Probably the most amazing music education project in the world today is the youth orchestra program in Venezuela. Known as El Sistema or “the system” the world’s attention in the past few years has been captured by its incredibly charismatic conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, which has become the flagship of the system. This educational system has a much larger scope than just one conductor and one orchestra; it is a system that targets some 300,000 youth; specifically families that are poor and disadvantaged. It has become a vehicle for social change in South America , and is now moving around the world . The article link below talks about the program, and it’s potential impacts in the UK.
El Sistema: when music cuts crime and saves lives – Telegraph
Here is a video of recent performance of Bernstien’s Mambo from West Side Story at Royal Albert Hall in London UK.
El Sistema grows… There is now a new education program at New Engaland Conservatory being spawn with the intention of bringing these types of programs to North America.