El Sistema
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Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, abbreviated FESNOJIV, and sometimes translated to English as "National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela") and also known as El Sistema, is a publicly financed private-sector music-education program in Venezuela, originally called Social Action for Music. In 1975, Venezuelan economist and amateur musician José Antonio Abreu founded Social Action for Music and became its director. He received the National Music Prize for this work in 1979. Abreu was appointed as Special Ambassador for the development of a Global Network of Youth and Children orchestras and choirs by UNESCO in 1995, also as special representative for the development of network of orchestras within the framework of UNESCO's "World Movement of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs".[1][2] Its network of 102 youth and 55 children's orchestras (numbering approximately 100,000 youngsters) later came under the supervision of the Venezuelan Ministry of Family, Health and Sports. As El Sistema, its goal is to use music for the protection of childhood through training, rehabilitation and prevention of criminal behaviour.[1] [2] The program is known for rescuing young people in extremely impoverished circumstances from the environment of drug abuse and crime which they would likely otherwise be drawn into. [3] Participants of the program who have begun international careers include Gustavo Dudamel[3] and Edicson Ruiz[4][4] In September 2007, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced on television a new government program, Misión Música, designed to provide tuition and music instruments to Venezuelan children, with Abreu present on the TV program.[5] A documentary film has been produced on the subject of El Sistema, entitled Tocar y Luchar, ("To play and to struggle")[5]. The film has won several awards, including "best documentary" at the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and also the Albuquerque Latino Film Festival. El Sistema has also been featured on news programs such as 60 Minutes.[6] An important product of El Sistema is the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar) which made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2007 under the baton of Dudamel, receiving enthusiastic reviews.[7][8] On 6 June 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank announced the granting of $150 million loan to FESNOJIV; the goal is to support 500,000 children by 2015.[9] On 28 October 2007, Arthur Lubow wrote in the NY Times: "Weighing such benefits as a falloff in school dropout rates and a decline in crime, the bank calculated that every dollar invested in the sistema was reaping about $1.68 in social dividends."[10] El Sistema will be imported into Scotland for the specific purpose of breaking the cycle of poverty in an economically depressed area where male life expectancy is less than 63 years.[11] Drew McManus wrote a 4-part series about El Sistema: The Future of Classical Music is in Venezuela.[12][13][14][15] John Williams was quoted in the Venezuelan newpaper El Nacional on 5 November 2007: "This is something unique that has to be seen by the whole world.... [and] which we urgently need here [in the USA]. Translated from the Spanish original by Jose Bergher. [16] A public symposium on EL SISTEMA took place on 7 November 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts and is available as a webcast.[17] The panel of speakers included: Jose Antonio Abreu, founder, El Sistema (not included in the webcast.) Mark Slavkin, vp, education, LA Music Center Leni Boorstin, director, community affairs, LA Philharmonic Sebastian Ruth, founder, director, Community MusicWorks Steve Seidel, director, Project Zero George Simpson, director, Roland Hayes School of Music John Tobin, chair, arts committee, Boston City Council Polly Kahn, vp, League of American Orchestras Mark Churchill, dean, preparatory & continuing ed., NEC On 22 November 2007, Julian Lloyd Webber said this about the UK's announcement of an infusion of £332 MILLION just for music-education: "We also have an impoverished South American nation to thank. Last August, in the midst of school holidays, when an uncomfortable number of British children seemed even more disaffected than usual, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra arrived from Venezuela to deliver performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Proms that were, quite simply, miraculous". [18] “…in England, the Department of Culture has put aside £2m to a three-year scheme based on the Venezuelan model which will focus on three impoverished areas...”[19] According to Peter Stevenson of Sistema Scotland, the £2m mentioned here is part of the £332 million that the Glennie-Galway-Webber-Kamen music education consortium helped generate. Alexander Bernstein said: “This is something we need in the United States.” Source, El Universal, Caracas, Venezuela, 12 January 2008; also translated by Jose Bergher. This is from the WorldTeach website: "El Sistema has invited WorldTeach to help identify and support outstanding chamber musicians who are interested in teaching and coaching for the academic year. The first groups will depart in late August 2008 and teach through mid July 2009. El Sistema is seeking musicians who will, after joining the WorldTeach Venezuela program, form the following ensembles: 2 string quartets, 1 brass quintet, 1 woodwind quintet, 2 percussionists" [20] On 14 February 2008, El Sistema founder Jose Antonio Abreu was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize. [21] On 13 June 2008, El Sistema founder Maestro Abreu will be a guest speaker at the National Performing Arts Convention-2008 in Denver, Colorado. [22] On 25 May 2008, Leidys Asuaje wrote for El Nacional: The plan to humanize jails through music began eleven months ago under the tutelage of the Ministry of the Interior and Justice and FESNOJIV, which this week was awarded the Príncipe de Asturias Prize because of “its deep ethical conviction applied to the betterment of social reality. For the full story translated by ES-NYC founding member José Bergher, please go to: http://tipom.wordpress.com/. [edit] References
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