As a Sistema Fellow who was given the privilege of visiting El Sistema in Venezuela and was provided with the opportunity to study and debate the concepts of music and social action for a year, I have been following publications and blogs on the program as the years go by. The title of this page is ironic, I suppose, since many have shied away from debate. There seem to be three camps; the El Sistema advocates that are resisting any discussions which might detract away from the progress of the movement globally, those who are questioning and reflecting but their involvement in programs make it hard to continue that reflection or start to move away from the Sistema brand, and those who are outspokenly critical of the program (mostly music education academics or anonymous Venezuelan musicians).
Where do I stand? I have the freedom of not being connected to a program and in a position where I can completely re-evaluate my practice as a music educator as I wait to start full-time work next year. I also have to acknowledge the huge impact the Fellowship has had on my personal and professional life. We were treated like royalty during that year, and simply had a fantastic time both in Venezuela and Boston. My class of fellows still keep in regular contact, and I consider them all to be incredible people who inspire, encourage and challenge me.
But even during the Fellowship there were significant alarm bells ringing. Uniquely, I viewed the Venezuela program coming from a context of a poorer, less-developed country, and expected more of what I saw than those coming from North American, European and other Latin American contexts. Also, I had trained in mainstream primary education and had not been involved in orchestras at a high level or studied at a music college or conservatory. Perhaps I benefit from not having been in full-time 'traditional' music education. My involvement in NGOs gave me an insight into socially-orientated programs, with specific targets and intended outcomes, that I couldn't get a grasp of in El Sistema. Lastly, I was exasperated with the lack of concrete evidence, and differing exaggerated reports by Venezuelans we talked to during our visit. I didn't take the fact that it was in a less developed country with different priorities than Europe or North America as a valid excuse for no research, reports or any documentary evidence. Many nucleos we visited were disorganised and under-resourced, and this was a program that had been operating for almost forty years and had an unbelievably huge budget.
The longer I stay out of the centre of the Sistema 'zone', the more I realise that starting a Sistema-inspired program will not work in my current context, and that El Sistema represents more of a desire to change music education that has been taken on globally rather than an actualisation of what that change is. Much of the literature that has come from North America and the UK exists in possibilities, generalisations and the sensational. Countering this is the 'controversial' book Orchestrating Venezuela's Youth by Dr Geoff Baker (if you haven't read it, just do it). In addition, a conference was held in London entitled El Sistema and the Alternatives which I believe was modestly attended, and Dr Baker has launched a website to report on the conference and prompt further debate tocarypensar.com This blog deserves a good amount of time engaging with also.
Another seminal moment in the El Sistema debate has been the publication of an interview with Luigi Mazzocchi by Prof Lawrence Scripp (whose lectures I attended at the NEC). To finally have balanced opinions about the program from a prominent Venezuelan musician, who was brave enough to put his name to them, has been a big step to facing other anonymous reports.
Where do I stand? I have the freedom of not being connected to a program and in a position where I can completely re-evaluate my practice as a music educator as I wait to start full-time work next year. I also have to acknowledge the huge impact the Fellowship has had on my personal and professional life. We were treated like royalty during that year, and simply had a fantastic time both in Venezuela and Boston. My class of fellows still keep in regular contact, and I consider them all to be incredible people who inspire, encourage and challenge me.
But even during the Fellowship there were significant alarm bells ringing. Uniquely, I viewed the Venezuela program coming from a context of a poorer, less-developed country, and expected more of what I saw than those coming from North American, European and other Latin American contexts. Also, I had trained in mainstream primary education and had not been involved in orchestras at a high level or studied at a music college or conservatory. Perhaps I benefit from not having been in full-time 'traditional' music education. My involvement in NGOs gave me an insight into socially-orientated programs, with specific targets and intended outcomes, that I couldn't get a grasp of in El Sistema. Lastly, I was exasperated with the lack of concrete evidence, and differing exaggerated reports by Venezuelans we talked to during our visit. I didn't take the fact that it was in a less developed country with different priorities than Europe or North America as a valid excuse for no research, reports or any documentary evidence. Many nucleos we visited were disorganised and under-resourced, and this was a program that had been operating for almost forty years and had an unbelievably huge budget.
The longer I stay out of the centre of the Sistema 'zone', the more I realise that starting a Sistema-inspired program will not work in my current context, and that El Sistema represents more of a desire to change music education that has been taken on globally rather than an actualisation of what that change is. Much of the literature that has come from North America and the UK exists in possibilities, generalisations and the sensational. Countering this is the 'controversial' book Orchestrating Venezuela's Youth by Dr Geoff Baker (if you haven't read it, just do it). In addition, a conference was held in London entitled El Sistema and the Alternatives which I believe was modestly attended, and Dr Baker has launched a website to report on the conference and prompt further debate tocarypensar.com This blog deserves a good amount of time engaging with also.
Another seminal moment in the El Sistema debate has been the publication of an interview with Luigi Mazzocchi by Prof Lawrence Scripp (whose lectures I attended at the NEC). To finally have balanced opinions about the program from a prominent Venezuelan musician, who was brave enough to put his name to them, has been a big step to facing other anonymous reports.
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