A Musical Breakthrough Transcending Circumstances on a Powerful Note
[Music]
[Applause]
music
transforms me it affects the way my
heart pounds
it affects my breathing and influences
my emotions
playing the violin is my passion and
playing chamber music with like-minded
peers
is my absolute favorite thing to do
flashback to three-year-old me an
incredibly shy girl who hid behind her
mom’s legs more than not
and who followed her montessori
preschool teacher around the classroom
all day
like a duckling following its mom
for the holidays that year my older
cousins gifted me their old
64th size violin and i was in
absolute awe my cousins whom i looked up
to enormously
as well as two of my older friends all
played the violin
and i so desperately wanted to be like
them
and this was my chance to become what i
had dreamed endlessly about
i enjoyed playing the violin from the
very beginning
i would diligently practice each day
following along to a suzuki cd
well my mom helped position my tiny
violin
on my shoulder but
being the shy little girl i was i was
terribly afraid
of getting up at performances no matter
how much i wanted to share my hard work
i would prepare for each recital with
the true intention of performing
but each time it was my turn to get up
on that stage i would slowly drag myself
to the front
while my confidence dwindled with each
and every heavy step i made
and the closer i got to the front the
harder it was for me to pick up my feet
and keep moving with my heart beating so
fast as if he was trying to jump out of
my
chest and my face wet with tears
i would run to my mom and hide in her
lap
many failed performances later my violin
teacher came up to me and asked if i
would be able to get up and perform if
she was up on the stage playing with me
i wholeheartedly agreed because i knew
deep down i would never be able to get
up on that scary stage otherwise
and it worked i was finally able to give
my first real performance
and truly show off my hard work my
violin teacher played with me for one or
two more performances
each time stepping farther and farther
back on the screen
sharing the spotlight she
truly gave me the gift of courage
and confidence to share my love with the
audience on
my own over the years
and many many performances later
i’ve gained confidence in my playing and
i’ve learned the positive impact music
has had
in all aspects of my life
i decided to join speech and debate in
my ninth grade year to improve my public
speaking skills
the first speech i ever performed as a
novice was a declamation speech
which is basically a performance of a
speech that has already been publicly
shared
the work i chose was a declamation with
a tedx speech called striking accord
by nicola benedetti one of the world’s
most sought-after violinists of her
generation
in her speech she explained how she felt
this huge
responsibility to pass on the music
education she had been so privileged to
receive
in her realization she discovered an
organization
that uses the practice of a musical
education as the heart
of inspiration for social change
l-systema
now what is al-systema
although it all began in caracas
venezuela in 1975 by economist and
musician
jose antonio abreaux el systema has
long surpassed its modest beginnings
with just 11
students joining a bro in an underground
parking garage
it has become a global movement
with over 365 programs in over 60
countries
more than one million children have been
directly influenced by the el sasema
movement
that aims to rescue children from the
depredations of poverty
and use music education as a vehicle for
social chain
now why music
studies have shown that intensive
musical studies directly contribute to
and influence one’s academic success
researchers at the university of
california irvine
investigated how listening to music
affects cognition
and they clearly observed that those who
had been listening to a mozart sonata
before taking an iq test
had much higher results than those who
had just been sitting
in silence while
listening to music has little long-term
effects
playing an instrument is what really
exercises the brain
and is truly able to enhance one’s
language development
spatial skills memory attention and even
improves one’s academic performance
now studies have shown that children
from economically challenged backgrounds
are more likely to fall behind and drop
out of school
according to a 2008 study by the
inter-american development bank on al
system of venezuela
children who participate in these
programs are less likely to
fall behind and drop out of school in
comparison to their non-now sustainment
peers
similarly they are less likely to have
behavioral incidents at school
but are more likely to find formal jobs
after graduating
and participate in community service
after school
this data indicates that the children
who take part in el sasema type music
education programs
not only gain personal success but they
get the empathy
and the compassion that they learn in
their studies and feel the need
to give back
all children should have equal access to
opportunity
so one’s success is not determined by
circumstances beyond their control an
l sustainment type music education is a
way to foster achievement
and lead to breaking that cycle of
poverty
the el systema venezuela founding
principles
include a team-based approach to a
collective cooperative education
characterized by trust discipline
empathy commitment
structure and support for self-esteem
as dr jose antonio abro once said
the orchestra is the only group that
comes together
with the sole purpose of agreement
this concept is truly embraced by elf
systematic music education programs
as the students involved identify
themselves more as
ensemble members rather than solo
violinists violists
flautists cellists etc this allows the
children to
not only learn how to play independently
but to also understand how their shared
goals can create something even more
beautiful
by learning through orchestras and other
types of ensembles
the children learn how to work
diligently and support each other
and they get to experience their own
importance and value within their
community
ensemble-based learning creates
collaboration
rather than competition because students
all
have the common goal of creating
beautiful music
together students are encouraged to
help and teach each other as well as
learn and grow from that process
thus developing empathy every child
within a systema program receives
frequent mentoring
to show the less skill of their
potential and to also help them grow
as musicians and as people
this also reinforces the idea that
everyone is a teacher
and everyone is a learner
the slogan that best captures the feel
and essence of al susana’s motto
is to play and to strive which
illustrates that the purpose of this
movement
is much more than simply to learn how to
play a musical instrument
the purpose of el sustainment movement
is to fuel ambition
dedication a strong work ethic
collaboration
and commitment critical skills
that children can embody to find success
in all aspects
of their lives the acquisition of these
skills
developed and strengthened through
intensive
hours-long rehearsals and frequent
concerts
can ultimately change the trajectory of
a child’s life
as children learn how to strive high in
life
by learning to strive high in music
and elsa el sasema movements do
powerfully influence and impact
children’s lives
as a student from a brazilian el sastema
program once said
el sistema was a place that could give
him
a future we can look to gustavo dudamel
one of the best known products of el
sastema to underscore just how
influential this movement was for him as
a child
he is a venezuelan violinist and is the
music director and conductor of the
orchestra sinfonia custom on bolivar
and the los angeles philharmonic
gustavo dudamel specifically renewed his
contract with the la fill
which actively works with the el
sustainment youth orchestra los
angeles rather than making himself
available to other prominent orchestras
worldwide
which truly shows his dedication
gratitude and commitment
towards the movement and there are so
many other amazing alumni that come
from el systema and no matter how far
they’ve gone in life
they will always return home to help and
encourage the next generation
and some alumni even start programs in
new locations to create
a growing network now
not only are networks between programs
created and strengthened
music itself serves as a bridge
connecting people
despite cultural religious and societal
beliefs
unlike english spanish russian et cetera
music is a language understood by
everyone
in their book playing for their lives
the global el sistema movement for
social change
through music eric booth and trisha
tunsdale discuss an event where an el
sustainment program
invited the children’s families for a
bonding activity
the families felt uncomfortable to
connect with another culture due to
their different beliefs
but as the music played a young musician
maybe five or six
grabbed the hand of a mother from a
completely different background
and began dancing with her unaffected by
the social norms put at place
this is just one small example which
truly illustrates
that music is a connector it unifies
and music isn’t just a connector between
different families
music is also a connector within a
family
family involvement entertainment
programs is frequent
when parents develop that active
interest in their child’s activity
it creates a positive influence on the
family as a whole and raises their
parents ambitions in their children
helping to break that cycle of poverty
for the children to simply be believed
in and supported
in both their actual family and their
creative family at all systema
they gain the confidence motivation and
ambition to rise above their struggles
and use the skills that they have
learned through hours upon
hours of work to ultimately overcome
harsh obstacles
and reach their dreams
after being introduced to al sustainment
through nicola benedetti’s speech
i began to look into these programs more
deeply on my own
and i discovered that i felt a strong
pull to personally help an el
sustainment usa program
this desire to make a difference led me
to kidsnotes
a local north carolinian organization
which provides
underadvantaged youth ensemble-based
music education
for academic personal social and musical
development and growth
i decided to write a children’s book
about the unifying power of music
and just recently published another
about the power of music to build
confidence
and have donated 100 of the proceeds to
kids notes
and have since been growing my
involvement and relationship with the
program
i am so excited to see the children in
my community
begin their life-changing journey
through music
now my musical journey has taken me from
that shy little girl hiding behind her
mom’s legs
to a concert artist who performs as a
soloist and as a chamber musician
in front of hundreds and even thousands
of people and i’m continually
amazed at the positive impact music has
had
in every aspect of my life
i recognize and that without the
emotional and financial support of my
friends and family
i would not be who i am today and it is
for that reason
that i believe those who lack that
support receive the opportunity
to experience the incredible impact
music can have on their lives
an elsa stamina type music education
program
can change the trajectory of a child’s
life
these programs create family and
cross-cultural bonds that are
long-lasting
they change circumstances so individuals
can achieve more
and so they have the potential
to positively impact not just the child
but their family their community and our
world
music is indeed a catalyst for social
change
social justice and equity it benefits
everyone
when under youth receive an elsa sama
type music education
these programs create social change
music is a solution our society can and
should use
in our quest for justice imagine a world
where every child has access to an
intensive music education
to foster positive and thriving
communities
what would that mean for the world world
harmony
utopian paradise i’ll let you
envision what you want but hopefully we
all live to the day where we can see
this change
for ourselves thank you
[Applause]