Caracas: Centro de Acción Social por la Música

The Caracas Centro de Acción Social por la Música is the first of what will be seven nation-wide centers in Venezuela.   The Centro ("la sede" as they call it) doesn't house a program per se, but you can say is the headquarters for most of the larger ensembles and the venue for several events, like seminarios, master-classes, courses and concerts.   Although the first phase of the complex has not been yet officially open, the center is almost at full use.    There we had the opportunity to attend concerts, open rehearsals and private presentations by some of the top ensembles in Caracas:  The Simón Bolivar "A" (Senior) Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolivar "B" (Youth) Orchestra under Claudio Abbado, Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra, Caracas Youth Orchestra, the Caracas Youth Choir and the Caracas Children's Choir. 

You can say that the center is becoming the "open source" hub for the exchange of information and knowledge for whoever lives in or comes to Caracas.  That is actually one of the roles of a núcleo, in general, but at the center, all the top of the line resources must be in place:   technology, state of the art acoustics,  practice rooms, rehearsal and concert halls that are adequate to the complex social and artistic mission of El Sistema ("Culture for the poor should not be poor culture" –José Antonio Abreu).

During our visit, world renowned clarinetist Luis Rossi was giving a series of master classes.   This was part of what the call in Venezuela the "academies".  All advanced and/or promising musicians, of any age, are accepted to be part of their instrument's academy.  This gives these musicians from all over the country an opportunity to participate in periodical master-classes with the top teachers in Venezuela, and also with visiting artists and teachers, such as Mr. Rossi.  But to me what's most important, is that the academies are another way in which musicians from all over the country, from different levels and ages –all clarinetists in this case– have a chance to meet and catch up with each other's news, ideas, progress and challenges, all while playing music together or to each other. 

Not all the instruments have an academy yet (the percussionists are working on it, for instance, and there seems to be some new initiatives for the violas), but the model has been set and proven successful.  The idea of connections happening at all levels and all directions won't happen spontaneously (And I will be repeating this a lot).  In Venezuela, Maestro Abreu has developed the basic framework for this connections to happen:  Núcleos are the basic form: they are always open to new students, new teachers and guests form all places, ages, educational, economic and social situations.  But also simpler forms of "connectors" like the módulos and now, more sofisticated venues like the 7 centers follow the same openness and exchange principle.  Seminarios (camps), tours, and academies could be called "event-based connectors".

FESNOJIV is in the last stages of the competition for the expansion of the current Centro de Acción Social por la Música building.   The idea is to have more practice and rehearsal rooms.   Also in the works, is the selection of the designs for the other 6 centers in Venezuela.   Rumor has it that a celebrated American architect, who's now buddies with Gustavo Dudamel is going to design the center at Gustavo's home town, Barquisimeto.

But, what is significant is the amount of high quality information and knowledge exchange the connections within a center will provide.  If so far, núcleos and módulos that in most cases function in inadequate venues have produced a 35 year long music program as El Sistema, just imagine the big push (artistically and socially) that 7 new state of the art centers will give to it.  If you think (like we usually hear) "but we have good state of the art venues, that's no news",  I'd say "think open sources".  Connect, share, include.

Venezuelan Residency: Núcleos and Módulos visited

Here's a bulleted list of the núcleos and módulos I visited during our Abreu Fellows program residency in Venezuela.   I was going to name this post "Programs visited", but it wouldn't be accurate, since there are different programs within each núcleo.  Some include special needs programs, some include folk music programs, for instance.  Other programs, like the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra, or the National Children's Orchestra are not part of a specific núcleo, but I'll post about them as well.

I'll blog about each of them in the coming postings.  Please stay tuned.

Caracas

• Centro de Acción Social por la Música
• Núcleo La Rinconada
• Núcleo Montalbán
• Conservatorio de Música Simón Bolivar

Miranda State

• Núcleo Guatire-Guarenas

Guárico State

• Núcleo Calabozo/Antonio Estévez
• (Módulo in formation)

• Núcleo Calabozo/Raimundo Pereira
• Módulo Escuela Estados Unidos de América

• Núcleo Camaguán

• Núcleo Valle de la Pascua
• Módulo Arturo Álvarez Alayón
• Módulo Los Caobos
• Módulo Los Cerritos II

• Conservatorio de Calabozo

Anzóategui State

• Núcleo Puerto de la Cruz
• Núcleo Aragua de Barcelona
• Núcleo Santa Ana
• Núcleo Lechería
• Núcleo El Tigre
• Núcleo Cantaura
• Núcleo Anaco

Lara State

• Núcleo Barquisimeto

Falcón State

• Núcleo Conservatorio Santa Ana de Coro
• Módulo Los Panelos

What is a núcleo? The Guárico State case.

Background. Early on in the Venezuelan orchestra movement, new centers all over the country started replicating the ideas and philosophy of José Antonio Abreu.  However, larger decisions and funding management still happened in Caracas.   In order to alleviate the amount of bureaucracy concentrated in Caracas, FESNOJIV encouraged the creation of State núcleos, each with their autonomous foundation. This facilitates many decisions to be taken locally and, most important, that each state núcleo can raise extra funds and grow faster without having to rely exclusively on Caracas (FESNOJIV still secures payment for all human resources).

However, at the end there is also regional centralization when new programs in smaller towns need to rely on the decisions made in their state capital. Funding is still channeled through the state foundation. The state leadership also assigns human resources, so the few teachers available can only go visit the programs outside the capital every now and then. Under this organization, those new dependent centers were sometimes called módulos (modules).   So, for instance, the town of ABC’s program would have been called the ABC Módulo of the Núcleo Estado XYZ.

Guárico State’s Structure in a nutshell. In recent years, Guárico State has been experiencing positive changes in leadership which has allowed innovation.   The first thing to notice is that each town in Guárico has an autonomous núcleo (the town of Calabozo has two), which means that they have, or are moving towards having, its own foundation or other type of incorporation.  The Guárico State Children and Youth Symphony Orchestra Foundation (FOSIJEG), led by conductor Jesús Morín (who is in his late 20s), is now the main institution that coordinates all Guárico State núcleos’ activities and oversees the state-wide human resources distribution, coordinates state-wide professional development programs, state-wide seminarios (camps), etc. They also oversee the creation of new programs across the state.  Guárico also has one of the 3 extensions of the Caracas’ Simón Bolivar Conservatory that have been established so far.

Núcleos in Guárico.  Up to the spring of 2010, Guárico State has 10 núcleos (3 of them in the process of acquiring legal incorporation as foundations, so for the time being they depend solely on FOSIJEG).  Each núcleo’s human resources are paid by FESNOJIV, and some funds are raised for all núcleos by FOSIJEG, and some funds are raised locally by each núcleo. Therefore, the role of FOSIJEG in relation to the núcleos is reduced to making sure that each núcleos’ resources are used to their best by avoiding overlaps in programming and human resources.

During our visit to Guárico State, I had the chance to attend a meeting with all the state’s núcleo directors to decide on the instruments (types, brands, quantities, etc.) to buy on the next big purchase from a grant coordinated by Morín’s team.  His leadership style during that meeting is a reflection of the progressive organization that makes Guárico stand out as a model for other states to follow.

Módulos in Guárico.  In Guárico, the notion of the núcleo extension was not ruled out at all.   Núcleos can still create módulos in nearby (sometimes not so close) neighborhoods or villages.  They usually target communities in need, or simply communities that have expressed their interest and commitment in having a music program.  Núcleos go out of their ways to provide human resources and create ad hoc programs with any resources available to create this new módulos, as long as the community offers commitment and encourages their children to participate. 

There are 23 módulos in Guárico (1-6 módulos in the núcleos that have them). A teacher in the town of Calabozo told me that for them, the módulos are a way to be closer to the community.  She thinks that FESNOJIV sees this also as a way to recruit and engage more children into joining the orchestras and choirs.  Regularly, the idea was to make use of the schools buildings (or other venues) on after-school schedules.  However, in some cases, the schools were eager to incorporate the módulo music program into the school’s schedule.



More to come on the Guárico State módulos.

On planning, repertoire and curriculum in El Sistema

One more generalization that I had been a bit uncomfortable with is the idea of curriculum.  Before coming here, I felt that in applying the idea of an El Sistema curriculum and a pre-designed repertoire list in the US would be like admiring the beautiful freedom of a bird and then starting to look for a golden cage to capture that freedom at home.

In the past weeks in Venezuela, I found I was not that lost in my idealism.  The word for curriculum (pensum) has come up just a couple of times in conversations, but I have heard a lot of "academic planning".  It makes sense.  In planning, the focus is on the larger goal. A curriculum gets easily caught in the procedures and the rules.

Here in Venezuela, academic planning starts in the local núcleos, then at a regional level, and then at a national level (I'll write more about organizational structures later).  Each local núcleo can create their own strategies to reach the common goal.  And everyone can assess if any particular strategy is working or not, and if not, it can be easily fixed of substituted by a strategy that has proven successful elsewhere.

In the case of the repertoire that El Sistema has been famous for, it turns out that there is no manual, mandate or official list of repertoire.   It gets determined on a local level, and local núcleo directors choose by following trends and examples from other núcleos or from the national selection ensembles in Caracas, like the Simón Bolivar or the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestras.

My feeling is that the challenge is not creating a sound ideal curriculum, but creating a solid network based on human contact, gut feeling and support to others' efforts. With this, conversations about goals, strategies and respectful assessment will make this movement grow rapidly and strongly throughout the World.

On El Sistema generalizations

When asking the question "What is El Sistema?", or "What is its essence?" I noticed people usually have their mindsets framed in what they are familiar with, and that leads to certain generalizations. Preset ideas of methods, curriculum, schooling, arts policy, and many others come to mind.  I am uneasy with the idea of generalizations. Early on I noticed that detaching from the usual U.S. generalizing mindsets would be a big challenge.  I understand they are sometimes a strategy to give order to our thoughts, but I would think that in order to understand the essence of El Sistema the first step would be not to try to fit it into any of our regular generalizations.  Think out of the box.  Now, really, get out of the box.

A couple of weeks ago, José Antonio Abreu explained to us –the Abreu Fellows–  the origin of the "El Sistema" brand, which has to do more with Venezuelan government bureaucracy than its organizational structure. Furthermore, Abreu called it a permanent ser no-ser todavía –"not-yet-being being".  That idea alone may define the essence of El Sistema....but even then...one still has to think outside of that box.   As we have been getting deeper in exploring the Venezuelan Orchestra System, I realize that not even the ser no-ser-todavía statement cannot be taken as a generalization of how things work here.  


In my next blogs I will try describe with examples and try to explain our expericences.  This trip started on Febrary 18th with the 10 Fellows in Caracas, and now continued in the Guárico province, right in the center of Venezuela, where along with 3 more of the Fellows, we have visited multiple programs and met amazing people, young musicians and leaders.  (I hope I can blog more frequently, sometimes internet is spotty here, and most times, we are out and about.  No time to stop and turn on the computer!)

I don't think I will come up with the right words to give a definite answer to the question of what is the essence of El Sistema.  For one thing, because any example that I describe here will be soon outdated.  Things evolve freely and fast around here.  And then, as much as we are trying to catch as much of the essence of El Sistema in Guárico, any idea that I write here which may be seen as a generalization, will be challenged by what we find in the next province we visit.

Political Spectacle: El Sistema Seminarios, policy and decision-making.

On our first week in Venezuela, and among the excitement of finally being here as Abreu Fellows, I have also had time and inspiration to reflect on ideas I've had for a couple of weeks now. Political spectacle is a subject I have thought –and blogged– about before, in relation to El Sistema and arts policy in general.

Last week, our last in Boston, we had a lecture by Ricardo Hausmann, Director of the Center for International Development at Harvard University, and former Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993). One of his anecdotes that day reminded me of the political spectacle phenomenon in relation to El Sistema: Dr. Hausmann had to deal with big budget cuts in the Venezuelan government, after the Gulf War set the prices of oil on a downward spiral. Part of his task was to meet with each of the high government officials to ask for recommendations on where to make cuts in their ministries' budgets. When it was the time to speak with Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, he called Hausmann at the last minute to cancel the budget-cut meeting due to an emergency at his office, but he sent him tickets to a concert that evening. In Dr. Hausmann's own words to us, after the concert he just didn't have the heart to make any cuts in Abreu's budget.

This story sounded familiar to me.  For instance, I had been always curious on the purposes and effects of the El Sistema "seminarios" (intensive camps), specifically the ones I helped organize as a host in Guatemala, in the late 1990s. Besides from empowering young musicians and raising the bar of an otherwise stale ensemble, these seminarios also had a huge impact on some of our policy makers and powerbrokers in the audience. Government officials, sponsors, and even parents immediately realized that their commitment to this cause was essential to the cause, and potentially favorable to their own interests.

People usually argue that playing that card –the political spectacle card– leads to compromising the educational and social benefits of a program.  If you present the final product of an intensive seminar it looks and sounds impressive, but skeptics say that this is an incomplete educational process that disfigures traditional music pedagogy.  Moreover, they argue, there is no immediate way to prove that the seminario will lead to the promised social/human development outcomes.

On the other hand, Murray J. Edelman (Symbolic Uses of Politics) argues that in creating policy, instrumental evidence (assessments, surveys, scholarly research) don't matter much.  Rather, what's important to policy makers is to give the appearance that they have done something.  Edelman calls this symbolic policy.  He argues that the people, the spectators, consume symbols that have an emotional value (anxiety over problems, reassurance, patriotism or even revange).  In his 1988 book Constructing the Political Spectacle, Edelman argues that the constant use of symbolic policy is the main reason why it is impossible to trace the the outcomes and consequences of political decisions and policy-making.  Come think about it, most policy, as Edelman argues, comes as a result of power brokering and negotiation.

In other words, it seems like decision-making could depend more on touching someone's heart (the policy makers themselves, or the spectators they serve) than in presenting hard evidence of beneficial outcomes.  As El Sistema has demonstrated here in Venezuela and in other countries, support ultimately comes from institutions ran by human beings.  Political spectacle is a powerful tool of El Sistema, one that has to be carefully designed.  A balance has to be kept not to fall into good 'ol cheap political circus (as many have had), nor to turn it into the usual un-accessible (elitist) classical music program.

"Austria came to learn closely about the national orchestra system"

Published by the Bolivarian News Agency (ABN)

Caracas, Feb 12th. ABN.- In order to strenghten the existing cultural links between Austria and Venezuela, and to get to learn in detail the teaching methods of the Venezuelan National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs, and group of Vienese personalities headed by Austria's Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, professor Claudia Schmied.

(read the whole article, in Spanish)

Austria vino a conocer de cerca al Sistema Nacional de Orquesta

Caracas, 12 Feb. ABN.- Para estrechar los vínculos culturales ya existentes entre Austria y Venezuela y conocer de cerca los métodos de enseñanza musicales del Sistema Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, llegaron a Caracas varias personalidades vienesas, encabezadas por la ministra de Educación, Arte y Cultura de Austria, profesora Claudia Schmied.

Ver el artículo completo

What's an El Sistema núcleo? Let's start at the very begining/¿Qué es un núcleo en El Sistema? Empecemos por el principio.

I already realized that, like many things in El Sistema, there are many different faces and perspectives to look at it. So this title itself may be seen in many ways. There are many ways to see "the very beginning." But I'll start with the meaning of the word. Not only the obvious Spanish and Latin origin of the word (Here it is: Núcleo [NOO-cleh-oh], spanish for Nucleus: "From Latin, literally 'kernel, inner part,' diminutive of nux, nuc- 'nut'", Webster Dictionary), but its different meanings in other disciplines and try to reflect on that. The word itself, according to the Webster Dictionary, means: "Nucleus: The central and most important part of an object, movement or group, forming the basis for its activity or growth" Webster goes on to define its meaning in "Physics the positively charged central core of an atom, containing most of its mass." I could go into cute metaphors, but I'd rather concentrate on the definition in "Biology a dense organelle present in most eukaryotic cells, typically a single rounded structure bounded by a double membrane, containing the genetic material." Two ideas in these definitions I find fascinating. First, the idea that the núcleo is the center of a movement. Second, the idea that it contains DNA, genetic material. Looking a bit more into biology, it is interesting to see that not only it contains that genetic material, but it also replicates it (with occasional mutations). This replication happens within the núcleo... I mean, the nucleus. Not in the brain or in other larger "central" organ. Thinking back of an El Sistema núcleo and its "genetic material" –the ethos and principles that we have been exploring and discussing about at the Abreu Fellowship program–, I view the role of the núcleos as essential in keeping this movement rooted in communities (the "cells") and its own mutations responding to their needs, to a big extent. But also, my guess is that if the DNA (genetic material) in a cell varies TOO much, to the point that it has nothing similar to the rest of the cells around it, it becomes something else. Or, translated into El Sistema movement, if a núcleo changes its ethos and principles TOO much to adapt to very particular circumstances of the community, it risks becoming something completely different, separating itself from the El Sistema global movement (nothing wrong or condemning about that, but if you don't share ethos and principles, why call yourself "El Sistema-inspired"?) Now what is the El Sistema core DNA? What are the ethos and/or principles like?

Ya me dí cuenta que, como muchas cosas en El Sistema, hay muchas formas de ver sus diferentes frentes y perspectivas. Así que este título en sí mismo puede ser visto de distintas formas. Hay muchas formas de "empezar por el principio". Pero voy a empezar por el significado de la palabra. No sólo el origen en latín (Según el diccionario Webster en inglés: "(...) literalmente semilla, parte interna, diminutivo de nux, nuc-(...)") sino tambien sus diferentes significados en otras disciplinas y luego voy a tratar de reflexionar un poco sobre esto. La palabra misma, deacuerdo con el diccionario Webster en inglés, significa: "Nucleus: La parte central y más importante de un objeto, movimiento o grupo, formando la base para su actividad o crecimiento". Más especificamente, para el diccionario de la Real Academia Española, significa: "Fís. Parte central del átomo, que contiene la mayor porción de su masa, constituida por protones y neutrones, y que posee una carga eléctrica positiva que se corresponde con su número atómico." Podría entrar en metáforas bonitas, pero prefiero concentrarme en esta definición del diccionario Webster en inglés: "Biología un organelo denso presente en la mayoría de células eucarióticas, típicamente una estructura simple y redonda, contenida por una doble membrana, conteniendo el material genético". Dos ideas en estas definiciones me parecen fascinantes. La primera, la idea que un núcleo es el centro de un movimiento. Segundo, la idea que contiene el DNA, el material genético. Siguiendo con la línea de la biología, es interesante notar, que el núcleo no sólo contiene el material genético, sino que tambien lo replica (con ocasionales mutaciones). Esta replicación ocurre dentro del núcleo. No ocurre en el cerebro, o en otro órgano mayor o "central". Regresando a pensar en los núcleos de El Sistema y su "material genético" –el Ethos y principios que ya hemos estado explorando y discutiendo en el programa Abreu Fellows–, veo que el papel que juegan los núcleos es esencial en mantener el movimiento enraizado en las comunidades (o las "células") y sus propias mutaciones respondiendo a sus necesidades, hasta cierto punto. Pero también, me imagino que si el ADN (material genético) en una célula varía MUCHO, al punto que ya no tiene nada similar a las otras células, entonces se convierte en otra cosa. O, traducido al movimiento de El Sistema, si un núcleo cambia MUCHO su ethos y sus principios para adaptarse a circunstancias muy particulares, corre el riesgo de convertirse en otra cosa, separándose así del movimiento global de El Sistema (nada malo o condenable si eso pasara, pero si no se comparten el ethos y los principios, para qué llamarse parte de El Sistema?) Ahora, ¿cuál es el ADN de El Sistema? ¿Cómo son su ethos y principios?

What is an El Sistema Núcleo? / ¿Qué es un núcleo en El Sistema?

Several answers to the question have come up during the length of the Abreu Fellowship Program, and I have had some ideas of what a núcleo is, and what it is not, from my experiences in Guatemala. I want to start a series of blog entries with several ideas about the núcleo concept as we go along the program, but also during and after our visit to Venezuela next February. But I don't want to describe how a núcleo looks like. We all have come to a consensus that there isn't (or there shouldn't be) a unique model for a núcleo. All núcleos look different. But there has to be something beyond –other than their leaders saying "This is an El Sistema núcleo"– that all have in common. I want to get philosophical and explore the non-tangible elements that may make up a núcleo. I expect my ideas to be changing in the next months, so expect contradictions in my postings. All your input and ideas will definitely have an effect in it. First, a preview: José Antonio Abreu has called the orchestras the soul of the community. I am very interested in exploring the idea of the núcleo as an intangible element of a broad community, beyond the orchestra or the choir (or the facilities where they rehearse). More on that later.

Ya han surgido varias respuestas a la pregunta, a lo largo del programa del Abreu Fellowship, y yo ya he tenido varias ideas, por mi propia experiencia en Guatemala, de lo qué es, y lo que no es, un núcleo. Quiero iniciar una serie de entradas en este blog sobre el concepto del núcleo a lo largo del programa, y especialmente durante y después de nuestra visita a Venezuela en febrero. Pero no quiero describir como se vé un núcleo. Ya hemos llegado al consenso de que no hay ( o no debería haber) un modelo único para los núcleos. Todos se ven diferentes. Pero hay algo más detrás de ellos que es común, más allá de que sus líderes digan "este es un núcleo". Espero que mis ideas vayan cambiando en los próximos meses así que esperen contradicciones en mis entradas del blog. Todos sus comentarios y opiniones tendrán en efecto en estos cambios. Para iniciar, una primera idea: José Antonio Abreu ha llamado a las orquestas del Sistema "el alma de la comunidad". Estoy interesado en explorar la idea del núcleo como un elemento intangible de una comunidad más amplia, más allá de la orquesta o el coro (o las instalaciones donde ensayan)

Be the artist. (and yes, be the Athlete too, why not?)

This Sunday November 1st the 40th NYC Marathon took place under great weather. I ran that Marathon two years ago, after volunteering in my running club’s water station in mile 24 the previous year. I was very inspired by seeing those thousands of runners (over 38,607 finishers in 2007). This Sunday I volunteered once again, this time I got there early enough to help in the preparation: a team of about 60 volunteers from my running club setting up tables with thousands of paper cups with water and Gatorade. And to think that 40 years ago Fred Lebow co-founded this marathon which only 55 runners finished the first time. His enthusiasm and drive were essential in making the running movement in New York grow and turn those 55 runners in 1970 to the estimated 43,475 that finished the marathon on Sunday. I was fired up (to quote my friend and Abreu Fellow Stan, quoting Obama, quoting someone else) thinking this is what Dr. José Antonio Abreu has been doing for almost the same time in Venezuela and Latin America, and now at a global scale!

A couple of weeks ago, Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation visited us and made a presentation about the state of the economy of the arts in the U.S. He talked about how JFK made a policy that Cameron summarized as “see the artist, become the athlete”. This statement helps to understand why there are about 45,000 runners finishing the marathon, another few thousand volunteers, and literally millions of spectators following the race. The challenge for El Sistema USA and the Abreu fellows is to start a new “become the artist” movement, and to amend this JFK-era policy (looking back at it...a crazy idea, coming from a President who loved the arts, as Cameron reminded us). Be the artists. Be part of the movement, it’s good for you, for your body and soul, and it’s good for your community.

In my Arts Administration degree essay about the internationalization of El Sistema, I made a couple of arguments about the current trends in U.S. orchestras missions and the concept of participation in the arts, according to a couple of research institutions. I found (and I might have been a tiny bit cynical, I confess) that orchestras' missions could be summarized as saying "Orchestras exist so that orchestras can exist" (Trying to paraphrase: "XYZ Orchestra's mission is to maintain, promote, preserve, foster the interest, enjoyment, of music making…” and then there’s something about outreach and education) (Yes, I’m being very cynical…sorry, I’m just trying to make my point clear). The other argument is that many of these organizations consider participation as sitting in a concert passively. In few cases “participation” has been seen as actually putting instruments in the hands of people, especially children.

Cameron argues that orchestras mission is to be the conduit for communities to access symphonic music (and that that may not be by presenting concerts!).  After watching the enthusiasm and pageantry, but also the dedication and sacrifice of thousands of people at the marathon, paired with the history of El Sistema in Venezuela and Latin America, I have no doubt that I am standing in the right place at the right moment. It's time for all orchestras, professional, community-based or youth to help everyone become the artists.  Change is in my hands!! Come join us!!!

Posted on the Boston Globe
New movement for Conservatory:
Famed Venezuelan music education program adopted

By Geoff Edgers
Globe Staff / October 23, 2009


From left, Katie Wyatt, Lorrie Heagy, and Stanford Thompson enjoyed a break at the New England Conservatory.
(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

It didn’t take Stanford Thompson long to realize that his fellowship at New England Conservatory was anything but normal. A five-member film crew follows every move of the Georgia native and his nine classmates, as does an author on contract from W.W. Norton & Company. Thompson has been staying up past midnight just to answer e-mails from well-wishers.

Go to article/Lea el artículo (en inglés)

El Sistema USA: Núcleo partnerships with the school system or major orchestras?

In the first two weeks of the Abreu Fellows program, a few of things are starting to become clear.  One of them is that not all núcleos will be –and should not be cookie-cutter modeled.  Each núcleo's organizational structure, funding, constituency, governance and leadership style(s) has to respond to its particular circumstances and, possibly, to a changing environment. In my particular case, and because of my own past experience, I have always been a bit hesitant to think about partnerships with the schools system and major orchestras.  But that was in Guatemala.  At the Abreu Fellows program, the conversation often appears to assume that those partnerships are essential. I want to start a virtual discussion on this matter.  I made this short video to get this conversation going.   Please post your comments, opinions and/or personal anecdotes.   I want to stress that in this matter there is no right or wrong answer, but all perspectives are valuable. Thanks for participating in this video to the Abreu Fellows Lorrie Heagy, Katie Wyatt, Stan Thomson; and to Dan Trahey, Program Director, OrchKids/Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Tanya Maggi, Director of Community Performances and Partnerships at the New England Conservatory.

En las dos primeras semanas del programa Abreu Fellows, algunas cosas están ya quedando claras. Una de ellas es que no todos los núcleos serán, ni deben de ser, cortados con el mismo molde. La estructura organizacional de cada núcleo, sus fuentes de financiamiento, beneficiarios, gobierno, y estilo(s) de liderazgo deben responder a sus circunstancias particulares y, posiblemente, a un medio cambiante. En mi caso particular, quizás debido a mis propias experiencias, siempre he sido un poco renuente a pensar en entablar alianzas con el sistema escolar, y con orquestas sinfónicas profesionales.  Pero eso era en Guatemala.  En el programa Abreu Fellows, la conversación suele dar a entender que estas alianzas son esenciales. Quiero iniciar una discusión virtual sobre este tema.  Hice este vídeo corto (perdón, pero no me ha dado tiempo de subtitularlo) para iniciar esta conversación.  Por favor dejen sus comentarios, opiniones y anécdotas.  Quiero hacer énfasis en que no hay respuestas correctas o incorrectas.  Todas las perspectivas son de gran valor. Agradezco por su participación en este vídeo a los Abreu Fellows Lorrie Heagy, Katie Wyatt, Stan Thomson; y a Dan Trahey, Program Director, OrchKids/Baltimore Symphony Orchestra y Tanya Maggi, Director of Community Performances and Partnerships at the New England Conservatory.

Abreu Fellows: Semana Número Uno

(No, it's not publicity/No, no es publicidad)

The first week was intense for everyone. A lot of information, emotions and good vibes fell on us in one week-long bucketful. I can only try to summarize what we learned, at least from my perspective. I learned that in order to replicate El Sistema in the United States, we have to step back from the common music education assumptions and look into a more humanizing way of teaching orchestral music (or highly complex music, as I recall it being called). No “El Sistema” methods, no magic wands or innovative pedagogy manuals. El Sistema is about creating an environment where teaching “floats” on love and true friendship, respect and support among mentors, pupils, and peers. It is an environment where children are children and have room to have fun. We revisited the idea of El Sistema concentrating on ensembles as the center for learning music and social skills, and on constant performance, formal or not, as an immediate goal and a tool for self-assessment. On Thursday we had the great opportunity to meet Eric Booth, an extraordinary educator, author and consultant for a number of music education initiatives world-wide A key component of the Abreu Fellows curriculum design team, Eric helped us come up with a list of significant elements of El Sistema to be transferred to the United States.

Esta primera semana fué intense para todo el mundo. Mucha información, emociones, y Buena vibra nos cayeron como una cubetada que duró una semana completa. Solamente puedo intentar resumirlo todo, al menos desde mi perspectiva. Aprendí que para replicar el Sistema en los Estados Unidos, debemos dar un paso atrás de lo que comunmente se assume en la educación musical por estos lares, y buscar una forma mas humanizada de enseñar música orquetal (o música altamente compleja, como me parece que la han llamado acá). No hay métodos de El Sistema, ni varitas mágicas, ni métodos innovadores de pedagogía. El Sistema se trata de crear unambiente donde la enseñanza “flota” en amor, amistad verdadera, respeto y apoyo entre mentores, pupilos, y colegas. Es un ambiente en el que los niños son niños y tienen espacio para divertirse. Revisamos la idea de que El Sistema se concentra en los ensambles como centros de aprendizaje de música y habilidades socials, y las presentaciones públicas, formales o no, son una meta inmediata y una herramienta de auto-evaluación. El jueves tuvimos la gran oportunidad de conocer a Eric Booth, un extraordinario educador, autor y consultor para varias iniciativas de educación artística y musical en todo el mundo. Eric es un elemento clave en el diseño del curriculum del programa Abreu Fellows, quien nos ayudó a crear una lista inicial de elementos significativos de El Sistema que deberán ser transferidos a los Estados Unidos.

(Fellows, Stephanie Schepf & Mark Churchill with/con Beethoven)

Friday was by far the most intense. In the afternoon, we were joined by a group of 7 Venezuelan Sistema alumni, who were living, studying or visiting the Boston area. We had a long, honest conversation, in which all of us got a clearer idea of how it feels like for a student to grow up in El Sistema. Later, we took part our first class of Benjamin Zander’s famous Friday afternoon interpretation classes. I am still impressed by his drive and enthusiasm. After years of teaching the class, his energy made it feel like he just had started that very afternoon. To top that, he invited us to dinner at his place to replace the classes we have missed from earlier in the semester. It turned out to be quite an event, with our new Venezuelan friends, and members of TED. All of us enjoyed and laughed out loud at Ben’s introduction to The Art of Possibility. An idea that I am sure will be in my mind all through this process.

El viernes fue el más intenso, sin duda. En la tarde, nos visitó un grupo de 7 ex-alumnos de El Sistema que viven, estudian o están visitando el área de Boston. Tuvimos una larga y honesta conversación con la que nos formamos una idea más clara de lo que se siente crecer dentro de El Sistema. Más tarde tomamos parte en nuestra primera clase en una de las famosas clases de interpretación musical del viernes por la tarde de Benjamin Zander. Todavía estoy impresionado con su empuje y entusiasmo. Después de años de impartir este curso, su energía lo hace sentir como si hubiera sido la primera vez que la imparte. Encima de eso, Ben nos invitó a cenar a su casa para reponer las clases a las que no pudimos asistir al inicio del semestre. Terminó siendo todo un evento al que tambien asistiron nuestros nuevos amigos venezolanos, y algunos miembros de TED. Todos disfurtamos y nos reimos a carcajadas escuchando las historias que Ben nos contó para ilustrar su introducción al Arte de las Posibilidades, una idea que estoy seguro mantendré en mente durante todo el proceso.

(Friday afternoon panel w/the Venezuelan alumni / Panel del viernes por la tarde con los ex-alumnos venezolanos)

(with/con Ben Zander)

Abreu Fellows Program, Day/Día 2

Today we had the visit of Anne Fitzgibbon, who runs the Harmony Program at CUNY, in Brooklyn (and announced they are opening a second program in Harlem next week!). Anne spent a year in Venezuela on a Fulbright learning about El Sistema and figuring out how to apply it to her Harmony Program. Some of Anne’s most important elements of ES are: • Intensity of study • Relationship bet. teacher and student. Connection, emotional bond. “It’s a paternalistic relationship”. This might be the hardest element to replicate in the U.S. • Model of instruction: Emphasis on the ensemble; One of their main points is having fun; Emphasis on performance • “X factor”: Local culture (what’s in their blood). I am starting to realize that one of the challenges that we will face as Abreu Fellow "graduates" is going to be how to articulate what this "system" is all about, since most things methodological are VERY flexible.

Hoy tuvimos la visita de Anne Fitzgibbon, quien coordina el Programa Harmony en la Universidad de la Ciudad de Nueva York (CUNY), en el Campus de Brooklyn (y anunció que estarán abriendo un nuevo programa en Harlem la próxima semana!). Anne pasó un año en Venezuela con una beca Fulbright para aprender sobre el sistema y cómo poder aplicarlo en su programa. Algunos de los elementos más importantes sobre el sistema, de acuerdo con Anne, son: • Intensidad del estudio • La relación estudiante-maestro. La conexión, el lazo emocional entre ellos. “Es una relación paternalista”, dice Anne. Este sea quizás el elemento más dificil de replicar en los Estados Unidos. • Su modelo de instrucción: Énfasis en el ensamble; Uno de sus puntos principales es que simpre debe ser entretenido; Énfasis en presentarse en público (sea grande o pequeño) • “El factor X”: Según Anne, este es un ingrediente extra, dificil de definir ("Es lo que llevan en la sangre"). Me empiezo a dar cuenta que uno de nuestros mayores retos como "graduados" del Fellowship Abreu será cómo articular de qué es de lo que se trata el "sistema", puesto que casi todas las metodologías son MUY flexibles.

Abreu Fellows Program, Day/Día 1

OK, first of all, I should make it clear that I don't think this will be a daily thing. But at least I have to number Day One. My first impression after arriving at the New England Conservatory (NEC) was of surprise to find a camera crew at the lobby, and being greeted by my first name by Jamie Bernstein (Lenny's daughter), who is producing a film about the replication of El Sistema in the United States. For now, she told us, they will produce a 5 minute preview in order to raise funds to continue with the project. The camera crew pretty much followed us around the whole day, and for the rest of the week and made short interviews with some of us.

Ok, primero que nada, quisiera aclarar que no creo que esto vaya a ser un asunto diario. Pero al menos tenía que numerar el primer día. Mi primera impresión al llegar al Conservatorio de New England (NEC) fue de sorpresa al encontrarme con un equipo de filmación, y ser saludado por mi primer nombre por Jamie Bernstein (la hija de Leonard), quien está produciendo un film sobre la replicación de El Sistema en los Estados Unidos. Por ahora, nos contaron, van a producir un cortometraje de 5 minutos para promocionar el film y recaudar fondos para completarlo. El equipo de filmación nos estuvo siguiendo todo el día, y por el resto de la semana, y nos hicieron entrevistas cortas a cada uno.

I finally got to meet all the Fellows, and to my relief, it is such a great group of friendly people! This is going to be truly a fellowship of music educators, entrepreneurs, diplomats, advocates and friends. We also met with most of our faculty and staff at the Conservatory. Eli Epstein led some ice-breaker exercises for all of us to get to know each other better. Later Albert Oppenheimer, a grad student at NEC showed us around the campus. Can't wait to start digging into El Sistema and its possibilities in the U.S.!

Finalmente pude conocer en persona a todos los Fellows, y para mi alivio, es un grupazo de gente amistosa! Esta va a ser realmente una hermandad (Fellowship) de educadores de la música, emprendedores, diplomáticos, luchadores y amigos. También conocimos a casi toda la facultad y personal del conservatorio que estarán acompañándonos. Eli Epstein condujo algunos ejercicios para romper el hielo y que permitieron que nos conocieramos un poco mejor. Más tarde, Albert Oppenheimer, un estudiante de posgrado en el NEC nos dió un tour por el campus. Ya pronto estaremos entrando al tema en cuestión: la replicación de El Sistema en los Estados Unidos!

El Sistema Global

Here are some links to replications and other organizations working ElSistema-inspired programs from around the world that have some internet presence. (Please report broken links!)

Acá hay algunos enlaces a réplicas y otras organizaciones trabajando programas inspirados en El Sistema alrededor del mundo y que tienen presencia en el internet. (Por favor reportar enlances que no funcionen)

Venezuela:
-Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, FESNOJIV
-State Foundation for the National System of Children and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, FESNOJIV

Latin America/América Latina:
-Orquesta Escuela de Chascomús, Argentina, part of/parte del Sistema de Orquestas Infantiles y Juveniles de Argentina
-Sistema de Coros y Orquestas de Bolivia
-Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenil e Infantis da Bahia, Brasil (Brazil)
-Fundación de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Chile
-Fundación Batuta, Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Sinfónica Infantiles y Juveniles de Colombia
-Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Sinfónicas Infantiles y Juveniles de República Dominicana

United States/Estados Unidos:
-El Sistema/USA, home of the Abreu Fellowships
-Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) a partnership between the Harmony Project and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles, CA
-The Yours Program at the People's Music School in Chicago, IL
-OrchKids at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, MD
-The Harmony Program, at the City University of New York, NY

El Sistema Movement around the World/El Movimiento de El Sistema por el Mundo:
-El Sistema Australia
-The Leading Note Foundation Youth Music Program, Ottawa, Canada/Ottowa, Canadá
-Music First, London, England
-Child Plays India
-El Sistema Scotland, and the Big Noise projects
-Youth Orchestra of the Americas

Other Programs you should know about!/¡Otros programas que deberían conocer!
-AfroReagge, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (Brazil)
-African Children's Choir, work in many countries in Africa
-Community Music Works, Providence, RI, U.S.
-Gandhi Ashram School, Kalimpong, India
-Metropolitan Youth Orchrestras of Central Alabama and Scrollworks, Birmingham, AL, U.S.
-International Theater of the Oppressed Organisation

Boston Globe: "NEC's prestigious program fellows named"

Posted on the Boston Globe by Geoff Edgers October 13, 2009 07:54 PM

Dudamania may be all the way across the country but the US-based branch of El Sistema, the successful, Venezuelan music education program the conductor was involved with as a boy, is heading to New England Conservatory.

Ten grad-level musicians have been picked to head to NEC as the school launches the Abreu Fellows training program, one of the first major initiatives of El Sistema USA. These fellows will spend a year studying at NEC and in Venezuela so they can learn how to run music education centers throughout the world.

Read complete article/Lea el artículo completo

L.A. Times: "Going global, El Sistema starts fellows program in U.S."

Culture Monster
All the Arts, All the Time

October 13, 2009 | 3:18 pm

Abreu The music program known as El Sistema -- which for 32 years has brought free classical music education to disadvantaged youth in Venezuela -- is no longer that country's secret. It seems as if now the whole world wants to copy or at least learn from the program, whose most famous alumnus is conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Go to article/Ir al artículo

Introducing the Abreu Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory

The Abreu Fellows Program - Transforming children's lives through music from TED Prize on Vimeo.

¿Cómo es el público guatemalteco?

Vida 27-08-2009
Carla Natareno, Siglo 21 (cnatareno@sigloxxi.com)

Adesca realiza estudio que muestra el comportamiento del público que asiste a los eventos de artes escénicas.

Por primera vez se hace una investigación con el propósito de explicar el comportamiento del público que asiste a las distintas actividades artísticas desarrolladas en el país. El proyecto efectuado por Álvaro Rodas, investigador y crítico guatemalteco, en colaboración con Adesca (Aporte para la Descentralización Cultural) se titula Primera Encuesta de público de las artes escénicas en la Ciudad de Guatemala, y fue dado a conocer recientemente.

Lea el artículo completo