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)