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

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