve until this day.

This, I think, is the beauty of the arts experience. To embrace the strength of past experiences and reminiscences of time—to tell the story anew, once gain.



At home, playing the music of Chopin. (Photo: Classica). 

Join the El Sistema Conversation  



An orchestra: an instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. 

The Abreu Fellows have contributed an article to The Ensemble, a newsletter for the U.S. El Sistema movement. The monthly newsletter is published by Eric Booth and edited by Tricia Tunstall. Tricia’s new book, Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music, is now available worldwide.

Read the article and download the full January edition here. As per Eric Booth's request, please send it on to others who might be interested—to friends and colleagues, to teachers, to families, to students. In addition to sending it to people electronically, why not print some copies and distribute them?—to let people know each program is connected to a lively national movement. Request a free subscription.

[Excerpt]

First National Survey, by Abreu Fellows
By Stephanie Lin Hsu and Jose Luis Hernandez-Estrada
“Now we can say it for sure: the El Sistema movement in the U.S. is blossoming in a profusion of ways, to realize its common goal of re-imagining music as a catalyst for social transformation. This fall, the third class of Abreu Fellows at the New England Conservatory embarked on the first nationwide data-gathering project with El Sistema-inspired programs across the country. In collaboration with the L.A. Philharmonic, Longy School of Music, and Bard College, the Fellows interviewed over forty program leaders about the specifics of their programs.”

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!  



At Christmas, all roads lead home: a holiday concert with an El Sistema-inspired orchestra in Mexico.

During this Holiday Season, I send you my best wishes for peace, joy, and prosperity in the New Year!

2011 has been an extraordinary year—a transformative time of learning and musical development; of new opportunities and beautiful memories.

It has been a privilege to be a part of the New England Conservatory family in Boston. As an Abreu Fellow,  I've begun a meaningful journey with colleagues and mentors that have inspired me to grow and to thrive anew. The fellowship, created in honor of Jose Antonio Abreu’s wish to identify  and train new artistic leaders: “gifted young musicians, passionate about their art and social justice,” seeks to address and enact upon the potential of music education as a catalyst for social transformation.

While re-imagining the role of classical music in society, we’ve shared inspired moments of music-making and academic inquiry. In the last few months, I had the opporturnity to collaborate with music students and teachers across the country and engaged in meaningful conversations with leaders at major cultural and artistic institutions. All these new and evolving perspectives have contributed to realize a better understanding of the emerging El Sistema movement in the United States and its potential for future development and growth.

Music has been at the forefront of it all. This year, I also had the opportunity to work with many different orchestras, including Mexico City's Orquesta Filarmonica de la UNAM and with young musicians at Community MusicWorks, the nationally recognized community-based organization that uses music education and performance as a vehicle to build community throughout urban neighborhoods in Providence. I prepared new orchestral repertoire (including programmatic works such as Debussy's La Mer and Revueltas' Redes), directed a successful children's education series in Sioux Falls, and learned from extraordinary musicians in a wide variety of settings. My passion for and understanding of music as an ever-evolving entity of meaning and pupose has grown stronger with each new experience. My musical family has also grown too, it is always a joy to meet people through music.

During early 2012, the Abreu Fellows will be presenting the findings from a survey of U.S. núcleos at the LA Philharmonic's Take a Stand Symposium. We will also be traveling extensively throughout Venezuela to explore the wonders of El Sistema and work alongside the visionary leaders and educators that have made this work possible. Upon returning from South America, I’ll help guide the development of a new El Sistema-inspired program and visit again in Philadelphia to work intensively with the Play-on Philly Orchestra, a group of young musicians with tremendous potential and artistic promise. It is exciting to play a part in contributing to the advancement of music education.

Above all, the most beautiful thing about this year has been the opportunity to meet and collaborate with so many talented and generous people—friends and mentors who have so kindly offered their advice, support, and dedication to my journey in music and in life.  For this, I am deeply grateful. 

With warmest thoughts and best wishes to all.



Gustavo Dudamel and the SBYOV in a performance of Arturo Marquez: Conga del Fuego

Playing Mahler: Embracing Relevance and Truth  



Mvt. 4. "Adagietto", p. 1 (211 of 321)
Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. Symphonies, no. 5, C♯ minor . Symphony no. 5 in C♯ minor : autograph manuscript, 1903 Oct.
http://www.themorgan.org/music/manuscript/115214 


As part of my studies as an Abreu Fellow at the New England Conservatory, I have had the opportunity to attend many exciting performances by numerous orchestras in a variety of settings.  As a musician and student of the arts, I believe there is no greater classroom than the concert hall. As an artist's space and catalyst for realizing aesthetic purpose, it is also a place of freedom--a place for sharing the joy one derives from the experience of playing music.

In crafting a meaningful performance, music must be understood, perfected; and embraced as part of a larger cross-cultural and musical narrative tier. In this manner, a work's sense of identity changes and evolves; shedding contemporary perspectives and new meaning. As Gustav Mahler explains, "it should be one's sole endeavor to see everything afresh and create it anew." When we adopt this premise, we can feel music as a living entity; flexible and malleable to the conscience of our times.

As musicians begin to solve the technical demands of a particular score, they also invest in a process embodying the finer nuances behind the humanity of the music that they play. In engaging with music at a more personal level, a score truly becomes alive. It is no longer thought of as a succession of notes on a written page, but rather turned into an open dialogue among performers and audience; between art and interpretation; and through purpose and relevance. In this manner, music becomes re-imagined for the present.

A few weeks ago, I attended Alan Gilbert’s rehearsals with the New York Philharmonic. In a series of closed sessions at Avery Fisher Hall, the orchestra worked through an extensive repertoire that included Brahms’ Third Symphony, Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. It was a great privilege to hear the orchestra in this setting, a rare and very exciting opportunity indeed.

The orchestra’s commitment to the highest standards of music-making is truly inspiring. During the rehearsals, Mr. Gilbert was quick to point out the shapes of phrases and ethos of the works with meaningful gestures and imaginative zeal. In playing Brahms, a chamber-music-like approach served best to achieve a transparency of sound. In Mozart, the orchestra focused their attention to articulation and to resolving cadences with utmost care.

When it came to playing Mahler, the orchestra’s sound grew taller and stronger, their sense of ownership and connection to the music was palpable. A sensation of ethereal darkness permeated the entire opening movement, the second movement portrayed a meaning of urgency; the Adagietto described a longing for hope, the final movement, focused on declaring victory.
 
Over the years, the New York Philharmonic has gotten to know Mahler very well. In playing the composer’s works, the orchestra is expanding on the evolution of a performance tradition and legacy. Gustav Mahler was once the principal conductor of their orchestra. Leonard Bernstein was instrumental in bringing the composer’s work to the forefront of the classical symphonic canon. Of course, there is something to be said for these historical relationships and to the notion of relevance in the orchestra's music-making.

In music, finding relevance and purpose is equally important as realizing the technical demands of the score itself. The process by which artists connect to music can prove to be a complex labyrinth of decision making. These relationships are clearer to navigate when one can trace the evolution of interpretation to its origins. 

In being connected, even if just symbolically, to a lineage of tradition, the orchestra finds deeper connections to the composer, and therefore, audiences come to experience music-making that happens (from the orchestra’s standpoint) as a result of an evolution of interpretative possibilities rather than technical facility. As Howard Gardner, the cognitive psychologist and educator would attest, that in realizing authenticity, “we can never assume that we have arrived at the ultimate destination.” There is tremendous freedom in this proposition, and the New York Philharmonic thrives in this regard.



El Sistema as a tool for re-imagining education ecosystems and mission in American orchestras. 


Two young conductors working together, at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's ORCHKids program, October 2011.

By Jose-Luis Hernandez-Estrada


In the fall of 2007, the Simon Bolivar Youth of Orchestra of Venezuela embarked on their first major North American performance tour. They played sold-out concerts under conductors Gustavo Dudamel and Sir Simon Rattle before enthusiastic audiences in New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.

As we experienced the orchestra’s astonishing commitment to the dazzling rhythmic syncopations in Revueltas’ Sensemaya and to the strength of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, we were also invited to ponder new realms of possibility. The orchestra’s display of collective virtuosity reminded us that working together in the pursuit of common goals is a beautiful idea. Tocar y Luchar is a familiar motto among El Sistema musicians—“in aspiring for excellence together, everything is possible,” they say. These concerts were a beautiful celebration of music and community. Their music-making brought forward new perspectives to the value of aesthetic excellence, artistic relevance; and living proof to the idea that classical music could serve as a catalyst for meaningful social transformations for a wide-range of beneficiaries.

Since its inception, El Sistema in Venezuela has been an interdependent initiative inspired by the need to articulate new and innovative ways to produce structural change in communities, particularly those under the poverty line. To this end, democratic access to collective music-making is used as an intervention tool (in areas as diverse as health, crime prevention, and social development), reframing music and the arts as a medium to increase social capital and mobility—to produce joy and well-being, human connections, and cultural enrichment.

In practicing El Sistema, one is particularly invested in creating a space of connection and collaboration. Teaching young people how to teach others in pursuit of commons goals; showing communities how to lead in the composition of the arts; and inspiring others to aspire to the highest levels of artistic excellence; are all common through-lines and unique perspectives of the Venezuelan model.

El Sistema’s founder, Jose Antonio Abreu believes that the arts should no longer be a contemplative object, but rather stand as a call for social action in service to humanity. This inclusive idea has taken relevance in the United States, especially today, as artistic organizations seek to find a new voice in advocating for the value of the arts experience. As nationally recognized teaching artist and arts educator Eric Booth explains, in the United States, “the era of art of art’s sake is also now officially closed.” In putting art at the service of society, a flexible space of exchange and re-imagination of purpose can be expressed--one where community plays an integral part of being in communion with art. As I‘ve learned, in El Sistema, the rendition of art for many sakes lives in balance and in consonance with the highest of artistic possibilities. This new thread of thinking is particularly in tune with existing educational agendas in the United States, where the notion of artistic achievement, community development, and social change become one organic whole in pursuit of common goals.

American orchestras are listening to the pulse of community more intently, embracing it as a point of inspiration in their efforts to focus and realign their organization’s vision for the future. As we speak, orchestras are invested in a process of deep analysis and introspective thinking about how to succeed in ever changing economic landscapes. Many of them are in a state of identity anxiety, seeking to find new ways to increase relevance in the communities where they reside. In consequence, conversations about re-imagining frameworks for artistic advocacy and community engagement are taking place across the board—from small community orchestras to those in major cities. As a field, we are now beginning to articulate artistic excellence and social participation as part of one indissoluble dimension.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is constantly thinking about ways in which the organization can best reflect the community they serve. “To be relevant, means that we must demonstrate public value,” explained Paul Meecham, during the Abreu Fellows’ recent visit to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. One of the many answers to this ongoing challenge, is their flagship education and community engagement initiative, ORCHKids, an El Sistema-inspired program, serving 500 school-age children in four public schools throughout East and West Baltimore. The BSO refers to it as “a fundamental social program critical to the health of the city.” And rightly so, it is positively and dramatically impacting children and families in beautiful ways. Many BSO musicians are collaborating with the initiative--a champion for the cause is percussionist Brian Prechtl, who regularly works with the children and engages them with professional zeal and rigor.

This year, close to a hundred ORCHKids young musicians participated in a side-by-side concert with the Baltimore Symphony under the direction of the orchestra‘s music director Marin Alsop. The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall became alive with a new vibrant and energetic audience, gleaming with joy, and hope. The inherent symbolism of this event is a testament of a valiant effort to bring equity in the concert hall and as an case in point of removing barriers of artistic inclusion. In Baltimore, Dan Trahey, the program’s artistic director said, “we must get to all of the music directors in American orchestras, to help them understand the value of this transcendental work.”

The outcomes realized and envisioned reflect a changing trend in the orchestra’s desire to connect with a wider diversity of audiences. Alsop, profoundly believes in “music as a vehicle to change lives,” and most importantly, that her orchestra should lead the movement to reach as many children as possible throughout the city of Baltimore. It also signals a clear change of direction as to how artistic organizations will think and operate in the future. As Meecham asserted, “we are in the middle of a revolution, every aspect of our thinking will be educational.”

In effect, every orchestra wants to grow their audiences; to bring meaning to their artistic endeavors; and strength to their financial investments. By genuinely articulating public value, artistic organizations are also best positioned to compete for dwindling public resources and private donations. The League of American Orchestra’s president, Jesse Rosen agrees, “sustaining and growing community work has never been more important, as funders and governments make tough choices about how to allocate scarce resources, and challenge the public value that orchestras create” (Symphony, 2011).

In realizing public value, organizations are finding more creative means to provide their communities opportunities to take ownership of the arts process-- to share the experience of being active participants of beauty; of the profound joy that one derives from playing a part in something larger than oneself. Only when we empower others to play a role in the composition of the arts, our concert halls truly become alive. Rodrigo Guerrero, an El Sistema social strategist contends, “one needs to let the community actively participate in the arts, so that they acknowledge their value. Then, the community cannot disconnect itself from its need for the arts, because such need is not merely an aesthetic need, it is a social need" (Mora-Brito, 36).

As we speak, other prominent El Sistema-inspired programs connected to orchestra leaders and musicians at Allentown, San Diego, Cleveland, Hartford (CityMusic) and Los Angeles (YOLA at HOLA) are articulating new and innovative ways to extend reach in educational programming. The beauty of it all is that while these programs share a common inspiration, their approaches are quite unique. They frequently service a wide diversity of populations in schools, community centers, churches, libraries, and other public spaces. They are invested in bringing music to the heart of community.

In El Sistema, one is predominantly invested in looking at meeting particular needs for particular communities. This is done through a flexible ecosystem of teaching and learning and in articulating sound theories of change through advocacy and policy interventions. In the United States, we are just beginning to learn how to translate the values of El Sistema into our own frameworks of cultural thinking and action. There is a thriving movement in favor of music for social justice: a growing network of individual and institutions are currently having major conversation to find ways in which we can connect resources, ideas, and best practices.

For many orchestras, thinking in these terms is a major paradigm shift. As Rosen, explains, figuring out how to bridge excellence and community service is complicated and time consuming work.” In meeting this challenge, we must ask ourselves, how can orchestral organizations be ready to serve a dual role of providing both artistic excellence and public value through relevant social action programming? Can we borrow from El Sistema to help us guide our path to success? How is this best accomplished?

It is all about listening, intently, and with a purpose.

In seeking to articulate an American translation of the El Sistema phenomenon, establishing it as a space of possibility, rather than a specific stand-alone theory or pedagogical approach will potentially serve a greater cause and purpose. At the nexus of its philosophy (free-access to collective arts participation), practice (flexible ecosystem of teaching and learning), and advocacy (policy and intervention), lie meaningful entry points to decipher new renditions of the model and find new pathways to achieve meaningful connections between the concert stage and the community at-large.

In theory, El Sistema is first and foremost a social program; a space of empowerment through music. In practice, a beautiful free-standing and evolving mechanism that serves the community through democratic access, engagement, and advocacy. Through this flexible framework, American orchestras can advocate to create new educational ecosystems of overlapping and interdependent tools that co-exist to serve greater relevance and purpose through social action programming. In this model, the notion of aspiring for musical excellence is in harmony with allowing for the active participation of new and diverse voices to create even more vibrant artistic landscapes. In re-imagining mission and balancing the role of orchestras in changing landscapes, Deborah Borda, the president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic recently conveyed to the Associated Press, that indeed, through the creation of social action programming, her orchestra has found artistic imperatives to be in harmony with social imperatives as well (2011).

These spaces of harmony and inclusion can be created through a myriad of programmatic tools: including the creation of orchestral youth development programs (nucleos) for at-risk-children, involving the participation of amateur musicians in educational agendas, empowering school teachers to develop arts minded educational curriculums, developing young talented composers, or by embracing the healing powers of music in healthcare settings. The key is how to best utilize available tools and to understand their collective impact. More often than not, it is the mapping and alignment of existing resources that matters most in crafting more effective social action programming.

Abreu dwells on this notion of collective impact. As resources in Venezuela are scarce, leaders are always in need to find creative ways to balance the challenges of bringing artistic excellence to as many young people as possible. This can be done through careful alignment of resources and mapping of community assets.

In exploring El Sistema as a framework of action, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra realized that through the sharing of resources and best practices, the organization could encourage meaningful conversations among existing youth in music programs in the city to create a greater collective musical impact. As a result, a Young Musicians Initiative was born. Its mission: “to extend and deepen the engagement of youth in music in Chicago and to foster critical mass and visibility among Chicago’s youth music providers.” The CSO’s first bi-annual Youth in Music Festival was a major success, bringing together over 15 partner organizations to engage in collaboration and discuss the future of music education and the potential of El Sistema thriving at the grassroots level.

In keeping the score, further initiatives such as the CSO’s concept of Citizen Musician empower local musicians, teachers, and cultural leaders to work together in pursuit of common goals. The movement, inspired by the “efforts of past and present musicians” to connect artistic endeavors to social engagement is a way to “acknowledge and celebrate acts of citizen musicianship and increase awareness of the existence, quality and value of this work.“ In re-imagining the role of musicians, new pathways for community engagement will open up in Chicago. In an interview for the Chicago Tribune, Yo-Yo Ma, the movement’s founder, said about Citizen Musician: “This is about recognizing and pointing a spotlight on people who are doing things and trying things, and celebrating it and encouraging it." In providing opportunities for the community to articulate the value and future of the arts, the entire city benefits.

In Chula Vista, the San Diego Youth Symphony’s Community Opus Project is creating positive impact in the lives of young people through El Sistema inspired programming. The project serves a few hundred children in six elementary schools that benefit from resources and teachers from the SDYS. In an interview for the San Diego Tribune, Kevin Chaisson, trustee and vice chair of strategic planning for the organization said that the project does not supplant school run music programs, but rather helps “fill in the gaps left by a cash-strapped education system.” In bringing much needed support to educators and students alike, the youth symphony is an active advocate for public value--bringing musical access and quality to underserved schools. In re-imagining mission for the organization, leaders realized that there was a bigger purpose for what the institution could do, and needed to do, for the community. Ultimately, the orchestra feels that this work is “helping build better citizens.”

These artistic minded initiatives are transcendental mechanisms that bring schools and artistic organizations together to advocate for public debate and arts education reform. During the Abreu Fellows’ visit at the National Association for Music Education in Arlington, the organization’s Deputy Executive Director, Michael Blakeslee, explained that artistic organizations, could be more effective as educational institutions, if their relationships with local schools and music teachers are in tune with their specific needs.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has effectively rendered the value of arts and education partnerships. Currently, they are deeply invested in reenergizing a movement towards music education in the city. Their flagship educational initiative, The Academy, founded just a year ago, supports the expansion of music education in the city’s schools, with a pilot program at the Thomas A. Edison School in Brighton, a newly merged public schools that serves children from elementary through middle school. The project serves the entire student body of 775 students, bringing BSO musicians as teachers and advocates of the initiative.

Guided by a philosophy of a community of practice, rigorous and dynamic music curriculum, and instrumental instruction, the program also extends the reach of the BSO’s extensive education programming. The former Education Director of the BSO (now the Executive Director for Arts at the Boston Public Schools), said in an interview, that the process leading to the development of The Academy grew out of three-year reflection and strategic planning process:

“The Education Department at the BSO started a strategic planning process, and one of the goals of that process was to take our knowledge of all the things we had been doing in the schools, professional development, curriculum development, and partnering; and how we could begin to do that in a deeper process.” “The notion of bringing three schools together and trying to create a community of teachers and students, was an ideal opportunity for us.”

In mapping resources and engaging in deeper partnerships with public schools, orchestra leaders at the BSO have realized that the essence of their artistic responsibility lies in enhancing the social and educational development of community. In this regard, Abreu explains that the democratization of education and the arts, “cannot be conceived but as priority cause, unavoidable, and emerging towards a profound and valid transformation of civil society.”

For these orchestras, arriving to the stage where purpose is clearly articulated has everything to do with engaging in the process of listening to the needs of a community; it is about realigning objectives and mission through careful strategic planning. As Booth further explained during his address at the National Guild for Community Arts convening in Boston, “artistic organization must borrow the strongest ideas to grow and to illuminate the power of the arts for many sakes.”

To empower young people and communities is a beautiful idea.

The success and relevance of the arts depend on articulating this 21st century need. In empowering young people as ambassadors for the arts, we are building up a new generation of possibility. As advocates of public value, orchestras are uniquely positioned to extract the best tools from existing quality programming to create new frameworks for success. As leaders in the arts, we know that sustaining our art form will entail creativity and innovation; connections and collaboration. How effectively we communicate and enact our mission will help us tap into more powerful and extraordinary ways to succeed in making a difference in the lives of others through music.

As a musician, I am hopeful about the years ahead, and about the role orchestral organizations will play in the creation of new models of artistic equity and community engagement. In the midst of uncertainty, we have in front of us an opportunity to bring new relevance and focus. But most importantly, as Leonard Bernstein, once said, “an opportunity to help bring music at the top of the spiritual must list.”


























Download: ElSistema.AmericanOrchestras.Blog.pdf



On Leading and Being El Sistema 




Working with a young conductor at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's ORCHKids, listening and leading together, we are modeling a new school of social life. 

The teacher is actively engaging and empowering students, in a flexible ecosystem of teaching and learning, drawing from the best of abilities and pedagogical tools, to produce  results that are unique to the skill and development of that particular community.  As a consequence, music, builds a community spirit, that is spontaneous and forms a natural part of life. Students are transformed through musical excellence.



ORCHKids Artistic Director, Dan Trahey, leads his orchestra in a community building exercise.

In an orchestra, participants blossom as human beings, understanding music as an entity that binds them together and propels them to new spheres of possibility and achievement. Embracing and enacting a new school of social life, Children learn how to listen, how to work together, and most importantly, how to lead together. This is particularly important to build citizens of virtue from the bottom-up. Young people with new tools to help them succeed through the challenges of life.



Pictures from Baltimore:
https://picasaweb.google.com/joseherstrada/ORCHKids?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Interview: Jose-Luis on El Sistema and music for social change (Spanish) 



In this interview, Jose-Luis explores El Sistema as a instrument for social justice, structural change in communities, and as a tool for re-imagining the role of artists, educators, and cultural institutions. Introduced by El Sistema advocate and NEC friend Mercedes Rodman, Jose-Luis participated with Karin Koch and Irene Bosch in a lively discussion exploring music and artistry and what it means for the growth and development of communities. Aired on Cambridge Community Television, November 2011.