El Sistema seems to be everywhere these days. The Venezuelan musical and music education phenomenon has recently been featured in at least three NY Times articles plus a video feature. I am guilty of fanning the flames (in my very small way) by having written about the group several times.<\/p>\n
This post is not directly about El Sistema, but the rash of coverage is reminding me of something I thought early on and it gives me an excuse to raise the issue. I guess what I want to present is a confession and then some observations about it. The confession: My first reactions to El Sistema (it seems like many years ago now, but it was probably only a couple) were mixed. I *loved* seeing young people excited about making music; I *loved* even more what gorgeous, passionate music they were making; I *loved* the obvious difference that music was making in individual lives and in the life of the villages, towns, cities, and countries it was influencing. But I had a nagging concern. As an unreconstructed, white, knee-jerk liberal who has been through many, many diversity training experiences, there was one doubt about the program. Many of the participants were children of native peoples or came from families of mixed heritage. El Sistema, as an orchestra program, is very much a purveyor of European culture\u2013not just the compositions, but the instruments, the rhythmic\/tonal\/formal elements, even the hierarchical structure of the ensemble.\u00a0 My concern: Cultural Imperialism, running roughshod over indigenous forms of artistic expression.<\/p>\n
In general, anyone working in the area of the arts and community engagement must be deeply aware that their own culture is not the only culture and that oftentimes that culture is not an ideal fit with the people one is hoping to reach. It is a requirement of the work to be sensitive, if not hyper-sensitive, to this issue. And so, for a time, I had some interesting arguments (not heated, because, as I said, I *was* infatuated with El Sistema) with people (and myself) on this topic.<\/p>\n
In the end, I was (almost) completely won over by a way that Dr. Abreu responded to this issue. He pointed out that it was the structure of an orchestra that was among the most important things to him. That is, it is a mechanism in which large numbers of people come together for a common purpose. And in a European orchestra, there is room to accommodate many performers in that common purpose. In other words, for what he sought to do, it was a particularly appropriate vehicle, regardless of the specifics of the art form. The European orchestra is, perhaps, not a unique type of ensemble, but it is one that has (to my knowledge) few counterparts in other cultures. Vocal ensembles of various types come to mind, and they have the advantage of not requiring relatively expensive instruments. But for an instrumental ensemble, this is a particularly appropriate choice.<\/p>\n
Of course the literature is virtually all European in origin or in roots. That is not surprising. It is my understanding that South American composers, in particular, are beginning to write with El Sistema in mind, making use of indigenous instruments and musical elements. The more that happens, the better for the people of South America and the better for El Sistema. In the meantime, I understand that an orchestra is a highly appropriate mode of gathering children together and transforming their lives.<\/p>\n
Engage!<\/p>\n
Doug<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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