A little bit of data on El Sistema for my eight readers. All of it is from Wiki: In 1975, Venezuelan economist and amateur musician Jose Abreu founded Social Action for Music and became its director. Its network of 102 youth and 55 children's orchestras (numbering approximately 100,000 youngsters) later came under the supervision of the Ministry of Family, Health and Sports. As El Sistema, its goal is to use music for the protection of childhood through training, rehabilitation and prevention of criminal behavior. The program is known for rescuing young people in extremely impoverished circumstances from the environment of drug abuse and crime which they would likely otherwise be drawn into. Participants of the program who have begun international careers include L.A. Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
A documentary film has been produced on the subject of El Sistema, entitled Tocar y Luchar, ("Play and Fight", 2004). The film has won several awards, including "best documentary" at the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and also the Albuquerque Latino Film Festival. In 2008 another documentary made by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier about the system will appear. El Sistema has also been featured on news programs such as 60 Minutes.
Drew McManus wrote a four-part series about El Sistema: The Future of Classical Music is in Venezuela. Composer John Williams was quoted in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional on 5 November 2007: "This is something unique that has to be seen by the whole world.... which we urgently need in the U.S."
On 22 November 2007, Julian Lloyd Webber said this about the UK's announcement of an infusion of £332 million just for music-education: "We also have an impoverished South American nation to thank. Last August, in the midst of school holidays, when an uncomfortable number of British children seemed even more disaffected than usual, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra arrived from Venezuela to deliver performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Proms that were miraculous."
There is also a project in Scotland. El Sistema is being imported into Scotland for the purpose of breaking the cycle of poverty in an economically depressed area where male life expectancy is less than 63 years.
On 14 February 2008, El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize. On 21 May 2008, El Sistema was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. On 13 June 2008, El Sistema founder Maestro Abreu was a guest speaker at the National Performing Arts Convention-2008 in Denver, Colorado. Brian Levine, Managing Director, Glenn Gould Foundation, wrote an account of his recent (2008) visit to Caracas; in part he wrote: "El Sistema has demonstrated conclusively that music education is the gateway to lifelong learning and a better future."
A documentary film has been produced on the subject of El Sistema, entitled Tocar y Luchar, ("Play and Fight", 2004). The film has won several awards, including "best documentary" at the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and also the Albuquerque Latino Film Festival. In 2008 another documentary made by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier about the system will appear. El Sistema has also been featured on news programs such as 60 Minutes.
Drew McManus wrote a four-part series about El Sistema: The Future of Classical Music is in Venezuela. Composer John Williams was quoted in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional on 5 November 2007: "This is something unique that has to be seen by the whole world.... which we urgently need in the U.S."
On 22 November 2007, Julian Lloyd Webber said this about the UK's announcement of an infusion of £332 million just for music-education: "We also have an impoverished South American nation to thank. Last August, in the midst of school holidays, when an uncomfortable number of British children seemed even more disaffected than usual, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra arrived from Venezuela to deliver performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Proms that were miraculous."
There is also a project in Scotland. El Sistema is being imported into Scotland for the purpose of breaking the cycle of poverty in an economically depressed area where male life expectancy is less than 63 years.
On 14 February 2008, El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize. On 21 May 2008, El Sistema was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. On 13 June 2008, El Sistema founder Maestro Abreu was a guest speaker at the National Performing Arts Convention-2008 in Denver, Colorado. Brian Levine, Managing Director, Glenn Gould Foundation, wrote an account of his recent (2008) visit to Caracas; in part he wrote: "El Sistema has demonstrated conclusively that music education is the gateway to lifelong learning and a better future."
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