The most prominent feature in observing
the activities of El Sistema programming,
is the difference in the priority to many traditional Western institutions –
not to produce virtuoso musicians but to promote the self-confidence of the individual
and build communities with high quality music education. This priority is
reflected in their approach:
The focus is not on the standards
required of each musician but on building self-esteem, and in turn pushing the
boundaries of perceived capability. The initial mission was to show Venezuela
and the world that Venezuelans are capable of outstanding symphonic music-making.
This was extended to Venezuelan children of increasingly more challenging
backgrounds, whether economically or those with learning difficulties. I feel
that in the face of a struggling economy and uneasy political climate, the
mission has developed further into fostering a sense of communal identity and
pride in being Venezuelan. Essentially El
Sistema doesn’t tell a story of a country with great youth orchestras and
choirs, but that Venezuela has a future and a hope in youth who are
proud of their Venezuelan identity, and know how to pass this pride onto the
next generation. Venezuelan youth know that they cannot achieve excellence
alone and must strive to work together, and they are aware that they
are part of a movement that is excelling on a global level.
The learning activities at the nucleos are characterized by an informal
and flexible approach where many activities are led by young people. We saw
many familial relationships that blur the lines of student-teacher, ‘them’ and
‘us’, but instead reflects the position of friends in a joint musical learning
journey. There is no sense of a strict hierarchy amongst members of a nucleo, but instead there is humility in those who are more experienced
sharing their expertise with others, being aware of their own knowledge gaps
and wanting to learn more, at whichever level they operate on. For example, we
heard of teachers with forty years’ worth of experience taking classes at a
conservatory with their eighteen-year old students. This creates many
opportunities for youth empowerment through the attitude that a role doesn’t
necessarily need someone with the credentials and experience, but instead
someone with determination and the eagerness to have a go, plus an idea of
where to ask for help and guidance.
This also allows for the cultivation of a
multiplicity of roles as a musician, which has been summarized by previous El
Sistema Fellows as CATS (Citizen, Artist, Teacher, Scholar), but could also
include a myriad of music-related positions from administrator to luthier. Indeed,
many staff members at Fundamusical (El Sistema mangement) and
at the nucleos are alumni. Overall,
we saw a much more relaxed and friendly learning culture; where experiments and
changes are supported, relevant music-making encouraged, students are given
positive encouragement rather than demoralizing feedback, and mistakes are not
seen as failures but work in progress.
El Sistema has created a ‘family’ of
interdependent ensembles where the community of ensembles is fed through a
spirit of generosity, sharing, & collaboration. This is found in the unified
teaching approach, a unified sequential curriculum, the efforts of the special
needs projects to integrate students with the other programs, and the collaboration
of huge ensembles in large scale projects. Many of the younger groups rely on
teachers from the more advanced level ensembles. This means that teachers tend
to descend from one maestro creating a ‘family tree’ of musical knowledge being
passed on down the ‘generations’.
The network helps produce a stronger
sense of unity and community on a macro level, but also propagates close
relationships on a micro level. The intensity and regularity of rehearsals allows
the nucleo to become a home from home
where relationships made are deep and meaningful between students and teachers.
This creates a unique opportunity for mentorship and the modelling of positive social
behaviours, as well as excellent music-making, to take place on a daily basis. The
sequential curriculum allows for teachers to pass on their musical knowledge in
an informal way which echoes oral learning where songs are passed down from
generation to generation. This personalised curriculum – learning through
experience rather than academic study, learning from people not textbooks –
again allows for a deep emotional connection to exist between teacher and
student.
El Sistema effects social change through providing
powerful scenarios and platforms for people to interact and relate to one
another to create personal, and ultimately social change; affecting self-esteem, self-confidence,
pride and identity through an informal learning atmosphere of humble teachers,
inclusion and integration of all backgrounds and learning abilities, valuing
every person’s musical contribution in a variety of forms, sharing and
collaboration between ensembles, deep relationships with other students and
teachers, and a flexible learning experience.
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